We updated our women's college basketball 2020 prospect rankings a couple of weeks ago. Now, we updated our rankings for the Classes of 2021, 2022 and 2023.
But how do they compare against one another? Who are the best overall prospects in the country?
We take a crack at breaking down the top 10 regardless of class and offering a player comparison for each of them, taking their age, class and potential all into consideration.
1. Paige Bueckers
5-11 PG, Hopkins High School (MN)
2020 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 1
Bueckers, the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year, is the ultimate playmaker. The future UConn Husky is simply outstanding, helping her Hopkins High School team to an undefeated record and No. 1 ranking in the espnW 25 Power Rankings.
I first watched her play when she was an eighth grader for her high school team. She came off the bench to drain six or seven 3-pointers. She's a skilled guard and is a capable scorer as an off-guard. More importantly, she has the ability to make her teammates better. She averaged 21.4 points and 9.4 assists per game. Many people, including Geno Auriemma, have said she possesses a special intangible that can make her one of the greatest. It's easy to see why.
Player comparison: Diana Taurasi
2. Azzi Fudd
5-11 G, St. John's College High School (DC)
2021 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 1
The only reason Fudd, the 2019 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year, isn't No. 1 is because she missed most of this past season due to an injury. But when she returned to the court, she rounded back into her normal self during the end of the season, recording 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in a state championship game.
Fudd and Bueckers both played on USA Basketball national teams and complemented each other well. Fudd defines consistency on the court. She has a strong mid-range game and can knock down shots under pressure with ease. She could be the next big thing, the next ambassador in women's basketball since Breanna Stewart.
Player comparison: Asia Durr
3. Angel Reese
6-3 W, St. Frances Academy (MD)
2020 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 2
Reese, the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2020, is headed to Maryland next season after averaging 18.6 points and 10.2 rebounds as a high school senior. But she will bring another intangible to College Park when she sees the court: physical toughness.
Reese is a capable scorer in the paint, but what makes her so special is her ability to stretch the defense out to the arc. She has a knack for baiting the defender and selling a number of different fakes along the way to either finish around the rim or get to the free throw line. She is 6-foot-3 and plays taller than that.
Player comparison: Jonquel Jones
4. Lauren Betts
6-7 F, Grandview High School (CO)
2022 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 1
Betts, a 6-7 sophomore center, is a defensive stopper in the frontcourt. She averaged 17.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocks in 26 games for the Wolves, and she has an even higher ceiling.
She's a skilled low-post player with superior length and a tremendous ability to block shots, someone who can force her opponent to change her game around the rim. Offensively, she keeps the ball away from the defense and can run the floor. Betts showed a lot of maturity at USA Basketball trials last year, and she has plenty of room to grow.
Player comparison: Mercedes Russell
5. Olivia Miles
5-10 PG, Blair Academy (NJ)
2021 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 2
Miles adds depth, athleticism and size to any roster. The second-ranked prospect in the Class of 2021, Miles has the ability to do it all on the court. She averaged 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists as a junior for Blair Academy this season.
Yet another one of Bueckers and Fudd's USA Basketball teammates, Miles is a cerebral and unselfish student of the game with strong fundamentals. She can read defenses, play up-tempo, defend in pressure and bury shots to the arc.
Player comparison: Brooke McCarty-Williams
6. Judea Watkins
6-0 SG, Windward School (CA)
2023 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 1
It's easy to see what makes Watkins the top-rated prospect in the Class of 2023. Competing against top-tier high school talent in California, she averaged 21 points and nine rebounds as a freshman.
She can provide size in the backcourt and the ability to defend numerous positions. At this point in Watkins' prep career, she is most adept at driving, drawing contact and finishing the play, but she has also shown the ability to drain shots from deep as well. She can score in bunches and take over a game.
Player comparison: Jewell Loyd
7. Saniya Rivers
6-0 G, Eugene Ashley High School (NC)
2021 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 3
Rivers has the potential to be a future star. She's a two-time Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year and averaged 25.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 6.3 steals per game as a junior. Yet while she is third in the Class of 2021 behind Fudd and Miles, Rivers has a different game.
A rangy, athletic guard with size in the backcourt, Rivers is a menace on defense and can score off of opponents' miscues. She is best off the dribble and can attack the basket from all angles. Among the schools she is listing: UConn, Florida State, Indiana, Notre Dame, Maryland, Duke, NC State and North Carolina.
Player comparison: Diamond DeShields
8. Sania Feagin
6-3 F, Forest Park High School (GA)
2021 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 6
Feagin is the sixth-ranked prospect in the Class of 2021. Right now, Stanford commit Brooke Demetre (fourth) and UConn commit Amari DeBerry (fifth) are ranked ahead of her, but Feagin has a higher upside than both of them.
She can bury the 3-pointer and is a great rebounder who can also attack in transition. Plus, she can play at the top of a full-court zone defense, deflect the ball and turn those turnovers into points. Feagin certainly knows how to fill out a stat sheet -- she averaged 17.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 3.6 blocks as a junior.
Feagin showed her versatility on the court and can play almost any position on the floor, though her game translates into more of a hybrid 4 who can play inside and outside.
Player comparison: Angel McCoughtry's mindset and DeWanna Bonner's frame
9. Sammie Wagner
6-1 W, Ronald Reagan High School (TX)
2023 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 2
Wagner committed to Baylor when she was in eighth grade. That could have added pressure to her entering high school, but she averaged 15.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 5.0 blocks for the Rattlers.
She might be young but she has proved her scoring prowess. She can beat opponents inside or outside, with her consistency from within 15 feet and her silky jump shot from beyond the 3-point arc.
Player comparison: Sophie Cunningham
10. Aalyah Del Rosario
6-5 C, Trenton Catholic Academy (NJ)
2023 espnW HoopGurlz ranking: 3
Not many know of Del Rosario yet, but she will catch on to Power 5 programs soon. Del Rosario is the third-ranked prospect in the Class of 2023 who scored 17 points and brought down eight rebounds in her team's win in the New Jersey state semifinals.
Del Rosario was born in Texas and spent most of her childhood in the Dominican Republic before she moved back to the United States as a seventh grader. In addition to her accomplished interior game, she is explosive in the paint, rising over the defense and showing off her feathery touch around the rim.
Player comparison: Tina Charles