The 28s Are Now Ranked! What Does This Mean?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Want a subscription to PrepDig? Use code <strong>Kyp30</strong> to get a discount off of your annual subscription!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year's freshmen, the 2028 class, have spent their entire time on a "watch list" wondering and waiting for when their time as an official "rankings list" will arrive. The day came yesterday, with the largest initial rankings release in PrepDig Indiana history. The sheer numbers involved in putting this together is staggering, and there of course will be discrepancies. None of this process is set in stone, and it is obviously fluid from quarter to quarter. Here are a few talking points that always come up that <em>hopefully </em>answer some of your questions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What do these rankings measure?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Great question. For us at PD, the rankings are a "college preparedness" measuring stick. It is NOT a measure of who's good right NOW. For example, if a 5'6" outside hitter is hammering away at competition at the 15s level, that same kid will most likely not be doing so two years from now, let alone at the collegiate level. Size does matter, but so does perspective.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why is my kid ranked so low?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Easily the most popular question we receive is "why is my kid so low/why is so-and-so so high". Put simply, errors happen all the time, since we're human. There's always a few kids that slip through the cracks that we've evaluated before that, put simply, we messed up. It happens. Rest assured, these rankings are modified and released every few months, and are adjusted accordingly. What helps us immensely is the input and videos from other coaches that allow us to perfect our process. This is a subjective list, and is not the reason why a kid will or will not receive attention from colleges. (Aside: do NOT send stats, as those can be manipulated.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">So what's next?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll spend the next couple of days talking about new additions to the list (later today), stock risers (tomorrow), and positional breakdowns (Thursday through Sunday). Each article will speak of five different athletes from five different clubs that have caught our attention since the last release (December). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What do I do next?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also a great question. College readiness has a lot to do with your individual goals and plans. Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? Lean into the strengths and play with and for people that will bring out the best in you. Some clubs excel at teaching ball control. Others work best with solid setters so that offensive sets and speed are the key. Does your club make big kids better, and are you a big kid trying to get better? There's also a down side to all of that----"club hoppers" (being with a different club each and every season) trying to find the 1s team that they <em>have </em>to be with will stagnate their training and get mixed messages as their careers in club come to a close. There are a number of athletes from every graduating class that had all kinds of high school success, but couldn't turn that into commitments at the collegiate level because of burnout or lack of collegiate interest or a sheer lack of understanding of who they were as a player. Focus on what you can control, and let the rest <em>go</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What's the bottom line?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The bottom line is this---this is a subjective list that is meant for fun and is NOT the reason why or why not someone gets college attention. If you're good, college coaches (the REAL ones) will find you. There are college coaches who have national subscriptions with us reading these words <em>right now,</em> and will be wanting to look for the diamond in the rough that will be a steal for them. Our goal at PrepDig is simple; we want attention for EVERY kid on our list. Even the casual fan will know who the best of the best is in each class. But what about the rest of us? We pride ourselves on evaluating more than just the "1s" players. Keep in mind that the list you're looking at is not EVERY kid in the class of '28 that plays club volleyball in Indiana, just the ones we've seen. If you have an opinion, be nice. We respond best with emails that give us information that maybe we didn't have before. And we make mistakes. All the time. If you choose to be not so nice with your comments, we don't have to respond. We work in positives for the KIDS, plain and simple. A ranking today does not in any way, shape or form dictate that kid's future. Have fun with the process, and enjoy the reading this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->