After an inconsistent and tumultuous girls' high school basketball season across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, spring and summer club basketball is right around the corner.
With the NCAA recently announcing it will lift the recruiting dead period and return to a more normal recruiting calendar, it has given a special anticipation to the July recruiting periods.
We take a look at some players in the Classes of 2022, '23 and '24 that have our attention and whose recruitment is still open.
Class of 2022
W Darianna Littlepage-Buggs
Classen High School (Oklahoma)
espnW rating: Four+ stars
Littlepage-Buggs has continued to improve year after year. As a younger player, her motor and defensive prowess made her stand out; she constantly attacked the glass on both ends of the floor and scored second-chance points.
She has now added the offensive skill to take her to the next level. Her pull-up is almost impossible to defend and she is knocking down 3-point shots at a higher clip. With her length, 6-foot-1 frame and ability to elevate, combined with the fundamental offensive skill additions, watch for her to be a major stock riser this summer.
After averaging 18.1 points, 11 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, her recruitment is wide open. Among the schools pursuing her include Baylor, Texas, Louisville, Tennessee, Georgia and Texas A&M, among many others from power conferences.
F Sa'Myah Smith
DeSoto High School (Texas)
espnW rating: Four stars
Smith entered the 2020-21 high school season after missing most of her sophomore year with an ACL injury. Despite that, plus the scheduling complications and limitations due to COVID-19, she averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds in leading DeSoto to the Texas 6A state championship, being named state tournament MVP.
Her length at 6-foot-2 make her a defensive presence with the ability to alter opponents' shots. She can get down and keep a guard in front of her. Offensively, she has a nice touch out to the top of the key and can be very good in the face-up game and pick-and-pop situations. If she can be more consistent on the floor, she can be one of the elite players in her class.
Smith listed her final five schools: Arizona, Baylor, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas Tech.
F Tabitha Amanze
Blair Academy (New Jersey)
espnW rating: Four+ stars
Blair Academy did not play a high school season this year, but Amanze has steadily improved her game since her freshman year, when she at times looked like a fish out of water. But she kept playing hard and worked on her strengths: defense, rebounding and running the floor.
Her development has continued: She is better in the pick-and-roll game, in the mid- and low-post positions and in more technical parts of defensive schemes. She is a more efficient free throw shooter and has more touch around the basket. Her length, jumping ability and motor allow her to keep getting improving.
Some of the schools recruiting her include Notre Dame, North Carolina, Duke, Princeton, Harvard, Northwestern and Wake Forest, among others.
PG Shay Ciezki
Saint Mary's High School (New York)
espnW rating: Four stars
Ciezki has seen her recruitment really begin to take off despite a limited high school season, whether it was creating buzz at a couple of summer events or film from select camps.
The 5-foot-7 point guard is a creative ballhandler with impressive footwork to create space, position her feet and knock down shots from the perimeter. She has an array of finishing moves with either hand that allows her to excel in transition. Ciezki, who averaged 24.5 points. 8.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds as a junior, sees the floor and distributes the ball well, which may be her biggest asset as she transitions to the next level.
She is being recruited by NC State, North Carolina, Louisville, Penn State, UCLA and Virginia Tech, among others.
G Elle Ladine
Pinewood High School (California)
espnW rating: Four stars
Ladine is about as fundamentally sound as a player can get. She is a big guard with a broad frame who can shoot it from all over, pass the ball, see the floor very well and can handle it well enough to get to her spots.
She decision-making, efficiency and leadership abilities make her a strong point guard who, in turn, can make her teammates better. She has a skill set reminiscent of Oregon State's Aleah Goodman.
Many schools from the Pac-12 are pursuing her.
Class of 2023
G Ashlynn Shade
Noblesville High School (Indiana)
espnW rating: Five stars
Not only is Shade a pure shooter who can catch fire from the perimeter, but she has a knack for creating for her teammates and leading the charge. The way she elevates on her pull-up jumper separates her not only from defenders, but from those in her class as well. She plays the game with high energy and is one of the most driven players in the high school game.
As a sophomore, the 5-foot-10 Shade averaged 23.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 4.2 assists. She currently has offers from Louisville, Maryland, Iowa, UCLA, North Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana and Notre Dame, among others.
G Jada Harrison
Westview High School (Tennessee)
espnW rating: Four+ stars
Harrison reads the pick-and-roll very well and exhibits strong fundamentals. She is another major shot-maker in the 2023 class, averaging 18 points per game and regularly knocked down multiple 3-pointers in a game.
Though early in her recruitment, she currently holds offers from Louisville, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Middle Tennessee State.
