Avery Gordon
Nina Cain of Elk Grove, California (left) at the 2023 Elite Is Earned camp in Martinez, California. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
The updated ELITE 60 was released last week for the 2025 class. Rankings are a snapshot in time, subject to change with ProspectsNation.com ELITE 150 process in full swing, we look at six players who could elevate their stock into the top 60 this summer.
All six of these players currently carry four-star ratings and are in the ELITE 150. ProspectsNation.com ranks up to 150 players per class to acknowledge the nation’s elite players, but numerical, ordered ranking runs only 1-60, understanding that the difference between two four-star players can be nominal at best.
Beckham has put herself in a position to be considered as one of the class most consistent winners. She was an integral part of a Hebron Academy roster that won a state championship in March. Beckham then turned her attention to club basketball where she is a major piece to a FBC United roster that is one of the best in America. Beckham’s ability to pick her times to score as well as distribute for her teammates is impressive. She has the length and size to be a consistent factor at the college level on the ball. That said, Beckham has the scoring ability to play some minutes off the ball as well.
Gordon’s size and length alone make her an intriguing prospect at the next level. She has already chosen to stay in-state and play for Katie Gearlds’ Purdue program. Gordon possesses the physical tools to give the Boilermakers a true interior presence in an ultra-competitive Big Ten going forward. Gordon’s progress over the next 12 months will go a long way in determining exactly where she falls in the rotation as a freshman. Everything is setup for Gordon to walk in the door and have a major impact right away in West Lafayette.
Hurst story at this stage of her career is unique. She was the subject of an article I submitted last week that centered around her being the Tennessee State Volleyball Player of the Year. Timing wise, Hurst is entering a phase where her game could go up another level before college if she locks in to finding elite live reps against competition that looks like her. That is hard to find especially for the best high school female prospects in the game so she’ll have to be creative with her approach and training to accomplish this. Hurst skill set is right on the verge of taking that next level up where she can be effective in a gym full of stars.
Lauren Hurst attacks the lane at the 2024 USA Basketball U17WNT trials. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
Cain is a player we’ve seen produce over a lot of years in a lot of settings. She’s currently top 5 in adidas 3SSB in scoring, rebounding and blocks. She’s a unique frontcourt player who combines a mastery of footwork on the pivot and mobility in a 6-2 frame. In camp setting she showed her basketball I.Q. to seamlessly blend her game into that of some of the west coast’s best at the Elite Is Earned Bay Area camp last fall. Some players are effective only if they are the focal point but Cain’s upside is that she can be surrounded by talent and make winning plays just as easily as getting her team 20 and 10.
Arzner is a tireless worker every time she steps on the floor. She’s instant energy and positivity. But what puts Arzner on our Watch List is that those traits are combined with tremendous strength and bounce. She is the player that wants to defend the opposition’s best player, regardless of position. She’s a 5-11 swing player with length and strength to mix it up with a 6-2 forward. Offensively she’s physical and explosive. Now fully recovered from a knee injury a couple of summers back her game is taking off.
A common knock on small guards is they struggle to finish against prototypical size. Galvan is hardly small at 5-6, and her numbers have been nothing short of impressive this spring. Her last two games of the May evaluation period she went for 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists against two backcourts with multiple Division I level guards. She does settle for some tough threes at times, which is in part due to being the focal point of the defenses she sees, but she’s shooting it over 36-percent from range. If she can convert a few of those long threes into trips to the free-throw line, her already impressive production will level up and demand discussion in the next rankings update.
Aubrey Galvan of Deerfield, Illinois, playing in Bryan, Texas. *Photo courtesy of 3SSB Circuit.
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.
