2015 Labor Day Rankings

Reclassifications, Injuries and improved player kept things interesting this year with our annual Canadian Labour Day Rankings.

The cream rises to the top, and the Canadian girls basketball scene is no different. As expected, many of the younger Classes saw some volatility near the top, including a new number one in the Class of 2018.

As usual, our aim is to look past the hype to uncover the facts, while considering all of the factors that come in to play with unique situations, current skill and future trajectory.

While scouting our country and the U.S. in over 30 events in order to make our decisions, the following is the latest ranking installment….

Class of 2016

Aislinn Konig has been a model of consistency with her unwavering high level play. The North Carolina State commit remains a consummate teammate can think the game through and shoot the ball beyond the perimeter at a very high level. Konig has a knack of making everyone around her better which is exactly what you want from a player that has the ball in her hands more than anyone else on the team. Aside from adding another BC Provincial Championship to her award collection, her and her BC Elite team have maintained a ‘taking on all comers’ mentality all summer.

For those that missed the recent news, Eternati Willock has reclassified and is returning back to St John Paul this September. That being said, she is also nursing a ACL tear which she suffered just after Christmas in Montreal, so she has not seen any court time since. When she is fit to play again, the usual post-ACL injury questions will undoubtedly be present, and it will be up to her to prove that she can answer the challenge given to others that have gone through a similar plight. The mental and physical mountain is a tough one to climb for those in her position, but with her time to miss the game, look for a renewed fire to give her a spark to overcome. Now that her recruiting has opened up, there is still a lot of demand swirling around a player of her size and skill-set, but only time will tell if…

Mikaela Brewer remains a player worthy of many of the high level looks that she is receiving. The smooth-striding athletic Guard had her summer action cut short due to an unfortunately timed injury that saw her have to bow out of playing with the Canadian National Junior team at the FIBA World Junior Championships in Russia. That does not diminish the high level of play that she was capable of prior to that and the gains that she was making in terms of ever improving skillset especially on the defensive side of the ball.

At various levels, Julie Brosseau has proven that she has a number of different ways offensively to leave her mark on a game. Regardless of the level of game, Brosseau can usually be counted on to deliver. With her team down, Brosseau has proven that she can step it up, putting them on her back by serving notice to opponents that she can play big time ball. All, while doing the little things that do not show up on a stats sheet that demonstrate very good leadership skill all make Brosseau very deserving of this ranking.

Kendra Van Leeuwen followed up a very good high school season with a JUEL Championship rep title bringing much of her reliable ‘take what the defence is giving you’ mindset. Her ability to read the play has severed her very well throughout her high school career and opened up the George Washington University opportunity, which she eagerly verbally committed to. With that commitment in her pocket, she has been diligent with her work ethic, albeit without attending any of the top flight divisions of any of the major summer tournaments.

See below for the rest of the Top 50…

Class of 2017

Within Hailey Brown‘s NCAA sized frame is a warrior. She competed very well this past summer at both Nike Chicago and USJN DC tournaments, in the highest divisions, and did so with hard work and ever improving skill.

If you didn’t know her before, Alyssa Jerome must surely be a name that you recognize now especially after the summer she just had. Earning herself on many more radars this year due to her FIBA Americas U16 Gold Medal and MVP performance, Jerome is proving she has a high ceiling.

Tamara Farquhar was out of the gyms for an extended period of time, but she is now back and has started to gain some momentum towards getting her back to being the top level performer she was before her injury.

See the rest of the Top 40 below…

Class of 2018

After long debate and review, the nod for tops in this Class goes to none other than Brampton, ON’s Christina Morra, a hardworking big with a pretty developed back to the basket game for her age. Although making a decision for the top five in this Class was extremely difficult, Morra was given the nod because of her size and abilities at her position. She will no doubt have a target on her back from the rest of the top five, in Kishana Washington, Brianna Breedy, Justina King, and until graduation, but it should be very interesting to see how this plays out.

See the rest of the Top 30 below…
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Class of 2019

Laeticia Amihere was by far the most improved player in this Class. Along with that also came an opportunity to represent her country then province both with Gold Medal results. Stock in her recruiting has skyrocketed and its it expected to remain shy high until she commits at some point down the road.

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