2023 Player Rankings: The Rest of the Top-10
In this article:
Today we will round out the top-10 with some really good players. Two of them jumped into the top-10 from the 20’s in the first set of rankings. All of them are outstanding, clearly, since they are ranked in the…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingToday we will round out the top-10 with some really good players. Two of them jumped into the top-10 from the 20’s in the first set of rankings. All of them are outstanding, clearly, since they are ranked in the top-10 in the entire state of Oklahoma.
No. 7 – Azjah Reeves Azjah Reeves 5'8" | CG Harding Charter Prep | 2023 State OK | 5-8 G | Harding Charter | @reeves2023
A player’s name being mentioned alongside Baylor basketball says a whole lot. Azjah has already visited head coach Nicki Collen and the Bears and for good reason. Reeves is a very strong, physical guard. She is extremely quick and does a great job of finishing at the rim. Oh yeah, she can also shoot it. Reeves handles the ball smoothly and quickly, standing at the three point line, probing, stepping in and out. You give her an inch of space and she’ll launch a three with a quick stroke and nice high release. You step up or double team and she makes pinpoint passes all over the floor to the open teammate. If the defender is even slightly off balance, she blows past them and uses all kinds of beautiful moves to get to the rim and finish. Reeves is a star and schools – not only Baylor – are beginning to notice.
No. 8 – Elle Papahronis Elle Papahronis 5'11" | SF Edmond North | 2023 State OK | 5-11 G/F | Edmond North | @EllePapahronis
Elle is a very tall and very strong guard who does everything a coach could ask of her. She goes hard all game long. She seems to be a very good teammate and has a very high basketball IQ. She shows tremendous ability to “stop and pop.” She can play the three, but is best suited as a very tall guard. She defends very well against the other team’s top guard. Elle is a genuine three-level scorer. The daughter of a coach, it is not unusual to see her coaching her teammates on the floor or talking to her dad/coach to explain what it is she is seeing from the other team first hand. There aren’t many players like Elle in Oklahoma, except maybe her sister Toni. Toni Papahronis Toni Papahronis 6'0" | CG Edmond North | 2022 State OK (2022) has already committed to Navy – a school which Elle also has an offer from. The 2021 Defensive Player of the Year has received offers from some other good D-I’s including ACU and San Francisco.
No. 9 – Baylor Franz Baylor Franz 5'6" | PG Edmond Memorial | 2023 State OK | 5-6 G | Edmond Memorial | @BaylorFranz
Baylor jumped up 17 spots to No. 9 after a tremendous high school season. College coaches took notice. The likes of Air Force and ORU reached out after seeing Baylor’s tremendous offensive ability on display for the Bulldogs. The 4.0 GPA probably helps a little too. Franz is quick and shows very good handles. She can stop and pop the three pointer like not many other players in high school basketball. That is probably the biggest factor in her leap up the rankings. She is a tremendous scorer and has the ability to absolutely take over a game. You watch her play and can just see that she is a player who truly wants it. Baylor is involved in every play on the offensive and defensive end. When she is on the bench – rarely – she is very vocal in a good way. Franz is a player that any team would be lucky to have and sometime soon, some D-I is going to get very good news from her.
No. 10 – Ellie Brueggemann Ellie Brueggemann 5'11" | SG Lincoln Christian | 2023 State OK | 5-11 G | Lincoln Christian | @ecbruegge2023
Just over a month ago Ellie received her first D-I offer from UMKC and head coach Jacie Hoyt. After starting out her high school career as an unknown commodity, somewhat smaller and on a small school squad, Brueggemann has announced herself to the world in a major way. Now standing at almost six feet but still with the same great speed, shooting ability and work ethic, Ellie has a combination of size and skill that is rarely seen at the high school level. She is relentless on the defensive end. A ball hawk who wants nothing more than to get the ball back for her squad, Brueggemann stands out over a lot of really good players. Last season she averaged 16.6 points per game while shooting 41% from long range. Her quick release and the sheer height of a 5’11″ player with good hops shooting makes her shot almost unstoppable. She may be quiet out there, but her game speaks volumes. Some players would get lost on such a great grassroots squad like Team Griffin that went 42-6 during the season. Not Ellie. She is a baller. Plain and simple.