ESPN HoopGurlz High School Power Rankings

ESPNW Girls’ HS Power Rankings

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March 3, 2021
Premier Basketball

This is a quick Power Rankings update from the week:

Chaska (MN) enters the Top 25 after an impressive 12-0 start. They are led by senior guard Kaylee Van Epps (Lehigh signee) and junior forward Mallory Heyer (Minnesota commit). Their big matchup with No. 1 Hopkins (MN) on March 5th was cancelled due to covid. 

Princess Anne (VA) finished their abbreviated season at 10-0 with the Class 5 State Championship with a win over Patrick Henry High School. North Carolina State signee and ESPNW No. 36 Aziaha James is the catalyst for Princess Anne.

American Heritage (FL) enters the Top 25 at 25-2. They won the Florida Class 5A State Championship last week. Their roster has Florida signees in forwards Taliyah and Tatyana Wyche and highly recruited Top 100 2022 combo guard Sydney Shaw.

New Hope Academy had themselves quite the weekend at the Insider Exposure Independent School Championship. Their marquee win was versus Winston Salem Christian. Top 100 2022 Kennedy Fauntleroy scored 34 points with 4 assists and Boston College signee Maria Gakdeng contributed 13 points and 7 rebounds.

Judson High School (TX) enters the Top 25 at 26-1. They have made their fifth consecutive trip to the 6A Final Four in Texas. They are led by Rutgers signee Kierra Sanderlin and 2022 post player Amira Mabry.

Teams currently in their respective state playoffs:

Westlake (GA)
Cy Creek (TX)
DeSoto (TX)
Mt. Notre Dame (OH)
Fremont (UT)
Judson (TX)
Norman (OK)
Incarnate Word (MO)
Newark (OH)

Many in the high school basketball world are waiting on the 2021 GEICO High School Nationals information to be announced soon. Stay tuned!

1. Hopkins High School (Minnetonka, MN), 12-0   
2. Westlake High School (Atlanta, GA), 18-0  
3. Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, FL), 19-0      
4. Paul VI (Chantilly, VA), 10-0     
5. Cypress Creek High School (Houston, TX), 30-0     
6. Bishop McNamara (Forestville, MD), 3-1   
7. DeSoto High School (DeSoto, TX), 25-2    
8. Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL), 21-2    
9. Mt. Notre Dame (Cincinnati, OH), 24-0   
10. Winston Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, NC), 26-1
11. St. John’s College HS (Washington, DC) 1-1    
12. Edison Academy (Detroit, MI), 7-0    
13. St. John-Vianney (NJ), 11-0   
14. Grandview High School (Aurora, CO), 11-0   
15. Fremont HS (Plain City, UT), 24-0       
16. New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, MD) 12-3   
17. Princess Anne (VA), 10-0    
18. Norman High School (Norman, OK), 15-0    
19. Converse Judson (TX), 26-1 
20. Incarnate Word (St. Louis, MO) 23-0     
21. Rutgers Prep (Somerset, NJ), 9-0     
22. Trenton Catholic (Trenton, NJ), 11-1    
23. Newark High School (OH), 26-1  
24. Chaska High School (Chaska, MN), 12-0     
25. American Heritage High School (Plantation, FL), 25-2   

February 16, 2021
Premier Basketball

This Power Rankings update comes as we have now seen several more states decide to start their seasons. We have been fortunate to even see a few marquee matchups in the areas that chose not to play until January or February. The teams from states that have not started play yet (California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington for example) were not considered for this update.

Limited scheduling freedoms, the lack of tournaments, and abbreviated schedules makes this a very subjective process this season. For example, St. John’s College High School will play less than five official games and in their first official game out, they lost a close one to Paul VI (VA).

While some states are just beginning play, we have others that are now into their playoffs: Indiana, Georgia, Florida, and Texas to name a few. We will monitor post season play and any post season tournaments for the appropriate updates.

