2023 Player Rankings: No. 4, 5 and 6
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The next three players that we’ll take a look at in the 2023 rankings update are some very good athletes with great size and tremendous skill. Two of them saw huge jumps from the previous iteration of the rankings and…
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Continue ReadingThe next three players that we’ll take a look at in the 2023 rankings update are some very good athletes with great size and tremendous skill. Two of them saw huge jumps from the previous iteration of the rankings and all three have a LOT of interest from college coaches. Take a look!
No. 4 – Jaida O’Conner Jaida O’Conner 6'1" | SF Classen SAS | 2023 State OK | 6-0 F | Classen SAS | @jaidaoconner22
I saw Jaida play earlier this summer and was absolutely shocked at the jump in her level of play from the previous time I had seen her with Classen SAS. She was always a great player with great size, but I swear every time I see her I see more and more of Darianna Littlepage-Buggs Darianna Littlepage-Buggs 6'1" | SF Classen SAS | 2022 State #24 Nation OK in her game – in a good way. Clearly practicing against and playing with the best player in the state of Oklahoma has had its advantages for Jaida. Since I’ve been watching, Jaida has always been able to shoot it. She is long and tall and has a nice, high, “hand in the cookie jar” release on her shot. She is very athletic and very tough. Recently she has seemingly been working on her inside moves, especially on the defensive end. The sign of a great player is a willingness to work on any area that isn’t quite as strong as the others and O’Conner has been working hard to shore up her game. She has jumped up six spots in the newest rankings and our rankings aren’t the only place that she is being recognized. She currently holds offers from OU, Texas A&M and SMU among others.
No. 5 – Boston Berry Boston Berry 5'7" | CG Jones | 2023 State OK | 5-7 G | Jones | @boston_berry
Boston is a small school star who is making really big noise in Oklahoma high school basketball. Part of the reason being that she led her Longhorns to the first state championship in school history. A bigger part of that is that she is just a phenomenal basketball player and will be playing at the D-I level in a few years. I wrote in my notes after seeing her play that she is “more fast than quick.” What did I mean by that? Well, to me it means that she may not start from a stand still and blow by her man one-on-one with an explosive first step. What she will do is play at a consistently quick tempo, under control and always with her eyes up and in the flow of the game. She is a true point guard who does everything at such a high level that it really defies definition. She is a smart defender, a savvy scorer and an absolute BEAST of a passer. She reads the play better than almost any point guard currently playing in Oklahoma. Just a really, really smart player. Head coaches from the likes of Tulsa and Texas Tech have already offered her and I wouldn’t be surprised if the other in-state D-I’s don’t reach out in the next couple of seasons – most likely along with many others.
No. 6 – Jazmin Adams Jazmin Adams 6'1" | PF Putnam City West | 2023 State OK | 6-1 F/C | Choctaw | @JazzJ2023
A lot of players could get lost on Jazmin’s absolutely loaded BTR grassroots squad. Truth be told, a few players genuinely do. Adams is not one of them. In fact, she went from not really catching this scout’s eye to making me wonder if I even have a clue what I’m doing to begin with. In the previous rankings, Adams was No. 42. That has all changed, a lot like the skill that she shows on the court. She is way quicker and a lot more tough than I originally had noted. You will see her battling inside and just refusing to give in. If it means getting four rebounds on the same play, she will do it. Jazmin is a player who just really wants it. Speaking of wanting it, she apparently really wants it at school as much as on the hardwood. She has a GPA just below 4.0. As much as we talk about a players skill here, grades often have a big part to play in where they will end up at the next level. Coaches from all over the country have taken notice of Jazmin and her tremendous skill – and most likely her grades – and reached out with offers. She has five offers by my count including one from Eastern Michigan and head coach Fred Castro who always has his hand on the pulse of Oklahoma basketball. Typically offers from the likes of OU and OSU follow an offer from E. Michigan, but only time will tell.