2024 Rankings: The Top Five
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During the first half of the girls’ high school basketball season, we tried to get to as many games as possible – Covid permitting – and watch as much game tape as we could. In addition, the rankings were vetted by a group of high school and grassroots coaches to help insure we didn’t miss any deserving players and that the rankings were in good order. After months of work, they are here. Of course, prior to 2024 getting here, we are sure these rankings will be modified and modified again – all in the interest of getting as many players the exposure that they deserve. With no further ado, let’s take a look at the top five!
Taliyah Parker | 6-1 G | Putnam City West | 2024 | @tparkerhoops24
There isn’t an athlete like Parker in the class of 2024. There may not be one like her in Oklahoma, for that matter. She is bouncy to say the least. Taliyah has set a goal for herself of dunking and her update videos online show that she will probably be doing it in a game by the time 2024 has come and gone. She is a smart player who loves the game and she really shines with the ball in her hand. She has great handles, tremendous size for a guard and has enough talent all over the court that colleges are most likely looking at her at all five positions. She truly is one-of-a-kind. A great defender, tremendous length, she really is a game-changer. Unfortunately she is injured right now, but that doesn’t change anything. She is a superstar and will no doubt come back bigger and better in the very near future. Every coach I spoke with agreed that Parker is the No. 1 player in the state in 2024. Parker currently holds offers from a lot of great schools like UNC, Oklahoma, Mississippi State and Arkansas.
Shamar Bert Shamar Bert 5'7" | SG Putnam City West | 2024 State OK | 5-7 SG | Putnam City West | 2024 | @shamarb20
I saw Shamar play recently and she is an absolute joy to watch. She is calm and quiet, but in basketball terms, she is vicious and her play speaks plenty loud. She has incredible handles that she uses to get to the rim at will, with a step-back three that she uses as a dagger to end any runs that PC West’s opponent may have been on. She is a lock down defender who does a great job of reading the play and playing the passing lanes for several steals each game. Bert is improving every single game and it will be very fun to watch her continue to develop as part of a very good PC West team. She has tremendous size for a guard and is poised beyond her years. Bert is one to keep an eye on for sure. Her offer from Sherri Coales and Oklahoma is an indicator of just that.
Zya Vann Zya Vann 5'9" | PG Bethany | 2024 State OK | 5-9 PG | Norman | 2024 | @ZyaLiv
The first thing that stands out about Vann is her height. She is a 5-9 point guard – and when I say point guard, I mean true point guard. She has silky smooth handles and is very smart. She sees the floor very well and gets her teammates involved. When this iteration of the Norman Tigers – the undefeated one with five tremendous starting players – is no more, the reigns will be handed over to Vann and the team will be in very good hands. She is a great defender and that alone would be enough to keep her in Coach Neal’s starting five. But, apart from defense, she is the point guard that any winning team needs. Vann is also a workout warrior who will only get better. She currently holds one D-I offer from Arkansas State with many more to come as her minutes increase. As the only only freshman on the Norman Tigers, she has still found a way to shine.
Hannah Coons Hannah Coons 6'2" | PF Kiefer | 2024 State OK | 6-1 SF | Kiefer | 2024 | @coons_hannah
Coons is the only small school star in the top-5, but I can promise you that it isn’t the small school competition that makes Hannah stand out. She also plays for one of the top grassroots teams in the state and stands out there, too. Coons is tall and long. She uses her size to high point rebounds, make a ton of put-backs and – perhaps surprisingly to her opponents – step out and hit shots from three. It is this constant threat from deep that enables Coons to use her quickness and handles to blow past defenders for easy buckets in the lane. She gets up and down the floor better than most taller players I have seen in the state. She currently holds one offer from Newman, but the D-I offers are soon to come. If your play speaks loud enough – and hers does – the coaches will find Kiefer when the time comes.
Caya Smith Caya Smith 6'2" | SF Putnam City West | 2024 State OK | 6-2 CG | Putnam City West | 2024 | @CayaSmith
I say it all the time, but Smith is a player I fully expect to see skyrocket up the 2024 rankings by the end of her senior year. Obviously, her size is great. The fact that she has that size and is still considered a guard due to her ability to run the point and handle the ball is a whole other thing. In watching Smith play recently, I could tell that she is still learning. That isn’t to say she is not an absolute beast. She was all-tournament in the Jenks-Union tournament, scoring over 20 per game. But, she does get coached up on things like footwork and decision making by all of her coaches and you can see it really starting to click for her. She puts into practice what they are telling her almost immediately. I would not be at all surprised to see Smith at No. 1 when all is said and done – and that bodes very, very well for Putnam City West with three of the top-5 freshmen in the state.