We have several teams who have finally been able to start their season over the last month:

#1 Hopkins (MN): Coach Tara Starks’ team has come out the gate very strong, as expected. They have multiple weapons offensively and really pressure their opponents on the defensive end. Look for their rematch with Minnetonka on February 18^th  and they play currently undefeated Chaska on March 5^th. They have at least six Division 1 prospects getting major minutes right now. 2022 ESPN #7 Maya Nnaji leads the way averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds per game. 2022 Top 100 Amaya Battle averages 13.3 points and leads them in assists at 5.7 per game. 2023 ESPN #24 Taylor Woodson is averaging 15.6 points and leads them with 9 rebounds per game.

#5 Paul VI (VA): With no official WCAC schedule, Head Coach Scott Allen has done a good job putting a schedule together. They are led by Duke signee Lee Volker and unsigned SR guard Bella Perkins. They got a quality win on Tuesday vs St. John’s College High School. That game came down to the wire and they overcame #1 UConn signee Azzi Fudd scoring 34 for SJC. In what was to be their final game on Sunday vs Bishop McNamara, inclement weather caused a cancellation.

#7 Bishop McNamara (MD): Coach Frank Oliver never seems to have a talent issue. This year is no different. The roster boasts Division 1 prospects from each of the classes, freshman to senior. 2021 forward Taylor Gibson is headed to Michigan. 2022’s Yonta Vaughn and Gia Cooke are Top 100 players. The 2023 class has ESPN #12 Sahnya Jah and Quedence Samuels who should have breakout seasons. Remember the name of 2024 point guard Madisen McDaniel. She is on the ESPN Watch List. Due to schedule limitations and inclement weather, McNamara might have played their last game.




#11 St. John’s College High School (DC): This is a very unique situation. Coach Jonathan Scribner’s squad has the #1 2021 player in the country in Azzi Fudd and will likely play less games than the rest of the Top 25 list. Due to their local limitations and game cancellations, they may not be playing any more games officially. There is a rumor that if GEICO hosts their post season tournament that they could get an invite. 2023 forward Delaney Thomas is a stock riser for SJC.

#12 Trenton Catholic (NJ): Coach Bob Fusik has a young squad, but they are supremely talented. Their roster includes two current Top 25 sophomores in post Aalyah Del Rosario and point guard Angelica Valez. 2023 Zoe Brooks will find her way into the ranks when the list is updated and expanded and also do not leave out 2024 forward Aurora Sanchez Almon. Their strength of schedule is limited, but look forward to the February 26 meeting with St. John Vianney.

#13 Edison Academy (MI): It’s safe to say Coach Monique Brown and her team were excited to start their season this month. Her team is one of the most talented in the country. 2021 Michigan State signee Demiya Hagemann leads from the point guard position. She is supported by major recruits in 2022 wing Rakiyah Beal and guard ESPN #21 Ruby Whitehorn.

#14 Grandview (CO): Coach Josh Ulitzky’s program is no stranger to the Top 25. They have a formidable front line with recent 2022 Stanford commit and #1 Lauren Betts who is complimented by Iowa signee Addison O’Grady and 2022 forward Marya Hudgins.



#18 St. John Vianney (NJ): 2022 Princeton commit Madison St. Rose headlines Coach Dawn Carpell’s squad. On Saturday, they got a good W 63-53 over Saddle River Day (NJ). Look for matchups on February 20 vs Red Bank Catholic and February 26 vs Trenton Catholic to be highlights on their schedule.

#19 Red Bank Catholic (NJ): Coach Joe Montano’s squad is very balanced. They have a very good point guard in 2021 Sophia Sabino (Fordham signee) and a formidable front line in 2022’s forward Justin Pissott (ESPN #33/Tennessee commit) and four-star post Ally Carman (Boston College commit).

#23 Rutgers Prep (NJ): Coach Mary Klinger is one of the best coaches in the HS ranks and her squad is strong as well. 2021 forward Christina Dalce is headed to Villanova. Freshman Mikayla Blakes is already establishing a reputation as a big time recruit. Due to this year’s limitations, they unfortunately do not have a strong schedule in terms of being able to play the other New Jersey teams in the Top 25.

