FOREST PARK, Ohio — Winton Woods High School 2028 guard Strawberry Blankumsee has earned a No. 9 national ranking in the ESPN 2028 SportsCenter Next Terrific 25 girls basketball player rankings.
The updated rankings were released on Thursday.
Blankumsee, an Ohio Division II special mention all-state player as a freshman this past winter, helped to lead Winton Woods (27-0 record) to the Division II state championship in March. It was the first girls basketball state championship for the program in its first trip to the state tournament.
Named to the MaxPreps Freshman All-America Team in April, Blankumsee has been on visits to the University of Cincinnati and University of Kentucky, according to Bryan Wyant, who is the program director for Adidas Next Level in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and also the 17U head coach. (Wyant is also the Princeton boys basketball coach).
Blankumsee plans to visit Illinois this week and UCLA next week. The star basketball player has also been selected as an Adidas All-American and will attend the camp next week, Wyant said.
She also plans to visit UC for its Homecoming weekend on Oct. 24.
Wyant said the ESPN national ranking is very significant for Blankumsee this fall. The Ohio high school girls basketball season starts Nov. 21.
“When you think of the vast majority of players playing high school basketball, to be considered one of the 10 best in the country is pretty incredible,” Wyant wrote in a text message. “Getting a ranking is no small feat but to continue to keep it amongst all the growth that everyone typically makes after high school and AAU is what makes this extraordinary.”
Blankumsee has college scholarship offers that include Ohio State, Michigan State, Kentucky, Louisville, Oregon, Arizona, Xavier, Pittsburgh, Marquette, University of Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, Purdue, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Fordham and Austin Peay.
Wyant said Blankumsee’s example as a student-athlete is very special. Blankumsee can be imposing for almost any other player in the country, regardless of class.
“She’s a winner and an elite competitor,” Wyant said. “She continues the rich tradition of elite high school girls from Cincinnati and it’s exciting to see it from so close.”
Blankumsee is one of four Ohio players in ESPN’s national girls basketball rankings for the 2028 class. Kettering Fairmont guard Janiyah Hargrave (No. 15), Princeton guard Erin Thomas (No. 21) and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary wing Sydney Ferguson are also included on the elite list.
