247Sports introduces women's basketball rankings: Six highlights from inaugural release (2024)

247Sports introduced our first-ever women's high school basketball class rankings. Here are six things we learned in the process.

Xavier Handy-Hamilton

Over the past month, 247Sports, with the guidance of Director of Scouting Brandon Clay, took anotherleap in leading the women's basketball market in scouting, recruiting and evaluations by introducing our first-ever women's high school basketball class rankings.

RELATED: Inaugural 247Sports women's basketball rankings: Aaliyah Chavez headlines Top 75 for 2025

Throughout the summer, our team was on the road scouting the the nation's best prospects. This resulted in three rankings releases thatshowcasedthe top 75 players in the 2025 class, the top 30 prospects in the 2026 class and 2027's top 25 players.

But, in the process of producing and premiering these releases, 247Sports gained a more in-depth look at the trends that impact the women's grassroots scene. And, since we're always willing to share, 247Sports decided to highlight six things we learned from our inaugural women's basketball rankings releases.

The 247Sports Rankings System Continues to Grow

Since its founding, 247Sports has led the industry in player and prospect rankings across almost every major sport. From the grassroots system, to recruiting classes and the transfer portal, 247Sports has provided one-of-a-kind evaluations and rankings of players that have helped inform fans (and college coaches) about some of the country's most talented prospects.

Now, by applying ourunique evaluation process to women's basketball, we have createdsomething unprecedented.Not only did wecreatea comprehensive rankings list of the nation's top prospects that will update regularly, but we also added an extra layer of validity to the sport.

The impact of this can't be understated. Women's basketball is a fast-growing sport that will only continue to get bigger. And by giving theseeliteathletes the detailed evaluations and rankings that they deserve, we are helping fertilize thesoilthat will sprout the next women's basketball superstar.

Aaliyah Chavez Wins Battle for No. 1 in 2025

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Lubbock, Texas' Aaliyah Chavez won a hard-fought battle for the 2025's crown. Going into the summer, Chavez had a slight edge over No. 2 Sienna Betts and No. 3 Jasmine Davidson. Then, she added to her lead with her dominant play as the leader of herCy Fair Elite club team. This, along with her complete body of work, moved us to name Chavez the top player in the 2025 class.

On the recruiting front, Chavez currently has a top six of finalists that include:Texas, Texas Tech, LSU, UCLA, South Carolina and Oklahoma. As of now, she doesn't have a timeline for her decision but 247Sports' Dushawn London predicts that fans should expect a "last minute" decision from her.

Kate Harpring leaps into No. 1 spot in 2026

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Atlanta'sKate Harpring was an unranked prospect by almost every major national recruiting publication just one year ago. Now, 12 months later,the daughter of former Georgia Tech star, Matt Harpring,is the No. 1 player in the class of 2026 and one of the best prospects in the nation regardless of class.

Harpring's rise started with her impressive performance at the USA Basketball trials in May. This carried over into this summer's grassroots season where shewas a dominate two-way guard in theOvertime Select League.

Overtime Select was home to several prospects in the discussion for the No. 1 player in their respective classes -- including: Sienna Betts (No. 2 in 2025), Aaliyah Chavez (No. 1 in 2025), Jasmine Davidson (No. 3 in 2025) and 2027's Kaleena Smith. Winning the MVP of this league helped lift Harpring to the top of her class.

Kaleena Smith claims No. 1 in 2027

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California'sKaleena Smith has been impressive on every stage. Similar to Harpring, theOntario Christian point guard made a name for herself at USA Basketball trials. And after her hot start in Colorado, she hasn't let up off the gas.

Smith has always been a threat to get a bucket, but her court vision and passing are starting to catch up to her scoring. This makes her a lethal weapon on the offensive side of the ball and helped gift her the top spot in the 2027 class.

Our 2025 Rankings Could Shape Award Season

The top 75 prospects in the 2025 class will undoubtedly be in contention for several in-season and postseason high school awards.Althoughthe race to be named a Naismith All-American and McDonald's All-American will be a tight one. Being ranked inside the top 18 of the 247Sports rankings is usually a good sign that you'll be in contention for one of these highly-coveted awards.

The McDonald's rosters are usually posted towards the end of January while the Naismith Awards are given out in the spring. Knowing that these accolades are up for grabs adds even more weight to our eventual 2025 rankings updates.

The Future is Bright

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The 2027 class is full of talented prospects. But with just 25 initial spots, several names got left on the cutting room floor that will certainly be in the national conversation in the future.

Here are some of the names to watch in the class of 2027:

Reese Davis, 5'7", PG, Deshler (AL)

Destiny Manyawu, 6'3", PF, Staley (MO)

Madi Mignery, 6'1", SF/PF, Cardinal Mooney (FL)

Jazlyn Rhodes, 5'9", SG, St. Teresa's (MO)

Sydney Savoury, 5'11", SF, Belleville (MI)

Jordan Speller, 5'7", PG, North Pitt (NC)

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247Sports introduces women's basketball rankings: Six highlights from inaugural release (2024)
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