#24 Archbishop Wood (PA): Coach Mike McDonald’s squad has their schedule limited to Philadelphia Catholic League opponents, but that still means a new challenging game plan night in and night out. They are powered by 2021 Villanova signee Kaitlyn Orihel and ESPN 2022 #55 Ryanne Allen.

The battle for the top spot in Texas is a tight one. Cy Creek continues its undefeated ways and is unlikely to see a real challenge in the Houston area. Their 2021 ESPN HoopGurlz Top 25 guard duo of Rori Harmon and Kyndall Hunter are both signed and headed to Texas next year. They ended the regular season 26-0. DeSoto ended its regular season 20-2 (includes an intentional forfeit). Both Duncanville and DeSoto programs experienced postponements to the start of their playoffs due to inclement weather.



Fremont High School (UT) enters the Top 25 after an impressive 20-0 start. Coach Lisa Dalebout has one of the most formidable starting frontcourts in the country in 2021 BYU signee and HoopGurlz #74 Emma Calvert, 2022 HoopGurlz #4 Timea Gardiner, and 2023 HoopGurlz #21 Maggie Mendelson.

Incarnate Word (MO) enters the Top 25 at #22. Coach Dan Rolfes’s program has seen time in the ranks before. They are a well-executing team on both ends. They can play within multiple defensive schemes and when they get a stop, they are fast in transition to the other end. 2022 guard Saniah Tyler is a headlining player. Don’t sleep on 2023 forward Natalie Potts. 

Ohio is always a hot spot in recruiting of the major sports. Mt. Notre Dame ended their regular season 20-0. They are lead by 2022 ESPN #27 major recruit KK Bransford. MND has wins over North Central (IN) and Compass Prep (AZ). Dr. Scott Rogers will have his team prepared for the post season.

Newark HS (OH) enters the Top 25 after amassing a quality resume. At 21-1, they have quality wins over Reynoldsburg and Huber-Heights Wayne. Coach JR Shumate’s team is led by West Virginia signee Emma Shumate and stock rising shooting guard Maddie Vejsicky.

Winston-Salem Christian has been extremely impressive throughout this season. Head Coach Delaney Rudd, year in and year out, gets his players to play very hard. They compete for 32 minutes and they are relentless defensively. They share the ball offensively and simply find ways to win by creating offense from their defense. They will finish their season at a post season event for independent schools that will include New Hope Academy (MD) among others.
   

1. Hopkins High School (Minnetonka, MN), 8-0   
2. Westlake High School (Atlanta, GA), 15-0  
3. Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, FL), 15-0      
4. Montverde Academy (Montverde, FL), 20-1    
5. Paul VI (Chantilly, VA), 10-0     
6. Cypress Creek High School (Houston, TX), 27-0      
7. Bishop McNamara (Forestville, MD), 3-1    
8. DeSoto High School (DeSoto, TX), 20-2    
9. Mt. Notre Dame (Cincinnati, OH), 20-0   
10. Winston Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, NC), 21-0  
11. St. John’s College HS (Washington, DC) 1-1    
12. Trenton Catholic (Trenton, NJ), 6-0    
13. Edison Academy (Detroit, MI), 2-0     
14. Grandview High School (Aurora, CO), 6-0    
15. Fremont HS (Plain City, UT), 20-0       
16. New Hope Academy (Landover Hills, MD) 5-3   
17. Duncanville High School Duncanville, TX), 24-2   
18. St. John-Vianney (NJ), 5-0      
19. Red Bank Catholic (Red Bank, NJ), 4-0    
20. Princess Anne (VA), 8-0    
21. Norman High School (Norman, OK), 13-0        
22. Incarnate Word (St. Louis, MO) 18-0     
23. Rutgers Prep (Somerset, NJ), 5-0     
24. Archbishop Wood (Warminster, PA), 3-0        
25. Newark High School (OH), 21-1