Stockrisers Shake Up 2022 #11-#20 Ranks
I wrote a while back when I wrote about the class’s top 10 that rankings are not meant to be static. They should be living and subject to change. They are only a snapshot in time. Players work hard to…
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Continue ReadingI wrote a while back when I wrote about the class’s top 10 that rankings are not meant to be static. They should be living and subject to change. They are only a snapshot in time. Players work hard to improve, to get noticed, and inevitably enjoy playing the game more. The 2022 class’s recent rankings refresh shows notable changes due to the work. Teenagers are constantly changing in all facets. Most of which are out of their control. Priorities change, players get stronger or don’t, players grow three inches in a year or don’t, players’s lives lose stability or don’t, setbacks are suffered due to injuries, coaches play their favorites even if the favorite has plateaued or quit working as hard and fall behind athletically than those riding the pine. They are also on the cusp of making post high school decisions that will set their initial direction after high school. While I do not see nearly as many players as I would like nor as often as I would like the rankings are fed not just by what I see but what I learn from other scouts, knowledgeable parents, media members, ball players, and college coaches think. Rankings are informative but they tell far from a complete picture and are always inherently incomplete despite the number of players included.
With all of this being said the latest refresh of the 2022 player rankings has not only produced a great deal of shuffling but also a new number one and debuters in the top 10. Ranks 11-20 also have seen dramatic moves. Enjoy this mid-summer season snapshot of the the second ten..
#11 Kyla Frenchers Kyla Frenchers 5'6" | PG Maize | 2022 State KS , 5’6″, PG, Maize, Next Level Eclipse – Frenchers, who had a terrific summer leading her team this summer, held steady in the rankings. Having watched her play several times over the last couple of years she has continued to grow her game. Strengthening and broadening her skill set but also in her floor generalship. Quick hands and feet, rangy three point ability, and the ability to create and finish athletically with either hand have always been there but what I really enjoy is seeing her make use of no-looks and showing-the-ball fakes to set up scores for herself and her teammates. Uncommitted at this time, Frenchers is a three-time KBCA class 5A honorable mention and was a Ark Valley Chisholm Trail Div I first team selection in 2021.
#12 Talayah Thomas Talayah Thomas 5'6" | CG Topeka | 2022 State KS , 5’6″, CG, Topeka, Wheat State Elite – Thomas advanced three places. While it has been around a year since I have seen Thomas play substantially in person, what I know is Thomas can be tough to defend. Much is set up when she uses her solid ability to look off defenders on the perimeter and then shoot or attack the lane. She has solid speed and handles to lead the break, athleticism to finish under and around the basket, and steadiness to use spacing and position to create opportunities for her or her teammates. This past summer her perimeter shooting notably improved to such a degree as to make her attacking abilities that much more formidable. The uncommitted Centennial League honorable mention selection has a been a substantial component for a Topeka team that has reached the state tournament in each of her three years, including starting as a freshman.
#13 Raegan Halliday Raegan Halliday 5'7" | PG Olathe South | 2022 State KS , 5’7″, PG, Olathe South, Kansas Elite – This diversely talented point guard climbed two spots. After earning Sunflower League second team honors in 2020 she followed that with a first team selection and KBCA 6A honorable mention honors in 2021. She has caught the eye of PGH National Scout Mason Asher a couple times in the past two years. At the PGH Circuit Council Bluffs event this past May, he noted that she had a “good crossover in the half court that she sets up. Fast with the ball. Three point range.” Last summer I witnessed her strength, solid build, three point shooting, baseline drive ability, transition speed, and her ability to elevate well.
#14 Saniya Simmons Saniya Simmons 5'1" | PG Olathe North | 2022 State KS , 5’2″, PG, Olathe North, Missouri Phenom – This wicked quick point guard is a high impact player on both ends of the floor due to her ability to pressure the ball consistently, handles, transition and half court vision, and her athleticism. She can put the ball in the hole from all three levels. Because she can, it enables her to create a large number of opportunities for everyone around her. Simmons ended 2021 earning second team all-Sunflower League honors after picking up an honorable mention in 2020. This high energy talent will be taking her game to Lincoln University.
#15 Harper Schreiner Harper Schreiner 5'7" | PG Eudora | 2022 State KS , 5’7″, PG, Eudora, Wheat State Elite – I first saw Schreiner in a 2019 state tournament game. And while I have yet seen her this past summer or season what I do know and hear about is her all-around ability on the offensive end. It starts with her quickness and her solid build. She uses it to good effect off the drive or in creating a mid-range and perimeter shot for herself. She sports a good mid-range jumper and a quick release from wherever she pulls the trigger from. Around the basket she has a wide repertoire of shots to draw upon to score with including a nice floater. Two years ago what really perked my interest was her ferocity in disallowing a ball handler to use a high screen. She continues to play with that same physicality. Gaining two spots in the ranks, Schreiner is a two-time KBCA 4A and Frontier League first time selection and is committed to take her game to Pittsburg State.
