Wherever it’s being played, high school girls basketball continues to level up.
As the women’s game continues to explode in popularity on the college and pro levels thanks to stars like LSU’s Angel Reese and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and the domination of the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA, we can draw a direct line to where it all begins — and that’s in high school.
With another season of high school basketball on tap, the very best high school girls basketball players in the country are already staking out dynasties in their individual states (and in one case, a territory).
Here’s a look at the best high school girls basketball player in all 50 states — and for the first time, Canada — headed into the 2023-2024 season.
Wyoming: Molly Hays, Guard
High school: Cody High School (Cody)
Graduation year: 2024
Height: 5-8
College: Idaho State
Bottom line: Cody High went 25-0 and won the Class 4A state championship thanks to a historic season from Molly Hays, who averaged 20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 steals and 3.3 assists.
Hays led the state in scoring and capped her season with 23 points, five rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots in the championship win over Thunder Basin. She was named Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year and Wyoming MaxPreps Player of the Year. Hays also shot 82.4 percent from the free-throw line, 58.4 percent from the field and passed 1,000 career points as a junior.
