Juju Watkins, Jadyn Donovan, Breya Cunningham, Kayleigh Heckel among those in the running for top honor.
The 2022-23 high school girls basketball campaign has been filled with impressive performances as the season hits the approximate mid-way point.
Although there is no clear front-runner in the MaxPreps National Player of the Year race, a handful of players have established themselves as contenders to emerge from the pack.
Today we took a look at 15 of the top players in high school basketball regardless of class as we release our MaxPreps National Player of the Year watch list.
With just under three months remaining in the high school basketball season, there is plenty of time for other players to emerge as deserving candidates for POY honors.
Nunu Agara, Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.)The Stanford commit is averaging 19 per night for the No. 8 Royals as they hunt for their ninth state title since 2004. The last Hopkins player to earn Player of the Year honors was Paige Bueckers in 2019-20.
Zoe Brooks, St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.)
5-8 | Guard | Class of 2023Committed to North Carolina State, the senior guard has appeared on the cover of Slam this year as her squad is off to a 10-0 start. She dropped 30 in the team's marquee win over former No. 1 Long Island Lutheran.
Chloe Clardy, Conway (Ark.)
5-9 | Guard | Class of 2023The Wampus Cats' guard surpassed 2,000 points this season, the first in school history. Headed to Stanford, she plays best when the spotlight shines brightest, going for 33 in a win over Louisiana's Parkway and earning Outstanding Offensive Player honors at the Sandra Meadows Classic.
Breya Cunningham, La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.)
6-4 | Center | Class of 2023In a game dominated by outside shooting, the Arizona commit shows interior post play never goes out of style. One of the game's dominant bigs, Cunningham averages 19.1 points and 10.0 rebounds. The Torrey are No. 6 in the country at 18-2 playing an aggressive national schedule.
Jadyn Donovan, Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.)
6-0 | Wing | Class of 2023The Duke commit has led the Quakers to a 10-2 mark and No. 2 spot in the rankings against perhaps the toughest national schedule this season. She has scored in double figures in all but one game as Sidwell Friends has battled the likes of Montverde Academy, Sierra Canyon, Long Island Lutheran, Duncanville and South Grand Prairie.
Kayleigh Heckel, Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.)
5-9 | Point guard | Class of 2024Explosive on both ends of the floor, Heckel can score in a number of ways and in bunches. She turns defense into offense easily and heats up quickly, averaging 15-plus points per night for the 13-1 Crusaders.
Hannah Hidalgo, Paul VI (Haddonfield, N.J.)
5-5 | Point guard | Class of 2023The Notre Dame commit came up big in Paul VI's biggest game to date, dropping 41 on in-state foe Morris Catholic.
Rashunda Jones, South Bend Washington (South Bend, Ind.)
5-8 | Point guard | Class of 2023The Panthers court general fills the stat sheet with 20.1 points, 4.5 assists, 4.4 steals and 3.8 rebounds per night. South Bend Washington is 19-0 and climbed to No. 11 in the MaxPreps Top 25. She has scored in double figures in all but one game and is shooting 60 percent from the field.
Reniya Kelly, Hoover (Ala.)
5-8 | Guard | Class of 2023The lone player in school history to top the 2,000-point plateau, the North Carolina commit is averaging better than 14 points per night while her rebounds and assists are also up this season, 5.0 and 5.4, respectively. She looks to add another state title to her Bucs resume as Hoover is 24-1 and ranked No. 19.
Kate Koval, Long Island Lutheran
6-5 | Center | Class of 2024The Ukraine native joins Cunningham as one of the game's best bigs. She averages more than 15 points per night. Her footwork sets her apart as she is confident and can finish in a number of ways in the paint.
Taliah Scott, St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park, Fla.)
9-9 | Guard | Class of 2023Scott, who's headed to Arkansas, can flat-out fill it up. She's averaging 37.4 while adding 7.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.2 steals per night. Her scoring average is up from last year's 32 point clip.
Mjracle Sheppard, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
5-9 | Guard | Class of 2023The
Eagles are loaded with talent and the future Gamecock is the leader of that pack. The Mississippi State-bound Sheppard is leading Montverde with 11.1 points per night along with 5.4 boards and 4.3 steals.
Kennedy Smith, Etiwanda (Calif.)
6-1 | Forward | Class of 2024The Cal-Hi Sports Freshman of the Year, Smith led the Eagles to a Southern Section Open Division title as a sophomore and keeps getting better. She's helped Etiwanda to an 18-1 mark this season, passing the 1,000-point mark for her career already.
Juju Watkins, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
6-1 | Guard | Class of 2023The reigning MaxPreps National Player of the Year is staying close to home, choosing to play collegiately at USC. Watkins is a force on the court with a complete all-around game. She can score at will from anywhere on the court and has the strength to rebound among the bigs. She shines when the spotlight is the brightest.
Kailey Woolston, Lone Peak (Highland, Utah)
5-10 | Guard/Forward | Class of 2023The BYU commit is lighting it up this season, averaging 20.2 points with 9.2 rebounds as the Knights are 10-3 against an aggressive national preseason schedule. She has gone for double figures in all but one game and dropped 38 last weekend, outscoring Lone Peak's opponent by herself.
Past MaxPreps National Players of the Year
2006 — Jacki Gemelos, St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.)
2007 — Maya Moore, Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.)
2008 — Nneka Ogwumike, Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas)
2009 — Skylar Diggins, South Bend Washington (South Bend, Ind.)
2010 — Chiney Ogwumike, Cy-Fair
2011 — Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2012 — Breanna Stewart, Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero, N.Y.)
2013 — Diamond DeShields, Norcross (Ga.)
2014 — A'ja Wilson, Heathwood Hall Episcopal (Columbia, S.C.)
2015 — Ali Patberg, Columbus North (Columbus, Ind.)
2016 — Sabrina Ionescu, Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.)
2017 — Megan Walker, Monacan (Richmond, Va.)
2018 — Christyn Williams, Central Arkansas Christian (North Little Rock, Ark.)
2019 — Azzi Fudd, St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
2020 — Paige Bueckers, Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.)
2021 — Raven Johnson, Westlake (Atlanta)
2022 — Juju Watkins, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
