Prospect Nation's 2015 Class Rankings

[Vowelguy]

Some publications had her #1 and she was a big time fizzle for UT.

So? Because a player fizzled that makes all player rankings 100 % inaccurate and unreliable?

 

[iamcbs]

So? Because a player fizzled that makes all player rankings 100 % inaccurate and unreliable?

Yes!!

 

[meyers7]

Some publications had her #1 and she was a big time fizzle for UT.

Ended up at Texas, I believe.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Lorin Dixon had some very memorable games. But the other recruit that year was the crown jewel. Hell, Maya Moore and I would have made a fabulous class.

 

[wallman]

As I recall Erika had some injuries and other issues that she had to deal with, life happens!

 

[easttexastrash]

Ended up at Texas, I believe.

Correct, the REAL UT.

 

[easttexastrash]

So? Because a player fizzled that makes all player rankings 100 % inaccurate and unreliable?

Is anything 100%? What it does mean is that rankings don't always pan out. Just because someone is ranked in the top 10 doesn't mean that they are truly one of the top 10 until you see how they perform in college.

 

[easttexastrash]

As I recall Erika had some injuries and other issues that she had to deal with, life happens!

Erika did have an early injury, but I watched many of her games and the problem was that she had no ability to shoot off the bounce or get to the rim. She was advertised as a "sharp shooter" but she really didn't even do that very well because the game was too fast for her.

 

[Vowelguy]

Is anything 100%?.

Exactly my point.

What it does mean is that rankings don't always pan out.

Of course. Who has said different?

But are the rankings correlated with performance? No question.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

The high school class of 2004 was ridiculously talented. The 2005 class was significantly weaker, in terms of both star power and depth. This is also true on the boys' side, where the 2005 class was less talented and not nearly as deep as others.

Erika Arriaran did not thrive under Gail Goestenkors, when G replaced Jody Conradt. Duke had recruited Arriaran, but those two were just never on the same page. And with the coaching change, it was not going to be any different. On the other hand, Brittainey Raven, a 2006 recruit, thrived under Goestenkors at Texas.

The irony is that Abby Waner (another top five player from 2005) was thriving under Goestenkors and had a freefall under McCallie. Some coaches know how to get the best out of certain players and have the right systems (or can implement the right offensive and defense schemes to do so) for those players. Others do not.

 

[easttexastrash]

Exactly my point.

Of course. Who has said different?

Sounds like we are both in agreement.

 

[Vowelguy]

Ended up at Texas, I believe.

I saw Geno on his book tour back then, and he made reference to a player he had tried to recruit. I'm pretty sure we were able to figure out it was Arrarian.
The story went something like this.
Geno: ”she said that she didn't want to go to an existing power. She wanted to help build something and then beat programs like UConn. I said 'I can respect that. It's not going to happen, but I respect that'."

 

[kat0189]

Arriaran was getting national attention by 5th grade. I think the ACL tear hit her harder than most. She was already quite slow. Her shooting seemed to have gradually gotten streakier and streakier over time, whereas Abby Waner's shot...poof!...seemed to disappear overnight as soon as Goestenkors left. Waner was also slow as molasses as a freshman but stayed healthy and worked hard over the summer and was able to keep people in front of her as a soph.

Seems like Dewanna Bonner has had the best career out of the c/o 2005. I think she was ranked as high as #5 by some.

Devanei Hampton who played for my Cal Bears was a spectacular talent ranked in the #7-15 range but started having knee issues after her freshman year of HS. Her game/ability/potential as a HS frosh was similar to pre-injury Brittany Hunter.

Can someone enlighten me on Ann Strother? My friend played against her in HS and said at times she'd get caught in awe of the beauty of her game. Did she have injuries? Seems like she and Seimone Augustus split the HS accolades and had similar profiles, yet their careers went in opposite directions midway through college. Strother wasn't a "live or die" by the 3 type of player like Arriaran and Waner, so I don't think she simply lost her shot like those two. But I also don't recall any ACL tears or anything. What happened?

TBH, my jury is still out in predicting the career trajectory of Katie Lou Samuelson. There are different breeds of shooters. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'd say Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis and Katie Lou Samuelson are VERY different 3-point shooters. KML seems to just have great natural aim whereas KLS seems to be able to mechanically align herself up for the shot perfectly each time. I sort of prefer KML types, if I had to put money on it.

 

[Vowelguy]

I'm sure others will chime in on strother, but my sense was that she was a good college player because of versatility. The problem is that when you get to the pros, merely being good at a bunch of things doesn't cut it. You need to be great at something. But she wasn't quick enough or deadly enough at 3s to be a guard, but wasn't big and strong enough to be a forward.

Conversely, ketia swanier was not a great college player by any stretch. But she was faster than a speeding bullet. That unique skill certainly helped her get 5 years in the W.

 

[lsj001]

Ann Strother was a good college player made better by one of the greatest DT. She didn't lose her shot the last two years, she just got more attention defensively.

 

[AnotherVolFan]

I saw Geno on his book tour back then, and he made reference to a player he had tried to recruit. I'm pretty sure we were able to figure out it was Arrarian.
The story went something like this.
Geno: ”she said that she didn't want to go to an existing power. She wanted to help build something and then beat programs like UConn. I said 'I can respect that. It's not going to happen, but I respect that'."

If Geno really said that, I just fell in love with that man!!!!!