Do Rankings Matter?

Let’s cut the fluff and get straight to it:

Do rankings matter?

Yes…

And no.

Let’s start with the truth most won’t say out loud:

Rankings do NOT matter when it comes to securing a basketball scholarship.

College coaches are not checking rankings when deciding if a player can help them win. They’re checking film, they’re showing up to live periods, and they’re asking the questions that matter:

• Can she guard her position?

• Does she understand time and score?

• Can she make decisions under pressure?

• Is she a good teammate?

• Will she accept her role or disrupt the locker room?

Coaches want hoopers, dawgs, winners!!

They want players who can help them win, help them to keep their job, earn a raise, or take the next step in their own career. A ranking doesn’t score a bucket or get a stop. A ranking doesn’t build culture or deliver results on the scoreboard.

Production does. Impact does. Consistency does.

Now here’s the flip side — and it’s real too:

Rankings do matter…

Not because they define a player’s value, but because they influence opportunity.

Let’s talk facts:

• Want to be a McDonald’s All-American or get invited to the Jordan Brand Classic? Your ranking probably plays a role.

• Trying to get on the radar for Team USA, Nike Skills Academy, Hoop Summitt, John Lucas 160, or elite exposure camps? A ranking may be the golden ticket.

• Think about a college coach who’s gunning for that Top 10 ranked recruiting class — some of their contracts include bonuses if they sign a highly-ranked group. So if it’s between two players equal in skill, production, and character… the Top-50 ranked one often gets the nod.

Add in the business side:

• Agents use rankings to leverage signing bonuses and boost NIL valuations.

• Brands want marketable names. If you’re ranked, you’re searchable. If you’re searchable, you’re valuable — even if the ranking was inflated off politics or popularity.

So what’s the real answer?

Rankings matter… just not for everything.

They matter if you want the bells and whistles.

They matter when media, marketing, and clout enter the chat.

They matter when there’s money on the line tied to perception.

But when the lights come on, and the ball tips?

They don’t matter one bit.

Because when it’s all said and done:

You can’t rank heart.

You can’t rank hustle.

You can’t rank real.

Stay in the gym.

Keep developing.

Stay ready so when it’s time, you’re not hoping your ranking gets you there — your game does.