‘23 Club PYRAMID: Fully Renovated!

Alas! Club Pyramid has been renovated, and the party can officially start! We ended 2022 with some intense hoops from all the New England states, so now let’s look at certain individuals who have made their mark in the first month of the season. I will keep this intro brief because we want to get to the good stuff (the Tiers list). Below are links to past articles explaining the pyramid, why it is now referred to as a “club,” and my looney thought process when evaluating hundreds of players across New England. Hopefully, these past articles will help answer some of your questions.

A few quick notes before we get started:

The Pyramid went from 50 players to 100 in each class.
The players in each Tier graphic are listed in alphabetical order. They are not listed based off of talent or level of play.
I decided to add a “Club Owner” to each class. In other words, I identified who right now is the top player in each class based on their play on the basketball court this season. It isn’t about where they are committed or ESPN ranking etc. Everything about Club pyramid is directly related to what I have seen between the lines.
In case you missed the last article on the Pyramid earlier this week, I mentioned there had been a few unfortunate injuries to players in the Preseason Pyramid. Instead of removing them, I kept them in their Preseason Tier and added players I felt were playing at that level. So in Tier 2, for example, you’ll see 6 names instead of 5 because 1 player has now become inactive.
As always, this list is based on what I have seen, so I am 100% I missed some players who are off to tremendous starts. DM’s are always open to anyone who wants to drop names and keep me updated on missed players.

Ok, let’s get to the senior class! We will start with Tier 1.

Club Owner: Mackenzie Nelson || PG

Nelson put on a show at the Shooting Touch Showcase last weekend. She orchestrated an unbelievable comeback vs. Rivers, took Dexter-Southfield to the wire, and led St. Luke’s to a nail-biting win against Tilton. Like we saw last winter, and over the summer, no one elevates their game higher than Nelson when it matters most. This is what separates Tier 1 players from everyone else. At any given moment, they can maximize their teams’ ceiling to a place where no individual can sniff. Nelson didn’t play the perfect last weekend, but she delivered on both sides of the ball when the money was on the table.

Tier 1 Notes:
Sophia Vital || PG
No shock here, but Vital gets the bump to Tier 1. In short, Vital is the best player on one of the best teams in New England and has been nothing short of spectacular to kick off the season.

Tier 2 Notes:

Jill Huerter || PG
After playing a massive role in Kent’s 7-0 start, Huerter is off to Rutgers! That’s why she has the “inactive” tag because, moving forward, she won’t be with the Kent squad, but she gave us some insane moments in December. At the Nickerson Classic, she was one of the best playmakers out of everyone.

Nina Minicozzi || PG
Minicozzi would be in Tier 2 whether there was an extra slot or not. Rivers looks like a different team this season, largely due to Minicozzi taking her game up a notch. She has been one the most efficient scorers in the region and has established herself as arguably the best offensive rebounding guard.

Tier 3 Notes

Sheyenne Swain Price || PF/C
You want no parts of Swain-Price on the block! She has been damn near unstoppable when in the paint. On the glass? Forget about it. You have no shot of boarding up over her. Dexter-Southfield has been ROLLING, and Swain-Price’s interior dominance has been vital.

Tier 4 Notes:

Claire Finney || PG/SG
The Nickerson Tournament was the tipping point for me with Finney. She was awesome the whole weekend and was automatic from 3. New Hampton is undefeated, and Finney has elevated her game as of late. With some tough matchups coming up for New Hampton starting this week, it is great to see Finney playing at a Top 20 level.

Meghan Stack || PF/C
I think people forgot how dominant Stack could be when healthy. Missing all last season due to injury, Stack is back in the Bishop Guertin lineup and producing at a high level. You can’t deny her impact in all phases of the game, and with her ability to dish the rock, it’ll be hard to find a team with the arsenal to slow her down.

Ana von Rumohr || SF
Von Rumohr has been as consistent as any prospect to start the season. No matter who Rivers has played, you can count on von Rumohr to be vocal, reliable from the outside, rebound, and get to the free-throw line. She and Minicozzi have been in sync all season, resulting in Rivers being one of the best teams in NEPSAC AA.

Tier 5 Notes:

Ava Winterburn || PF/C
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Ava Winterburn is destroying the competition averaging about 25 points a game. I said she looked like a different player before the season started when I saw her at the SNHU Elite Camp. A more mature and skilled athlete who can impact the game in more ways than before. She is off to a scorching hot start and should keep the momentum going this month.

Mya Zaccagnini || PG
Watching Zaccagnini in person last month sold me on her being in the top 35. I love how aggressively she gets downhill and explodes to the bucket. Zaccagnini attacks with purpose and can create at all three levels. She doesn’t struggle to get her shot off against good defense.

Tier 6 Notes:

Kayla Henry || SF
I’ve always been a Henry fan, and although I haven’t seen Watkinson play yet, I think she is comparable to many forwards in this Tier. She has the height, length, and mobility to be an effective combo forward and can stretch the floor and be a knockdown perimeter shooter.

Brielle Renwick || PF/C
Renwick was excellent at the Shooting Touch Showcase, and her efforts can fly completely under the radar because she isn’t a flashy player. She just gets it done in the post. Renwick’s feel for the block and footwork complement her soft finishing ability, providing a consistent interior presence for St. Luke’s.