WBB Insider Top 100

[Wbbfan1]

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Hoopgurlz has Kaela Davis Ranked 2nd, Florida Kenny has her ranked #28. Big difference for a player Hoopgurl indicates is a game changer and one of the elites in 2013

 

[EricLA]

ASGR and Blue star both have her in their top 5. i like Kenny's stuff but in this case i'd tend to lean more towards the majority... BS has her at #2 and ASGR at #4...

 

[dtbtbtb]

And he's got Taya Reimer at 23 which is much lower than other....

 

[Icebear]

And he's got Taya Reimer at 23 which is much lower than other....

Interesting thing is that Kenny is down south and has probably had plenty of opportunities to KD.

 

[JxnMSBballFan]

Just my opinion, but it seems like he has a problem with Hoopgurlz and specifically the Peach State guys. I've seen him take a couple of jabs at them on twitter and certain ranking services with "agendas" before posting those rankings. Funny, he has Reimer and Davis so low, when anyone who has seen them knows they are easily top 5 in that class and arguably any recent class for that matter. Those two happen to be close to Keil & Brandon of Hoopgurlz & Peach State. Could he be punishing them for that? Sad, if he is.

 

[Icebear]

Just my opinion, but it seems like he has a problem with Hoopgurlz and specifically the Peach State guys. I've seen him take a couple of jabs at them on twitter and certain ranking services with "agendas" before posting those rankings. Funny, he has Reimer and Davis so low, when anyone who has seen them knows they are easily top 5 in that class and arguably any recent class for that matter. Those two happen to be close to Keil & Brandon of Hoopgurlz & Peach State. Could he be punishing them for that? Sad, if he is.

With everything that I have seen from Kenny over the last couple of years that would truly surprise me.

 

[caravaggio]

Are Kenny's evaluations based only on his observations or does he have others helping him?

 

[JxnMSBballFan]

With everything that I have seen from Kenny over the last couple of years that would truly surprise me.

I would have said the same thing myself, but if he's seen either play very often there's no way they are ranked outside the top 5. I love Reimer's skill set and versatility. Such a hard worker too. She's special. KD, there's not much you else you can say. The offensive arsenal is eye popping. Think Augustus or Holdsclaw, but a better athlete and ball handler than either at this stage. I just love those 2 along with Russell and Deshields. Easily, top 4 in the class right now, but things can change! So many great prospects in this class with the potential to jump into that top 5 or 10. It'll be interesting to see where they all end up.

 

[connboy77]

Kenny seems very knowledgable and seems to know his stuff so I can't understand why he would rate Taya Reimer #23 and Kaela Davis #28. Sure hope he is wrong about Taya.

 

[jdubct]

Note other Uconn recruits on the list: Stephanie Mavunga #10, Jannah Tucker #11, and Karlie Samuelson #72.

 

[uconnhuskies]

I have heard there is a bit of a feud between Kenny and the HG/Peach State crew so not surprising he would rank girls "tight" with Peach State the way he has. I don't think he travels around to see girls much outside of the south so I personally take a lot more credence in what is written by HG who travels the country and sees kids multiple times vs. ranking off of a one-time event/game.

 

[UConnCat]

I have heard there is a bit of a feud between Kenny and the HG/Peach State crew so not surprising he would rank girls "tight" with Peach State the way he has. I don't think he travels around to see girls much outside of the south so I personally take a lot more credence in what is written by HG who travels the country and sees kids multiple times vs. ranking off of a one-time event/game.

Is it equally not surprising then that Peach State would rank more highly those girls with which it is "tight?" Or is Kenny the only one who is not being completely objective?

I don't really care much about rankings but Kenny has posted several times on the Boneyard and has always graciously answered the questions we've asked about his rankings and predictions. I hope he stops by again and explains those rankings that have caused some to question his objectivity.

 

[JxnMSBballFan]

Hoopgurlz also has 7 people on their rankings panel and only 2 of those are affiliated with Peach State. Also, their panel is made up of very highly respected members from all over the country who travel year round. Not saying there is any bias on either side, and in the end it doesn't matter where the girls are ranked. The college coaches know who they want, and no rankings or lists are going to determine what kind of career these young ladies will ultimately have. Just lots of fun for discussion and argument on a message board.

 

[tnvolfan65]

i don't know what kenny's thoughts are on taya, but he's told us on the summitt before that he doesn't think as highly of kaela because he doesn't think her perimeter game will translate to the next level, hence him listing her as a power forward as opposed to shooting guard like others list her.

28 is a big drop from an otherwise consensus top 5 recruit, but to each his own. i can assure you we're all still ecstatic about davis joining the lady vols.

 

[caravaggio]

I found the following rather insightful on/re. Kenny's list:
"Since now there is only really one public source for women’s basketball recruiting news the Women’s Basketball Insider will ramp up coverage to fill the void left. Our opinions are not always liked but have less of an agenda than many so welcome to the no spin zone."

