Kayla McPherson
Azzi Fudd drives against Sarah Andrews at the 2018 USA Basketball U17 national team trials in Colorodo Springs, Colo. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
After a long summer and multiple stops across the country during fall camp season, the ProspectsNation.com Ranking Committee has released the first player ranking for the 2021 class.
There has been little debate for the No. 1 spot in the 2021 class as the body of work from Azzi Fudd of Arlington, Virginia, is impressive.
Georgia and California lead the way with four and three ranked players, respectively. One major omission, Texas doesn’t have a player in the top 10 currently. The Lonestar State has two players in the top 25 and you have to go all the way back to the class of 2015 to find a class running this lean on Texans. Even in a state as reliable at Texas in producing elite talent, there are cycles. Since the peak of eight top 25 players in 2017, Texas has seen a steady decline in top 25 players. Of course with more than two years of club ball and three high school season to go, this could all change.
The Southeast Region is strong with players from Alabama and Florida joining the Peach State.
Guard play is leading the way as well with No. 2 Amari Deberry of Williamsville, New York, and, Jada Malone of Houston, Texas, being the only true back to the baskets. This too could change as post players tend to develop later in their careers.
SEE THE FULL TOP 25 HERE
While there are certainly plenty of offers on the table for the elite players in the 2021 class, none of the players ranked in the ProspectsNation.com ELITE 25 have committed to date.
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 EARNEDevents. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
