High school girls basketball: Juju Watkins climbs to No. 1 in ESPN Class of 2023 rankings

By Aaron Williams Oct 18, 2022, 1:00pm

Jaloni Cambridge, reigning MaxPreps Sophomore of the Year, tops Class of 2024 rankings.

Juju Watkins of Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and Jaloni Cambridge of Ensworth (Nashville, Tenn.) have jumped to No. 1 in their respective classes in new high school girls basketball rankings released by ESPN HoopGurlz.

Last year's MaxPreps National Player of the Year swapped places with former No. 1 Mikaylah Williams of Parkway (Bossier City, La.), who's headed to LSU.

PLAYER RANKINGS: Class of 2023 | Class of 2024

Watkins, who recently signed a NIL deal with Nike, saw her stock rise after posting 24.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per night while leading the Trailblazers to a 30-2 mark and the CIF Open Division title. She followed that with an MVP showing at the FIBA U17 World Cup, where she led the United States with a 13.1 point per night average for the gold medalists.
Juju Watkins of Sierra Canyon is the new No. 1 ranked girls basketball player in the Class of 2023, according to ESPN HoopGurlz. (Photo: Sara Nevis)
Juju Watkins of Sierra Canyon is the new No. 1 ranked girls basketball player in the Class of 2023, according to ESPN HoopGurlz. (Photo: Sara Nevis)
The Sierra Canyon star is still uncommitted, but said at a recent media day that she will choose between three unspecified schools in November.

In addition to Watkins and Williams, the top five from the Class of 2023 includes Duke commit Jadyn Donovan of reigning MaxPreps National Champion Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), Ciera Toomey of Dunmore (Pa.) and Hannah Hidalgo of Paul VI (Haddonfield, N.J.).



Meanwhile, Cambridge, the reigning MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year, jumps to the top of the Class of 2024 after leading Ensworth to a No. 24 ranking in the final MaxPreps Top 25. The Tigers went 24-4, winning the Division II Class AA title as the 5-foot-6 Cambridge averaged 17.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.1 assists. The two-time Tennessean player of the year also had a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio and made 34 percent of her 3-pointers.

Cambridge has offers from Baylor, UConn, Florida, Louisville, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

The top five in the Class of 2024 also includes Joyce Edwards of Camden (S.C.), Justice Carlton of Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas), Sarah Strong of Grace Academy (Matthews, N.C.) and Allie Ziebell of Neenah (Wis.).