Class of 2022 Player Rankings: #1–10

Here it is. The final installment of my 2022 PGH Nebraska rankings breakdown. The talent in this bunch is pretty remarkable, and I came away impressed by how versatile all of these players are. There are no one- or even two-trick ponies. Each of the following ten players impact the game in a variety of ways, and will surely put on a great show for us all this high school season. Taylor McCabeTaylorMcCabe5'9" | SGFremont | 2022StateNE - SG - Fremont There is not a more polished 2022 player in Nebraska than Taylor. She is the best passer in the class, and is remarkably comfortable running pick and roll. She has all the passes in her tool bag: pocket, kickout, and the skip. Her footwork is great, too. She is comfortable moving north, south, east, and west. A few plays come to mind where she fakes a cut inside, then backpedals quickly to the three-point line for the catch and shoot. The gracefulness and ease of it is rare at this level. And when you take into account her ball-handling skills, too, I don’t envy the opposing coaches trying to slow her down. Aaniya WebbAaniyaWebb5'11" | SFOmaha Central | 2022StateNE - SF - Omaha Central  Aaniya has one of the more versatile games you’ll see this year. I hesitate to call her a post player, or a wing, because she can fill in all over the court. She runs the floor better than anyone, and when a player as talented as Aaniya puts in that type of consistent effort great things happen. On defense, she provides solid rim protection and can move her feet enough to guard away from the basket. Offensively, her immense value comes when she operates on the perimeter and high post. She has great vision and touch on her passes. Her shooting range is among the best in the state. And can put it on the floor well enough to leverage her shooting and create advantages with the dribble. Freddie WallaceFreddieWallace5'11" | PFLincoln Southwest | 2022StateNE - PF - Lincoln Southwest Composure is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the Lincoln Southwest standout. She often draws doubles, but never panics. She trusts her size and her skill, and finds an opening to either deliver or pass or squeeze in a shot attempt. The sign of any great scorer is the ability to earn trips to the free throw line, and she excels in that area. Rebounding is a strong suit, and she has great touch around the rim. She catches passes and corrals rebounds gently and gets the shot up quickly. Taryn WhartonTarynWharton5'5" | PGBellevue West | 2022StateNE - PG - Bellevue West The Bellevue West initiator is quick and agile while moving with the ball. She knifes through waves of defenders in the open floor, and can finish at the rim and from deep. It's very impressive to watch her sprint up the floor, and stop on a dime to splash the pull-up three. She is always in motion, but not always at 100%. She has enough variability in her tempo to buckle defenders and get them leaning. Aniah WayneAniahWayne5'9" | SFOmaha Central | 2022StateNE - SF - Omaha Central  The Central Eagles wing can slash a defense to death and finish at a high rate. She is strong with and without the basketball, and always engaged. The few times I’ve watched her play happened to be a few of her bad shooting performances. She struggled getting the ball in the basket, but she wasn’t missing it badly, and her motion looks fine. What impressed me was her impact in other areas. She shot confidently if she was open, but stayed unselfish, moved the ball, put effort into rebounding, and locked down on the defensive end. Aniah and her teammate above, Aaniya WebbAaniyaWebb5'11" | SFOmaha Central | 2022StateNE, are a menacing defensive combo. Rylie RiceRylieRice5'9" | SGGrand Island | 2022StateNE - SG - Grand Island Rylie is an excellent catch-and-shoot threat. She's quick to get rid of the ball, but she never rushes her motion. She has excellent footwork when she is catching the ball while moving, squaring up her body and efficiently transferring her energy in a positive direction towards the basket. She is super crafty in the paint, and has the strength to muscle up with post players, and finish using crafty angles and touch. Her hands are lightning quick and accurate, and they come in handy when pick-pocketing ball-handlers on their drives. Baylee EganBayleeEgan5'10" | PFBellevue East | 2022StateNE - PF - Bellevue East There isn't anything eye-popping or supremely advanced in her offensive game. Baylee uses simple pivots and shoulder fakes to create space and finish at the rim. She likes to catch right after she ducks in, and then counter wherever her defender is at the time of the catch. She is one of the best rebounders I've watched on film in this class. Her catch radius is large, and she doesn't need two hands on the ball, or even good position to capture the basketball. She has elite reaction time and anticipation of the misses. Macy BryantMacyBryant5'11" | PFFremont | 2022StateNE - PF - Fremont Macy runs the floor well and moves her body well at 5’11". She was a limited scorer in her minutes last season for the Tigers. She did excel at ducking into the paint, holding her position, and finishing, almost always with her right hand. She showed some great flashes of passing, and has potential to be a real threat in transition. She is able to grab the rebound, take the ball up the court herself quickly, and make the right pass. Chloe CloudChloeCloud6'2" | CGrand Island Central | 2022StateNE - C - Grand Island Central With refined post work and excellent touch around the basket, Chloe is one of the most efficient finishers in Nebraska. She does an excellent job of keeping the ball high from the catch to the shot. There isn’t much verticality to her game, but she competes for rebounds, and has a knack for emerging from a sea of bodies with the the basketball. Reilly PalmerReillyPalmer5'9" | SGElkhorn | 2022StateNE - SG - Elkhorn The 3-and-D guard for Elkhorn was great as a role player her sophomore year. She’s mainly a spot-up threat, and I’m interested to see how she has built her game off of that during the offseason. If she can improve her ball-handling and start attacking the closeout, I believe she has the tools to take that next playmaking step.