Carly Amborn
No. 3 Sienna Betts has a chance to level up and outperform her rankings. *Photo courtesy of Adidas Basketball.
A number is just that, a number. But when it comes to rankings there’s a certain amount of production expected to balance the potential being projected at the college level. With the spring update of the ProspectsNation.com ELITE 150 rankings, we look at six player who could outperform their current ranking this summer and at the next level.
CLAY’S POTENIAL RISERS
Makeer has been on fire the last 12 months. As a result, she has ascended into the Top 10 discussion in North America. There is still room for her to keep climbing especially at the collegiate level. Because Makeer lives in Canada, she hasn’t had the chance to be in a room during an individual event with most of the top American-born prospects in this class. That very well could change of the next 12 months with All-American type games, gatherings that should include Makeer as a part. In addition to that, Makeer still has room physically to fill out and get stronger. Both of those aspects give her room to outplay her current ranking long term.
Harrod is one of the most gifted wings physically in the class. In a loaded class inside Oklahoma, she has moved her way into the elite discussion both in the state as well as in the country. Harrod has offers from schools all over the country including Colorado, Georgia, Oklahoma State and Utah. She is setup for a huge run into the fall based on her play in July. Long term, Harrod’s size and athleticism are built for the modern era as she can play two if not three positions in most systems. As Harrod’s skill set continues to flourish, expect even more production from her game.
Mathurin just re-opened her recruitment yesterday after being committed to Nebraska for over a year. Mathurin’s ceiling remains so high in large part due to her work ethic and willingness to just get stuff done. Anytime there is an opportunity to improve, Mathurin is there. That type of growth seeing mindset usually translates to the collegiate level. If Mathurin can continue to build on her skill set and adding strength to her frame, there is another level she can still tap into going forward.
HANSEN’S POTENIAL RISERS
You’re thinking how can the No. 3 player outperform her current ranking? By producing like the top player in the country. A coach that whose team has gone against her this spring described her as a unicorn. A five-player who can handle the ball, make decisions against pressure and completely control the pace of a game, there’s not another post in the class that say that right now. And while its no shot to the two players ranked ahead of her now, we couldn’t be surprised if Betts played her way up because of her unique talent, build and basketball I.Q.
There’s something Ezike’s game that makes you feel like the stars are starting to align and that she’s about to level her game up. At 6-2 with plenty of strength and agility, she’s a player who projects to a versatile swing player at the next level if she continues to develop her game. The 3-point range is starting to come along, she’s shown she can be a monster on the glass and already finishes inside the arc at a rate over 55-percent. It just feels like she’s on the cusp of finding the consistency to take a leap this summer.
Often the discussion about rankings is loaded with anecdotal references to stats or team matchups. What’s missing is context, which for the case of Amborn. She plays on a very talented Jason Kidd Select and in one way she’s proven she can play with other top level players and impact the game. But who you can do it against tells a more important story and her play at the USA Basketball U17 national team trials, even without making the team, supplied the context that she can play in that environment and succeed. Her moving with the ball and hunting scoring opportunities without forcing definitely stood out in a high pressure, high talent setting and lends to the argument that she will outperform her current ranking.
Brandon Clay serves as the Director of Scouting for ProspectsNation.com and owns The BrandonClayScouting.com Evaluation Report, which is read by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. He also serves as the Executive Skills Director for the Brandon Clay Scouting Academy Series.
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was a co-founder of and the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase and ELITE is EARNED events. He can be reached at chris@chrishansenbasketball.com.
