Florida Players Ranked Nationally by ESPNW
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Florida Players Ranked Nationally by ESPNW By Michael Wholey 11/19/20 5:00 PM EST On the girls side, there is no consensus rankings nationally but ESPNW has recently released an updated national rankings and several Florida players have made their lists. …
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Continue ReadingFlorida Players Ranked Nationally by ESPNW
By Michael Wholey 11/19/20 5:00 PM EST
On the girls side, there is no consensus rankings nationally but ESPNW has recently released an updated national rankings and several Florida players have made their lists.
2021
The 2021 class is led be recent UConn signee Azzi Fudd from St. John’s College HS (Washington, DC). I have had a chance to see Fudd play several times and she is well worth the admission price. Her game is as smooth and as efficient as it comes where she has an incredible ability to impact the game in all areas while making it look effortless. She is extremely skilled and a dangerous scorer who has one of the sweetest shooting forms and jump shots I have seen in a prep athlete. Unfortunately, Azzi has not taken the court recently as she is recovering from ACL and MCL surgery on both her knees but is expected to be 100% for the HS season and play this season. She recently signed with UConn over other finalist UCLA, giving UConn the back to back # 1 players having signed the # 1 player in the 2020 class Paige Bueckers last year (who is Fudd’s best friend). What a back court that will be next season!!!
Coming in behind in Fudd in the 2021 class, Florida is represented by three players.
# 31 O’Mariah Gordon O’Mariah Gordon 5'6" | PG Braden River | 2021 State #27 Nation FL (Braden River / Team Knight) – FLORIDA STATE
Gordon aka OMG is the real deal. She often was questioned because of her 5’5 size but she lacks in the size, she makes up for in speed, effort, energy, and scoring ability. She is the two time Florida Gatorade Player of the Year and odds on favorite to do it again to win it three years in a row. She can take her man off the dribble every time down the court if she wants to but consistently displays an unselfishness working to get her teammates involved in the game and distributing the basketball early, then eventually taking the game over. She is the state’s highest rated prospect nationally and the Prep Hoops Florida class of 2021 # 1 rated player. She is the headliner for the Florida State Seminoles three player class that was recently recognized as the # 12 class in the country (read full release HERE).
# 40 K’Nisha Godfrey K’Nisha Godfrey 5'9" | CG Tampa Bay Tech | 2021 State FL (Tampa Bay Tech / Essence) – MISSISSIPPI STATE
Godfrey is the headliner for Head Coach Nikki McCray’s first recruiting class at Mississippi State that was recently ranked the #19 recruiting class in the country. The combo guard has impressive athletic ability as well as strength. She is one of the best finishers at the rim in the country using her body and strength to accept contact and still finish at the rim giving herself opportunities for 3-point plays. Her stock shot up during the 2018-19 HS season having several impressive performances for Tampa Bay Tech at the She Got Game Classic and Naples Holiday Shootout. One of the most well rounded players in the class, she should be an impact player immediately upon arrival in Starkville.
# 75 Kayla Blackshear Kayla Blackshear 6'1" | PF Lake Highland Prep | 2021 State #61 Nation FL (Lake Highland Prep / Central Florida Elite) – ALABAMA
Blackshear really stood out in the summer of 2019 with her rebounding ability on the Nike EYBL circuit. Getting a chance to see her play at multiple events and see post game stat sheets, she impressively averaged 10+ rebounds per game for the entire summer. Her rebounding ability can not be attributed to just one thing but her effort and consistency in going to the boards certainly give her an opportunity to get her hands on a lot of balls and be involved in a lot of plays. The athletic forward competes every possession, is a quick leaper, and has a strong build that allow her to play well vs contact and be effective in the paint. I would expect her effort, energy, and rebounding ability will give her a chance to complete for playing time at Alabama as a Freshman and is one of the many reasons ESPNW has her as one of the countries top prospects in the 2021 Class.
2022
The 2022 class is headed by 6’7 Lauren Betts from Grandview HS (Centennial, CO).. I have not had a chance to see Betts play but she has a number of schools that are the whose who of college basketball seeking her services including Arizona State Sun, Stanford, UCLA, UConn, Notre Dame, Louisville, Baylor, Oregon, and South Carolina. Dan Olson lists his most recent evaluation of her as “Dominant low-post performer displays interior game consistency complemented by a more consistent face up threat; a defensive presence, swats shots; mobile in uptempo game; continues to be the most dominant prospect in the class of 2022.”
While ESPNW lists Betts as the # 1 prospect, they recognize the incredible talent and depth of the 2022 class in Florida ranking six players in their top 50 national rankings.
# 2 Janiah Barker Janiah Barker 6'2" | SF Montverde Academy | 2022 State #3 Nation FL (Tampa Bay Tech / Essence)
ESPNW has Betts as #1 but has Barker just one spot behind her at # 2. When you walk in the gym and see warmups, Barker jumps up immediately. She has impressive height, length, athleticism and although I would label her as a post player, she has guard like skills and is versatile to play positions 1-5. Ultimately, she may be a wing player on college but depending on the match up, she often is more effective on the low block using her size and athleticism to score at the rim.
# 11 Nyla Harris Nyla Harris 6'2" | PF Lake Highland Prep | 2022 State #34 Nation FL (Lake Highland Prep / Central Florida Elite)
Harris just released her top 5 colleges (Florida State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, NC State, and Louisville) on social media that gives you some insight into what colleges think of her nationally. These five are narrowed down from 20+ offers and a number of suitors and validates ESPNW # 11 ranking of Harris. Harris is a modern day post player in that she is extremely effective on the low block posting up and can finish with both hands but also can stretch the D and step out to the 3-point line. She is a big time prospect who will make whichever college she chooses extremely happy!
