Big Bang in Rankings

By Glenn Nelson
HoopGurlz Publisher
Posted Wed, 05/21/2008 - 14:34 Revised rankings at ESPN HoopGurlz reinforce the Big Bang aspect of the talented 2009 class.

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STORY & PHOTOS BY GLENN NELSON

A 6-foot-3 pogo stick whose fingers exceed the height of the basket - sometimes, seemingly the glass itself - on her spectacular snuffs, Gennifer Brandon fits right into the upper echelon of what is shaping up to be one of the most talented prep girl's basketball classes in years.

The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., forward is, after all, tall, explosive and a newcomer to the ESPN HoopGurlz top 10. And in later debates over the beginnings of the new women's basketball universe, the class of 2009, to which Brandon belongs, will go down as one for the big bang theory.

Right at the very top of rankings, which were updated for Wednesday's launch of ESPN HoopGurlz on ESPN.com, remains the 1-2, Houston-based inside punch of Kelsey Bone and Brittney Griner, two titans who will clash twice in a month to settle the issue of the No. 1 ranking for 2009. Bone, a physically imposing, 6-5 post, and Griner, a 6-7 dynamo known nationally for her dunking ability, will occupy the same space May 30 to June 1 at the Nike Regional Skills Academy in their own backyard, and again at the National Skills Academy in Beaverton, Ore., exactly a month later.

Those two inside stalwarts, as well as perimeter stars Tierra Ruffin-Pratt of Alexandria, Va., and Skylar Diggins of South Bend, Ind., continue to hold down the first four spots in the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings. Brandon, who follows at No. 5, is one of three newcomers to the top 10. The others are Joslyn Tinkle, an extremely fundamental 6-3 forward from Missoula, Mont., who rises to No. 7, and Tayler Hill, a 5-10 scorer deluxe out of Minneapolis, Minn., who hops up to No. 10.

Click here for the complete, revised ESPN HoopGurlz Super 60.

The revised rankings feature a ratings change from a star system used previously by HoopGurlz.com to numerical grades used by Scouts Inc., at ESPN.com. The grading system translates to 90-100 for immediate-impact prospects, 80-89 for high-major prospects, 70-79 for major/mid-major prospects, 60-69 for low Division I to mid-major prospects, and 50-59 for marginal Division I to Divisions II, III and NAIA prospects.

Click here for more details on the Scouts Inc. grading system.

Tierra Rogers of San Francisco, Calif., made the biggest leap of any 2009 girl's basketball prospect, elevating from No. 37 to squarely among the nation's elite at No. 14. Rogers, who helped Sacred Heart Cathedral to an unbeaten season and No. 1 ranking in a couple national polls, is an athletic, 5-11 wing who is adept at many things, including a much-improved jump shots. She made the hop in the rankings during a difficult time in her life that included the loss of her father, Terray Rogers, a community activist who was gunned down at halftime of one of his daughter's high-school games.

Waltia Rolle, a 6-6 post from Houston; Cierra Warren, a 6-3 post from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Mikaela Ruef, a versatile 6-3 wing out of Beavercreek, Ohio, and Jeniece Johnson, the North Carolina State commit from Washington, D.C., are the other newcomers to the ESPN HoopGurlz top 15, all of whom received grades of 90 or higher.

Gone from the 2009 rankings are two highly ranked players, Shacara Rucker of Gainesville, Ga., and Jelleah Sidney of New York, N.Y., both of whom have been reclassified to the 2010 class.

With Bone and Griner setting the pace, the 2009 class is a stark contrast to recent ones in that the quality inside players jump right out at you. A lot like Gennifer Brandon - spring-loaded and thumping.

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Glenn Nelson is the founder and publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He is a member of the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee, Parade All-American Selection Committee, SportsShooter.com (Click for Porfolio), Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, National Press Photographers Association, Online News Association, Society of Professional Journalists and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Glenn also founded and coached two select girl's basketball teams and previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com, a managing editor at Rivals.com, and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work has appeared in several books and national magazines. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). For more on Glenn's World, click here. Glenn can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com.

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