I'm more concerned with the process and methodology. It does not seem clear to me how Kenny rates and ranks prospects, and it appears it is all based on his sole (unclarified) opinion. I would like more details about when//frequency/rationale/comparisons/etc for his evaluations. Otherwise, it's rather obfuscating, and to be unreliable, how player x is ranked a and player y is ranked b.

 

[JxnMSBballFan]

i don't know what kenny's thoughts are on taya, but he's told us on the summitt before that he doesn't think as highly of kaela because he doesn't think her perimeter game will translate to the next level, hence him listing her as a power forward as opposed to shooting guard like others list her.

28 is a big drop from an otherwise consensus top 5 recruit, but to each his own. i can assure you we're all still ecstatic about davis joining the lady vols.

That's my problem with what he has said about Kaela Davis....Kenny has said his problem with her is that she is a forward that they are trying to make a guard and it doesn't work for him. Just wondering where and when he last saw her play? I might have said the same thing a couple of summers ago. It couldn't have been on the club circuit this summer or last or the USA trials. How is this true of a player who has the most complete and deadly offensive arsenal in the 2013 class at this point? She plays the point and off guard spots against elite defenders and excels, can create a shot from anywhere, has a killer crossover and handles, can lead her team at the point, and all of this at 6'2"? Maybe we just saw way different things. I just don't get it, but maybe he caught her in some subpar games. She can be too passive at times, imo.

 

[tnvolfan65]

that's what i'm saying too...to each his own. i respect anyone who devotes their time and energy to covering women's basketball, but i don't expect to agree with everything out there, nor do i expect all the "experts" to agree. what's fun is seeing what happens in the future.

 

[Icebear]

28 is a big drop from an otherwise consensus top 5 recruit, but to each his own. i can assure you we're all still ecstatic about davis joining the lady vols.

True, but not unprecedented. It happens sometimes and as you said some folks see things differently than others and sometimes one is right and sometimes the other. Not worth anyone worrying about. Every kid has to be coached into being a college player when they arrive on campus, some succeed and some don't. The comments in the interviews with Kiah and KML so just how surprised by the work of conditioning alone great players can be when they step into a top flight program.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Kenny has always been straight and transparent on the Boneyard. When some of us questioned his prior list, he said that the rankings were based on kids that he had seen and there were admittedly limits. I think resource limitations, including time, result in his list being less than totally thorough. But I think that means that he may ranks some kid he has not seen too low, rather than the reverse. I don't know enough to say which rankings are best. I think all have their pros and cons. As noted, Kenny is straightforward and very willing to answer our questions. I think Kenny's prior national rankings had a strong Southeast flavor. I take his ratings of kids from that area as accurate, if not a little generous. He has seem them several times.

With regard to Kaela Davis, I have not seen her play. I know at least one HoopGurlz writer compares her with Kobe. That suggests she is very, very good. I am not sure if all of those comparisons come from one person or more, but her ranking is a consensus, I believe. I was a little surprised by her ranking, given the Georgia state awards for last season. Diamond DeShields, Andraya Carter, and Brianna Banks all got more post-season recognition than Kaela. Based on that, I was expecting a 5-10 ranking. A 1 or 2 seemed too high; a 28 seems low.

 

[Wbbfan1]

JxnMSBballFan, are you related or affiliated with Hoopgurlz or Kaela in some capacity?

Your description of Kaela's game reads like it was written by a coach, evaluator or someone in a similar capacity.

Its possible her injury limited her abilities in her play with Team USA this summer, the player you described is not the player that played for USA Basketball. Rebecca Greenwell was the best player on that team, not Kaela. Kaela wasn't the 2nd best player either.

IMHO Kaela is not the 1st or 2nd best player in her class, but also probably not the 28th best player either. She's somewhere in between.

Diamond also struggled with the U19 team this summer, but she was playing with and going up against older players.

That's my problem with what he has said about Kaela Davis....Kenny has said his problem with her is that she is a forward that they are trying to make a guard and it doesn't work for him. Just wondering where and when he last saw her play? I might have said the same thing a couple of summers ago. It couldn't have been on the club circuit this summer or last or the USA trials. How is this true of a player who has the most complete and deadly offensive arsenal in the 2013 class at this point? She plays the point and off guard spots against elite defenders and excels, can create a shot from anywhere, has a killer crossover and handles, can lead her team at the point, and all of this at 6'2"? Maybe we just saw way different things. I just don't get it, but maybe he caught her in some subpar games. She can be too passive at times, imo.

