Sykes-150.jpg
April Sykes

Sykes Back at No. 2 in Rankings

By Glenn Nelson
with Chris Hansen
Posted Thu, 07/05/2007 - 09:33 In our final rankings adjustment before the July evaluation period, HoopGurlz.com makes three moves in its top 20 for the 2008 class.

SEATTLE - April Sykes grew up dribbling on pebble-strewn driveways of Crawford, Miss., so it's no wonder she excelled in ballhandling drills on the flat and true floors of the Nike campus earlier this week. The 5-foot-11 guard also was lights out with her jumper in spite of a shooting hand that was heavily taped to protect a severely bruised thumb. And for those, plus the leadership and control she exhibited during drill work and competition at the Nike Skills Academy, Sykes is back in a familiar place.

Already the top guard in the 2008 class, as ranked by HoopGurlz.com, Sykes returns to the No. 2 overall spot in the website's final adjustments before the July evaluation period.

Click Here for Full, Updated 2008 Rankings

Chay Shegog
Chay Shegog

Though other players were effected, only two other moves were made in the 2008 rankings. Caroline Doty of Fort Washington, Pa., judged by HoopGurlz.com as the top performer at Nike Skills, was elevated from No. 14 to No. 10 overall, the highest ranking yet for the impressive Connecticut commit. Doty also rose to the No. 3 guard in the class, behind only Sykes and Shenise Johnson of Henrietta, N.Y.

Chay Shegog of Stafford, Va., a North Carolina commit who also had an impressive stint at the Nike Academy, moved from No. 20 overall to No. 18. She remained the No. 3 post prospect in the class, behind Lynetta Kizer of Dumfries, Va., and Ayana Dunning of Columbus, Ohio.

Though slightly rearranged, the players in HoopGurlz.com's top five remained the same. Elena Delle Donne of Wilmington, Del., still is No. 1, Sykes is No. 2, followed by Glory Johnson of Knoxville, Tenn., at No. 3, Tennessee commit Amber Gray of Cincinnati, Ohio, at No. 4 and Kizer, who recently committed to Maryland, at No. 5.

HoopGurlz.com had hoped to add clarity to the point-guard position after the Nike Skills Academy, which featured three of the nation's top four 2008 lead guards, but determined the competition in Beaverton, Oreg., between Ashley Corral of Vancouver, Wash., Destini Hughes of Kennedale, Texas, and Samantha Prahalis of Commack, N.Y., too close to call. Shay Selby, the Duke commit out of Cleveland, Ohio, was not among the 22 players invited to the 2007 Nike Skills Academy. She remains the top-ranked point guard at No. 15 overall.



Click Here for Previous 2008 Rankings



Discuss This on Our Message Board:

Click Here

 



 

Glenn Nelson

Glenn Nelson is the publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He also founded and coached the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams. Glenn previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work also 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. He can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com.


Chris Hansen

Chris Hansen is the National Director of Scouting for Women's Basketball at HoopGurlz.com. He leads the panel that evaluates and ranks girl's basketball prospects nationally for HoopGurlz.. Chris has been involved in the women’s basketball community since 1998 as a coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He can be reached at chris@hoopgurlz.com.



Latest Articles

PlatinumTitleAuthorDatesort icon
The Size-Skill EquationClay Kallam05/15/2008 - 08:08
A (Good) Apple Doesn't Fall FarGlenn Nelson05/14/2008 - 06:17
Another Top 40 Hit for USCChris Hansen05/13/2008 - 18:38
Philly RSA Tip Sheet - 2009sClay Kallam05/13/2008 - 06:44
Philly RSA Tip Sheet - UnderclassmenClay Kallam05/12/2008 - 07:05
Prospect Watch - May 9ESPN HoopGurlz05/09/2008 - 09:01
The 'Perfect' Team for Your KidClay Kallam05/08/2008 - 06:40
Why I'm Going Home - to PlayRebecca Gray05/07/2008 - 13:11
A West Virginian RevelationGlenn Nelson05/07/2008 - 07:41
Nike Regional Skills Cali - Part IIChris Hansen05/06/2008 - 09:06