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…
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Continue ReadingA 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 Hali Savela Hali Savela 5'8" | CG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2024 State MN – 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 Kiru Othow Kiru Othow 6'0" | C John Marshall | 2024 State MN – 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 Rebekah Gendler Rebekah Gendler 5'10" | SG Mpls Southwest | 2024 State MN – 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 Steph Cink Steph Cink 5'6" | CG St. Clair | 2024 State MN – 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 Nyomi Crushshon Nyomi Crushshon 5'6" | CG Champlin Park | 2024 State MN – 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 Kaylee Buerman Kaylee Buerman 5'8" | PG Coon Rapids | 2024 State MN 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.
MEET ALL OF THE NEWCOMERS
87 – Hali Savela Hali Savela 5'8" | CG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2024 State MN , Mountain Iron-Buhl (High Impact)
107 – Kiru Othow Kiru Othow 6'0" | C John Marshall | 2024 State MN , Austin (Air Minnesota)
111 – Maggie Westling Maggie Westling 6'0" | PF Milaca | 2024 State MN , Milaca (Crossfire Schuck)
143 – Hallie Greer Hallie Greer 6'0" | SF Southwest Christian | 2024 State MN , Minnetonka (North Tartan Elite)
144 – Ashley King Ashley King 5'8" | SG Burnsville | 2024 State MN , Burnsville (Crossfire Corley)
145 – Carsyn Brady Carsyn Brady 5'6" | CG Owatonna | 2024 MN , Owatonna (Air Minnesota)
146 – Elizabeth Lukken Elizabeth Lukken 5'9" | CG Underwood | 2024 State MN , Underwood (North Tartan North)
147 – Rebekah Gendler Rebekah Gendler 5'10" | SG Mpls Southwest | 2024 State MN , Mpls Southwest (MN Diamond Elite)
148 – Steph Cink Steph Cink 5'6" | CG St. Clair | 2024 State MN , St. Clair (Southern MN Fury)
149 – Cassidy Pitzl Cassidy Pitzl 5'11" | SF Forest Lake | 2024 State MN , Forest Lake (MN Heat)
150 – Maddie Olinger Maddie Olinger 5'10" | CG Jordan | 2024 State MN , Jordan (MN Nice)
151 – Jaida Walker Jaida Walker 5'5" | CG Mpls Roosevelt | 2024 State MN , Mpls Roosevelt (MN Diamond Elite)
152 – Kaitlin Flack Kaitlin Flack 5'8" | CG Lake Crystal-W-M | 2024 State MN , LCWM (MN Nice)
153 – Maggie Lundell Maggie Lundell 6'0" | PF Orono | 2024 State MN , Orono (MN Stars Zabel)
154 – Kate Flicek Kate Flicek 5'9" | CG Lakeville South | 2024 State MN , Lakeville South (Crossfire Gill)
155 – Ella Matzke Ella Matzke 5'7" | CG Lake City | 2024 State MN , Lake City (Southern MN Fury)
156 – Brylie Guida Brylie Guida 5'9" | SG Buffalo | 2024 State MN , Buffalo (MN Comets Elite)
157 – Taylor Ask Taylor Ask 5'8" | CG Chatfield | 2024 State MN , Chatfield (Air Minnesota)
158 – Svea Snickers Svea Snickers 5'7" | SG South Ridge | 2024 State MN , Southridge (Playmakers)
159 – Sophia Mareck Sophia Mareck 5'9" | SG Wayzata | 2024 MN , Wayzata (Crossfire Schuck)
160 – Macy Zawacki Macy Zawacki 5'7" | CG Foley | 2024 State MN , Foley (MN Comets Elite)
161 – Mallory Czinano Mallory Czinano 6'0" | SF Watertown-Mayer | 2024 State MN , Watertown-Mayer
162 – Marianna Scott Marianna Scott 5'4" | CG Farmington | 2024 State MN , Farmington (MN Stars Zabel)
163 – Raina Hartman Raina Hartman 6'2" | PF Mpls Roosevelt | 2024 MN , Mpls Roosevelt (MN Diamond Elite)
164 – Natalia Tolentino Natalia Tolentino 5'6" | SG Champlin Park | 2024 State MN , Champlin Park (43 Hoops)
165 – Jada Abed Jada Abed 5'10" | SG Orono | 2024 MN , Orono (MN Suns)
166 – Briana Martin Briana Martin 5'5" | CG Lakeville South | 2024 State MN , Apple Valley (MN Diamond Elite)
167 – Nyomi Crushshon Nyomi Crushshon 5'6" | CG Champlin Park | 2024 State MN , Park Center (MN P.R.E.P)
168 – Misti Zempel Misti Zempel 5'10" | PF Hancock | 2024 State MN , Hancock (Midwest Magic)
169 – Tori Henderson Tori Henderson 5'10" | SG Park Cottage Grove | 2024 State MN , Park Cottage Grove (Southern MN Fury)
170 – Avery Vinar Avery Vinar 5'7" | CG United Christian | 2024 State MN , United Christian (Crossfire Wilson)
171 – Allie Vinar Allie Vinar 5'7" | CG United Christian | 2024 State MN , United Christian (Crossfire Wilson)
172 – Kaylee Buerman Kaylee Buerman 5'8" | PG Coon Rapids | 2024 State MN , Osseo (MN P.R.E.P.)
173 – Savanna Pelzer Savanna Pelzer 5'5" | CG Albany | 2024 State MN , Albany (MN Comets Jensen)
174 – Bella DeHaan Bella DeHaan 6'0" | PF Lakeville North | 2024 State MN , Lakeville South (MN Diamond Elite)
175 – Audrey Whitney Audrey Whitney 5'6" | PG Rochester Century | 2024 State MN , Rochester Century (Give n’ Go)