 

[JxnMSBballFan]

Kenny has always been straight and transparent on the Boneyard. When some of us questioned his prior list, he said that the rankings were based on kids that he had seen and there were admittedly limits. I think resource limitations, including time, result in his list being less than totally thorough. But I think that means that he may ranks some kid he has not seen too low, rather than the reverse. I don't know enough to say which rankings are best. I think all have their pros and cons. As noted, Kenny is straightforward and very willing to answer our questions. I think Kenny's prior national rankings had a strong Southeast flavor. I take his ratings of kids from that area as accurate, if not a little generous. He has seem them several times.

With regard to Kaela Davis, I have not seen her play. I know at least one HoopGurlz writer compares her with Kobe. That suggests she is very, very good. I am not sure if all of those comparisons come from one person or more, but her ranking is a consensus, I believe. I was a little surprised by her ranking, given the Georgia state awards for last season. Diamond DeShields, Andraya Carter, and Brianna Banks all got more post-season recognition than Kaela. Based on that, I was expecting a 5-10 ranking. A 1 or 2 seemed too high; a 28 seems low.

Post season awards don't always go to the best players, so you can't base rankings on awards. I have seen most of the girls play in person Diamond and Kaela I have seen probably 15-20 times. Russell much less.

 

[JxnMSBballFan]

JxnMSBballFan, are you related or affiliated with Hoopgurlz or Kaela in some capacity?

Your description of Kaela's game reads like it was written by a coach, evaluator or someone in a similar capacity.

Its possible her injury limited her abilities in her play with Team USA this summer, the player you described is not the player that played for USA Basketball. Rebecca Greenwell was the best player on that team, not Kaela. Kaela wasn't the 2nd best player either.

IMHO Kaela is not the 1st or 2nd best player in her class, but also probably not the 28th best player either. She's somewhere in between.

Diamond also struggled with the U19 team this summer, but she was playing with and going up against older players.

No, I have no affiliation with Hoopgurlz or Kaela Davis. I do coach and evaluate, but I have never coached her nor any of the girls in the rankings.

Davis was injured in practice with Team USA and severely limited due to a sprained ankle. Rebecca Greenwell certainly had the best tournament with that team, but she's hardly the best player on that team. I would put her in the top 10 in her class, however. I wouldn't judge anyone in the class of 2013 or 2014 based on USA basketball. See Kelsey Mitchell...she may be the best player in either class and she didn't make the team. The competition on those tournaments is awful. They play much better competition with their club and high school teams.

I would say Kaela Davis at 2 is right, imo, based on what I've seen. None of the other girls can do what she can, offensively. I would certainly put Russell at number 1 with her size and skills, though. Diamond is just a shade behind those 2 I think at this point. Diamond is a freak athlete, but her skills aren't nearly as developed as some of the other girls. I think in some ways her explosive athleticisim has hurt her because she's been able to use that to do what she wants and hasn't had to develop some other aspects. If she works hard and her basketballs skills catch up to her athleticism then she'll probably end up being the best player in that class.

 

[caravaggio]

. Diamond is a freak athlete, but her skills aren't nearly as developed as some of the other girls. I think in some ways her explosive athleticisim has hurt her because she's been able to use that to do what she wants and hasn't had to develop some other aspects. If she works hard and her basketballs skills catch up to her athleticism then she'll probably end up being the best player in that class.[/quote]

That is the most logical explanation I have read about Diamond not being the #1 player. I cannot profess to very much technical knowledge about basketball, but your assessment seems to connect with what I saw watching Diamond during the U19 games.

BTW: is your avatar a pic of you or that actor from Mutant X (the Canadian live-action version of X-Men)? If so, then you look very much like the actor from that show! I can't remember his name but I really liked the show.

 

[MilfordHusky]

. Diamond is a freak athlete, but her skills aren't nearly as developed as some of the other girls. I think in some ways her explosive athleticisim has hurt her because she's been able to use that to do what she wants and hasn't had to develop some other aspects. If she works hard and her basketballs skills catch up to her athleticism then she'll probably end up being the best player in that class.

That is the most logical explanation I have read about Diamond not being the #1 player I have read. I cannot profess to very much technical knowledge about basketball, but your assessment seems to connect with what I saw watching Diamond during the U19 games.

BTW: is your avatar a pic of you or that actor from Mutant X (the Canadian live-action version of X-Men)? If so, then you look very much like the actor from that show! I can't remember his name but I really liked the show.[/quote]
I agree with Caravaggio on Diamond. All I had read suggested that she may be the best athlete ever to play women's hoops. Why then is she only #3 or #5 in her class? The answer seemed to be that her basketball skills, decision making, and/or perhaps effort were not quite as advanced. If she maximizes her game, given the physical gifts, she could be one of the all-time greats. She may know that she needs Geno even more than he needs her.

 

[Icebear]

And if that is the case the decision of USA Basketball to have her play up with the older kids is a good decision because it will reinforce in her the need to develop those fundamentals and skills.