2024 Rankings Update: Meet the newcomers

A lot can happen over the course of four months, particularly when that stretch of time includes a high school state tournament and an entire grassroots season. Since we last updated the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024 prospect rankings in February, numerous players have emerged on the scene and others have raised their level of play substantially. That's how/why we now find ourselves adding 36 newcomers to the 2024 list bringing the total number of ranked players to 175. That's a healthy number, given that these incoming juniors have two full seasons of high school basketball remaining. We obviously can't introduce all of them to you in great detail. Instead, we have listed all 36 below while highlighting five in particular.   #87 [player_tooltip player_id='461340' first='Hali' last='Savela'] – guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl (High Impact)   Hali is the highest-ranked newcomer at #87. It's not a surprise that Savela made it into the Top 100. We've known for quite some time that she was an emerging talent in Class A ball and have been keeping an eye on her for the past couple of years. When she showed up at the high school state tournament in March, however, the event turned into a coming out party for the high-energy guard who was called upon to play a major role for the Rangers. The 5'6 combo guard is quick and athletic, with the DNA to effectively guard players of all descriptions. She's skilled, with excellent ball-handling ability, a beautiful shooting stroke and a very high basketball IQ. What we love most about Hali, though, is her fire which burns hot from start to finish.   #107 [player_tooltip player_id='432490' first='Kiru' last='Othow'] – wing, Austin (Air Minnesota)   Ranked #107, Othow is the newcomer who may have the most raw potential in the group. We first watched her closely at the Prep Girls Hoops Legacy Region event in Omaha this spring. The 6-footer stood out immediately because of her length and athleticism, which she parlayed into a fine display of shot blocking and rebounding. You simply can't teach those kind of assets. She showed us some really nice back-to-the basket knowledge, as well. Kiru has put in a lot of work with Air Minnesota and her progress over the course of the summer was impressive. She is still raw but Othow is probably going to play a major role this winter at Austin, where others in her family have set a very high standard to live up to. She's got a ways to go but Kiru is definitely trending in the right direction.   #147 [player_tooltip player_id='418240' first='Rebekah' last='Gendler'] – guard, Minneapolis Southwest (MN Diamond Elite)   There's a lot of be said for continuous improvement. That's what we've seen from Rebekah over the past couple of seasons. Over time she has gradually become better at pretty much every aspect of the game. She didn't suddenly start scoring 20 points a night or crossing kids over on someone's highlight reel. No, Gendler just kept doing the little things better and better and better. Combined with a nice growth spurt and some physical maturity – she's taller, longer, faster and smoother than before –  it is a recipe for improvement that has earned Rebekah a place in the Top 150 and a spot on the radar of a number of small college programs. Perhaps the biggest impact of these changes is what it has done for Gendler's confidence, and in the game of basketball that can often be the most important asset of all.   #148 [player_tooltip player_id='339128' first='Steph' last='Cink'] – guard, St. Clair (Southern Minnesota Fury)   It can be difficult for players like Steph to make a name for themselves solely on their accomplishments in high school basketball. Playing in a smaller program like St. Clair that doesn't draw a lot of eyeballs from outside of its immediate area, there isn't enough of a platform available to prove yourself. Bring your game to AAU, however, and turn in one solid performance after another all summer long and people are going to pay attention. That's exactly what Steph did. She's got a solid set of skills, handles the ball well, can play at a high tempo, and is highly focused on the floor. If you watch her for long, though, you'll figure out pretty quickly that she can also shoot the heck out of it. We saw Cink dropping bombs all summer long, demonstrating solid mechanics, the ability to get shots off quickly with a high degree of accuracy.   #167 [player_tooltip player_id='461368' first='Nyomi' last='Crushshon'] – guard, Park Center (MN P.R.E.P.)   