F/C Ciera Toomey
Dunmore High School (Pennsylvania)
espnW rating: Four+ stars
Could Toomey be the best kept secret in her class? She has all the skills at 6-foot-4, including a serious stroke from the 3. She passes well, has a nice high release on her shot and runs the floor well. She blocks shots with an enthusiasm that gets the opponents' attention. She is not a traditional center, but has some post game as well.
She averaged 15.3 points on 68% shooting from the floor and 45% from beyond the arc, but her confidence and intangible qualities make her a leader many schools will covet. Toomey currently holds offers from Villanova, St. John's, Penn State, Ohio State, Pitt, Boston College and West Virginia, among others.
W Olivia McGhee
Louisa County High School (Virginia)
espnW Terrific 25 ranking: Four+ stars
McGhee is going to open a lot of eyes this summer. Playing on the Boo Williams squad last summer, she could get lost in the shuffle, especially in a limited season. But her shooting abilities at her 6-foot-3 size always stood out. This is her time to prove she is among the elite in her class.
She led her Louisa County team to a Virginia state championship, averaging 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals. She displays her natural shooting prowess in her pull-up and her 3-point shot. She can handle the ball like a guard and is a matchup nightmare for opponents.
She currently holds offers from NC State, Boston College, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Pitt and West Virginia.
F Miyah Verse
Arizona Elite Prep (Arizona)
espnW rating: Four stars
The 6-foot Verse has good size on the perimeter, serious leaping ability and an emerging skill set. Her shooting, defensive talent and finishing skills at the rim set her up as one of her class' top rising prospects.
She averaged 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds as a sophomore. Verse can draw fouls when she attacks the paint because defenders have to respect her shooting. She has a relentlessly slashing type of game on the offensive end, and her speed, explosiveness and willingness to defend project very well at the next level.
She is being recruited by the likes of UNLV, Hampton, Arizona State, Yale, Eastern Michigan, Washington State and North Texas.
Class of 2024
G Britt Prince
Elkhorn North High School (Nebraska)
espnW rating: Four+ stars
Prince, who was coached by her mother in club and high school, won the Class B state championship as a freshman this past season.
The 5-foot-11 Prince plays with poise and a little flair as well. She can pass the ball and let it fly from deep. She has all the tools and fundamental elements to take her game to the next level. Prince, who averaged 22.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, displays a natural instinct and can score from all three levels.
She holds offers from Creighton, Nebraska, South Dakota State, Nebraska-Omaha, Louisville, Iowa, Iowa State and North Carolina, among others.
PG Alivia McGill
Hopkins High School (Minnesota)
espnW rating: Four stars
McGill came off the bench as a freshman for a loaded Hopkins team that spent the past two seasons near the top of the espnW Power Rankings. She is an aggressive guard whose energy is reminiscent of Las Vegas Aces guard Riquna Williams.
McGill, who averaged 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals, can score it from all three levels and moves very well without the ball. Plus, she gives consistent effort on defense.
As she enters the summer, she is being recruited by schools such as Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pitt, Boston College, Michigan and DePaul.
PG Tajianna Avant-Roberts
La Jolla Country Day (California)
espnW rating: Four stars
Roberts is a talented scorer with the fundamentals and the flair to have a major stock-rising summer. She can shoot the 3, dance with her handle to create space and finish with a variety of moves and footwork in the paint.
Defensively, she can guard multiple positions and pressures the ball very well. She rebounds the ball very well for a guard and pushes the ball well in transition.
Ohio State is among the teams in Power 5 conferences to be recruiting her.
W Cameron Rust
Worcester Academy (Massachusetts)
espnW rating: Four+ stars
Rust is a wing with a strong frame that can play from the perimeter or more of a rugged forward role. That versatility, combined with her skills and feel for the game, will serve her well going into this summer.
She rebounds well and can lead the charge to the offensive end. She averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds as a freshman. Rust currently holds offers from Boston College, Ole Miss, Ohio State and Maryland.
P Blanca Thomas
Charlotte Catholic High School (North Carolina)
espnW rating: Four+ stars
Thomas is a true big with length and the skills to make her potentially elite. She has good hands and can move well laterally. She plays the game with an awareness and with the intention to leave her mark.
In the paint, she changes a lot of shots with her presence as a shot-blocking threat. She runs the floor well and has shown she can sprint, catch and finish. Coming off a season in which she averaged 18 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks, this summer will serve as an opportunity to improve her rebounding efforts out of area and defensive techniques off the ball, as well as play with some contact offensively.
Many Big Ten and Pac-12 teams have been recruiting her, and she also holds offers from Ole Miss, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Western Carolina.
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