# 18 Kailyn Gilbert Kailyn Gilbert 5'8" | CG IMG Academy | 2022 State FL (Seffner Christian / FGB)
Gilbert has come onto the scene nationally after an impressive 2020 spring/summer travel season for FGB. She is lightning in a bottle in that she plays extremely hard on both ends of the floor every single possession, her athleticism is through the roof, and is capable of going off for 30+ points every single game. Her # 18 ranking validates her performance this spring and summer and so does her recruiting process which includes a number of schools including but not limited to Ole Miss, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, and Louisville.
# 31 Tonie Morgan Tonie Morgan 5'9" | PG FSUHS | 2022 State #18 Nation FL (Florida HS / Central Florida Elite)
Morgan’s ranking is based on her performance with CFE in the spring/summer of 2019 as her travel team has remained off the road for most of 2020. But her 2019 performance was good enough to earn the well deserved # 31 national ranking as she proved to be one of the countries top point guards consistently putting together excellent floor games against some of the countries top players on the Nike EYBL circuit often going against players in classes 1-2 years older than her.
# 47 Amiya Evans Amiya Evans 6'2" | PF DME Academy | 2022 State FL (Tampa Bay Tech / Miami Suns)
Evans jumped onto the scene this 2020 spring/summer travel season having moved from Essence to the Miami Suns. She joins her Tampa Bay Tech teammate Barker, making one of the countries most elite front courts at the prep level. Evans got evaluators and college coaches alike attention based on her impressive frame, back to the basket skill level, ability to finish at the rim, be an impactful rebounder and interior presence. Her combination of size and mass really make her stand out. Most high school prospects at the post position need 1-2 years on a college campus in order to compete for playing time in the rotation needing time in the weight room under the supervision of the strength and conditioning coach and court time with the post development coach. Evans walks on campus with a college ready body and based on the improvements she has made each of the last 2 years, has a bright future ahead of her!
# 48 Jordana Codio Jordana Codio 6'1" | SF Montverde Academy | 2022 State FL (American Heritage Delray / Essence) – WISCONSIN
Codio is the lone ranked player that is verbally committed, having committed to Wisconsin back in the summer of 2019 after an unofficial visit. Evans and Codio switched spots as Codio was with the Miami Suns last summer and this year opted to suit up for Essence. Codio performance on the travel circuit for the 2020 spring/summer was impressive showcasing an improved perimeter shot, better handle and finishing ability, and consistent offensive production. She is a physical specimen that has a unique combination of height, length, and athleticism that you see very few players on the perimeter have. Her continued improvement and commitment to developing her game is obvious and she has unlimited potential and has a chance to be an impact player in the Big 10 when she arrives on campus at Wisconsin in two years.
2023
The 2023 class is led by super athletic, do it all 6’0 point guard Judea Watkins from Windward School (Los Angelas, CA). Olson most recent eval on Watkins in the ESPNW rankings is “Athletic guard, physical to the basket, drives and finishes plays vs. contact; manufactures shots, mid-range game creator, isolator in the paint; brings a power-guard game in the key, muscles through defenders and delivers; rises on jumper with confident demeanor; heads the list among elite performers in the class of 2023.”
Behind Watkins, Taliah Scott Taliah Scott 5'8" | SG St. John's Country Day | 2023 State #31 Nation FL is the lone representative for Florida in the 2023 class at # 14 in the country.
# 14 Taliah Scott Taliah Scott 5'8" | SG St. John's Country Day | 2023 State #31 Nation FL (Bolles HS / FGB)
Scott scoring ability is elite. Blink your eye and she might drop 10 points in 2 minutes while you were off getting some popcorn at the concession stand. At 6’0 she has excellent height and length for a perimeter player and displayed exceptional shooting ability all summer. She is in her range the second she crosses half court and can knock it down from deep several feet beyond the three point line. In my opinion her shooting ability is her biggest strength but like any elite level scorer, she can do it in many ways. She has solid handle, quick first step, and exceptional ability to get to the rim and finish.
2024
ESPNW does not rank the 2024 class as an official ranked list but instead recognizes a top 25 watch list. Florida is represented with two players in the top 25 list.
Alexandra “Lexi” Blue (Lake Highland Prep / FGB) 6’0 Wing
Blue joins a long line of athletic, versatile, tall, perimeter players with long wingspans and can impact that game in multiple ways. Her build is similar to Jordana Codio Jordana Codio 6'1" | SF Montverde Academy | 2022 State FL and Taliah Scott Taliah Scott 5'8" | SG St. John's Country Day | 2023 State #31 Nation FL and her game is projecting in the same way. Just entering high school, her opportunities to play against top level competition have been limited and I would say most of her top 25 recognition by ESPN is based on projection not production but like many young players, she has a ton of potential and an excellent base starting point with a frame that looks like many BCS prospects at the college level. Keep an eye on Blue as her game continues to develop and her production begins to match her potential.
Shakirah Edwards (Rutherford HS / FBC) 5’10 PG
The 5’10 duel sport athlete from Panama City, FL plays both basketball and runs track. She is an impressive athlete with great length, speed, and leaping ability. She was a new face for me this spring/summer but in watching her play several times, she stood out against the competition. At 5’10, she above most of the prospects in her class, using her height and athleticism to get to the rim, see the court to pass to open teammates and finish at the rim. She mainly runs the point guard position at the high school and travel level but is versatile enough to play 1-3. Her early performances have got the ESPNW staff attention to rank her in the top 25 in the 2024 class nationally. We look forward to continuing to watch her for the years to come.