High School 2024-2025 Season Wrap-Up: Part 3 - Players of the Year
Sienna Betts finishes at the rim at the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Game. Photo Courtesy of McDAAG.
Here Are the Year’s Best Players Across HS Basketball.
April 15, 2025
I have been involved in girls’ basketball since the 1980’s and have been particularly involved with rankings issues and naming national award winners for over a decade. In this piece, the goal will be to put a wrap on the 2024-2025 high school season recognizing the top players by class.
National High School Players of the Year Recognitions
Before proceeding, please understand “good player” refers below to one who is good now while “good prospect” implies being good at the next level. Some may be equal in these regards. There are those who are better now than later versus the field and vice versa. Most lists public or being sold (sometimes posted without charge) by scouting services refer to status of the individual in question at the college level, thus are prospect lists at heart.
National Player of the Year: Sienna Betts
Senior post Sienna Betts (6-4, Grandview High School, UCLA signee) carried her team to Colorado’s 6A title. Often, she was double-teamed in the paint but still managed to score. As of early April (one more ranking to come out this month), she is ranked #2 by ESPN HoopGurlz for the class of 2025. There is little debate that she is the best low post player in her class. She had limited on-court help from teammates. Questionable shooting range further up the key made me to lean to Davidson (below) as to top college prospect in the senior class.
Various national awards already published either picked Betts or senior Aaliyah Chavez (5-11, point guard, Monterey High School, Lubbock, Texas, recently committed to Oklahoma). Why I lean to Betts is there is serious question as to whether Chavez performed as the best (not saying she is not very good) guard (losing badly on court to Kaleena Smith below) in the high school play this year where at times her scoring efficiency could be questioned.
Best senior prospect: Jazzy Davidson
Things were looking good for my favorite senior Jazzy Davidson (6-1 guard, Southern Cal commit) as her Clackamas team was poised to win the Oregon state 6A title, up 51-33 over Tualatin with about three minutes left in the third quarter. Clackamas would score only seven more points over the next 11 minutes, getting shocked 63-58 by a young Tualatin team behind its star freshman point guard Love Lei Best who finished with 26 points. Two things happened that turned the tide. Clackamas struggled from up 18 with the Tualatin 1-3-1 zone and in the middle of this, Davidson got hurt (appeared to be an ankle). Although she played most of those 11 minutes, she was unable to score and the other four starters (all seniors with college scholarships) failed to step up. Davidson finished with a respectable 17 points and 10 rebounds but not the championship that was expected. Davidson has already garnered McDonald’s All-American honors and should have received all Oregon player-of-the year-award. However, in this tight field, falling short of the state title knocked her out of the national player-of-the-year race from this perspective. Still as a three-level scorer with size capable of high level of play at both ends, she remains my favorite prospect for the 2025 class.
Top junior player: Saniyah Hall
Junior Saniyah Hall (6-2, guard/forward, Montverde Academy, Florida) may be the best all-around player in high school ball today. From Ohio (where she still plays club ball), Hall can score at all three levels, rebounds strongly and while not known for defense, can make big defensive plays at critical moments. She shined this year versus high level competition. As one of five future major D1 players starting, she had the most potential for on-court help from teammates. Even though Montverde lost the Chipotle Nationals final in overtime to IMG, her season-long body of work was enough to be worthy of top junior honors.
Top sophomore player: Kaleena Smith
Kaleena Smith (5-5, point guard, 2027, Ontario Christian [CA] High School) was in the lead for national player-of-the-year honors until stumbling 67-62 to Etiwanda in what amounts to the California Open Division semifinals. As awards go, Special K (as she is known) still merits the top spot for sophomore performance in this talented 2027 class.
2028 Tati Griffin of Ontario Christian. Photo Courtesy of Hoopers4Dayz.
Top freshman player: Tatianna Griffin
Tatianna Griffin, 5-11, small forward, Ontario (California) Christian High School
Griffin is powerful attacking the rim but also is a threat beyond the arc. The team lost twice this year making it to what amounts to the difficult CIF Open Division semi-finals starting 1 senior, 2 sophomores and 2 freshmen. Needless to say, others in this class are likely to step up in the next few years. Still, for this past season, it is hard to argue against Griffin given her impact versus high quality opposition.