Chris Buerman's MN P.R.E.P. 2024 squad snuck up on a lot of teams this year. Although they may have entered the AAU season somewhat off the radar, their players made the most of the available opportunities to improve and impress and the team earned its share of accolades before it was all said and done. With the addition of Nyomi at #167 and her teammate [player_tooltip player_id='461384' first='Kaylee' last='Buerman'] of Osseo at #172, there are now nine members of the squad in the Class of 2024 rankings. Nyomi is a gamer, a strong and athletic competitor who loves to play fast and get downhill faster. She's agile, with quick hands, quick feet, and the strength to score through contact. And she defends with passion. Nyomi's high-energy approach to the game epitomizes what MN P.R.E.P. is all about.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img alt=""/></figure>   MEET ALL OF THE NEWCOMERS   87 – [player_tooltip player_id='461340' first='Hali' last='Savela'], Mountain Iron-Buhl (High Impact)   107 – [player_tooltip player_id='432490' first='Kiru' last='Othow'], Austin (Air Minnesota)   111 – [player_tooltip player_id='461341' first='Maggie' last='Westling'], Milaca (Crossfire Schuck)   143 – [player_tooltip player_id='461385' first='Hallie' last='Greer'], Minnetonka (North Tartan Elite)   144 – [player_tooltip player_id='461342' first='Ashley' last='King'], Burnsville (Crossfire Corley)   145 – [player_tooltip player_id='461343' first='Carsyn' last='Brady'], Owatonna (Air Minnesota)   146 – [player_tooltip player_id='461344' first='Elizabeth' last='Lukken'], Underwood (North Tartan North)   147 – [player_tooltip player_id='418240' first='Rebekah' last='Gendler'], Mpls Southwest (MN Diamond Elite)   148 – [player_tooltip player_id='339128' first='Steph' last='Cink'], St. Clair (Southern MN Fury)   149 – [player_tooltip player_id='461351' first='Cassidy' last='Pitzl'], Forest Lake (MN Heat)   150 – [player_tooltip player_id='461347' first='Maddie' last='Olinger'], Jordan (MN Nice)   151 – [player_tooltip player_id='461348' first='Jaida' last='Walker'], Mpls Roosevelt (MN Diamond Elite)   152 – [player_tooltip player_id='461349' first='Kaitlin' last='Flack'], LCWM (MN Nice)   153 – [player_tooltip player_id='461360' first='Maggie' last='Lundell'], Orono (MN Stars Zabel)   154 – [player_tooltip player_id='461388' first='Kate' last='Flicek'], Lakeville South (Crossfire Gill)   155 – [player_tooltip player_id='350106' first='Ella' last='Matzke'], Lake City (Southern MN Fury)   156 – [player_tooltip player_id='461361' first='Brylie' last='Guida'], Buffalo (MN Comets Elite)   157 – [player_tooltip player_id='461352' first='Taylor' last='Ask'], Chatfield (Air Minnesota)   158 – [player_tooltip player_id='461353' first='Svea' last='Snickers'], Southridge (Playmakers)   159 – [player_tooltip player_id='461356' first='Sophia' last='Mareck'], Wayzata (Crossfire Schuck)   160 – [player_tooltip player_id='461357' first='Macy' last='Zawacki'], Foley (MN Comets Elite)   161 – [player_tooltip player_id='461358' first='Mallory' last='Czinano'], Watertown-Mayer   162 – [player_tooltip player_id='461359' first='Marianna' last='Scott'], Farmington (MN Stars Zabel)   163 – [player_tooltip player_id='461369' first='Raina' last='Hartman'], Mpls Roosevelt (MN Diamond Elite)   164 – [player_tooltip player_id='461364' first='Natalia' last='Tolentino'], Champlin Park (43 Hoops)   165 – [player_tooltip player_id='461365' first='Jada' last='Abed'], Orono (MN Suns)   166 – [player_tooltip player_id='461366' first='Briana' last='Martin'], Apple Valley (MN Diamond Elite)   167 – [player_tooltip player_id='461368' first='Nyomi' last='Crushshon'], Park Center (MN P.R.E.P)   168 – [player_tooltip player_id='339168' first='Misti' last='Zempel'], Hancock (Midwest Magic)   169 – [player_tooltip player_id='461370' first='Tori' last='Henderson'], Park Cottage Grove (Southern MN Fury)   170 – [player_tooltip player_id='461371' first='Avery' last='Vinar'], United Christian (Crossfire Wilson)   171 – [player_tooltip player_id='461372' first='Allie' last='Vinar'], United Christian (Crossfire Wilson)   172 – [player_tooltip player_id='461384' first='Kaylee' last='Buerman'], Osseo (MN P.R.E.P.)   173 – [player_tooltip player_id='461382' first='Savanna' last='Pelzer'], Albany (MN Comets Jensen)   174 – [player_tooltip player_id='461383' first='Bella' last='DeHaan'], Lakeville South (MN Diamond Elite)   175 – [player_tooltip player_id='339098' first='Audrey' last='Whitney'], Rochester Century (Give n' Go)

A lot can happen over the course of four months, particularly when that stretch of time includes a high school state tournament and an entire grassroots season. Since we last updated the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2024 prospect rankings in February, numerous players have emerged on the scene and others have raised their level of play substantially. That's how/why we now find ourselves adding 36 newcomers to the 2024 list bringing the total number of ranked players to 175. That's a healthy number, given that these incoming juniors have two full seasons of high school basketball remaining. We obviously can't introduce all of them to you in great detail. Instead, we have listed all 36 below while highlighting five in particular.