#16 Charlotte O’Keefe Charlotte O’Keefe 6'3" | PF St. Thomas Aquinas | 2022 State KS , 6’2″, C/PF, St. Thomas Aquinas, Lady Run GMC – After not being able to see any Lady Run GMC team last summer I was fired up to finally see them again when Prep Girls Hoops hosted the PGH Dynasty Classic last April in Lawrence. I was also fortunate to finally get a long look at this diversely talented big and against some tough, tough competition. Impressive she was and I named her to the tournament all-17U second team. She showed herself to be one of the top bigs in the state, not just the 2022 class, and her 60 spot vault up the ranks is the result. Not just long and athletic, O’Keefe has substantial versatility and potential. As she gets stronger and quicker she will be especially tough to deal with because she’ll be able to defend quicker wings and absorb hits better to get the finish and traditional three point play (Yeah, she’s a good free throw shooter). She is about money with her mid-range jumper and I suspect her long-range game will come along well too. While I am not privy to what offers she has fielded I imagine she will have many schools jockying for her to suit up come fall 2023. O’Keefe jumped to second team all-Eastern Kansas League this past season from the honorable mention spot she earned in 2020.
#17
Emma Krueger
Emma
Krueger
5'9" | CG
Washburn Rural | 2022
State
KS
, 5’9″, CG, Washburn Rural, Missouri Phenom – The two time Centennial league second team selection slid seven spots. The combo-guard, who committed to Grand Canyon University in late June, earned KBCA 6A honorable mention this past season and was a Sports In Kansas 2019 6A state all-tournament team selection. The hardest part about not having seen a player play is…well…not getting the opportunity to see a player play. And I haven’t seen her. On video she combines a shifty quickness with a talent for selling positioning, with and without the ball, that enables her to create opportunities everywhere in the half court. Her length and finishing ability is strong as is the quick release she has on the perimeter.
#18
Maycee James
Maycee
James
5'9" | CG
Goddard | 2022
State
KS
, 5’9″, CG, Goddard, Kansas United – After a breakout summer 2020 in which she made my Summer Ball all-Kansas Team and a 2021 high school campaign that earned her a first team all-Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Div II team, James has established herself as one of the strongest players in the Wichita area. I have seen her play numerous times in the past couple of years and she continues to be a high energy, fast, athletic, and consistently aggressive on both ends of the floor. While on the slim build side, she is durable and scrappy on the defensive end and a legitimate threat from the perimeter and going to the rim. James is uncommitted…for the moment.
#19
Saige Grampsas
Saige
Grampsas
5'6" | PG
Shawnee Mission Northwest | 2022
State
KS
, 5’6″, PG, Shawnee Mission Northwest, KC
Next Level Eclipse
– Another player who has made a big move up the ranks into the top 20 is Grampsas. Up 15 spots, her honors at the end of the season included KBCA 2021 6A honorable mention and Sunflower League third team selections. She also hung 26 points and 4 assists, hitting 8/9 from the field (including 2/3 from the three); 8/10 from the line and had 4 assists, in the 6A state championship win over Topeka. While I have not seen her since the team’s 2020 Mid-America Classic tournament championship, Grampsas has shown herself to be a rangy perimeter shooter with three point range (handy at the next level give the extension of the three point line effective this fall), a floor leader with great vision and control, unselfish with good passing ability, and very solid ball handler. She also plays defense with a great deal of moxy too. Grampsas is also uncommitted…for the moment.
#20
Danielle Howard
Danielle
Howard
5'8" | PG
Uniontown | 2022
State
KS
, 5’8″, PG, Uniontown, Wheat State Elite – Wrapping up the top 20 by jumping 15 spots also is the all-around solid Howard. A three sport athlete, Howard qualified in four events for state track; finished 5th in the 100M; 3rd in the 300M Intermediate hurdles; and 5th in the 200M. This past basketball season Howard earned KBCA 2A second team and Three Rivers League first team honors. And while I have only seen a little of her this summer I saw her play last summer with the KC
Next Level Eclipse
17U Bluestar team. At first glance observers may right away notice her quickness, arch on her three ball, quick release, long arms, and quick hands. What is harder to note, unless you pay attention, is she just shuts people down defensively. She jumps passing lanes, picks pockets, cuts off drives, and challenges every perimeter shot. She has a very good anticipation ability for shot blocks as well. Howard has received several offers from NJCAA, NAIA, and Div III programs.
Featured image: Maize and Next Level Eclipse Life Prep’s Kyla Frenchers Kyla Frenchers 5'6" | PG Maize | 2022 State KS .