The break between the two NCAA-certified viewing periods in the month of July signifies the halfway point of the exposure circuit. But in a lot of ways it also is the halfway point in the recruiting process. With 22 players from the ESPN HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2013 class already committed, and 118 players rated three stars or higher off the board and hundreds with unofficial visits in the bag and countless hours spent on the phone with coaches looking for the right fit, many prospects are at or near their halfway point in the decision-making process.
Although there are ample days and numerous high-profile prospects left to shake up the 2013 recruiting race, we took the July break as an opportunity to see who was starting out fast and offer an early top-10 ranking of the recruiting classes.
1. North Carolina Tar Heels
Top Commitment: Diamond DeShields 6-2 W (five-star)
Five-star Commits: 2
Four-star Commits: 2
Three-star Commits: 0
Number Committed: 4
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Top Commitment: Taya Reimer 6-2 F (five-star)
Five-star Commits: 1
Four-star Commits: 3
Three-star Commits: 0
Number Committed: 4
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
3. Virginia Cavaliers
Top Commitment: Sydney Umeri 6-1 F (four-star)
Five-star Commits: 0
Four-star Commits: 3
Three-star Commits: 0
Number Committed: 3
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
4. Maryland Terrapins
Top Commitment: Lexie Brown 5-9 PG (four-star)
Five-star Commits: 0
Four-star Commits: 3
Three-star Commits: 1
Number Committed: 4
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
5. Northwestern Wildcats
Top Commitment: Nia Coffey 6-0 F (four-star)
Five-star Commits: 0
Four-star Commits: 2
Three-star Commits: 0
Number Committed: 2
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
6. Penn State Lady Lions
Top Commitment: Peyton Whitted 6-2 F (four-star)
Five-star Commits: 0
Four-star Commits: 2
Three-star Commits: 1
Number Committed: 3
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
7. Iowa State Cyclones
Top Commitment: Jadda Buckley 5-8 PG (four-star)
Five-star Commits: 0
Four-star Commits: 1
Three-star Commits: 1
Number Committed: 2
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
8. Texas Tech Lady Raiders
Top Commitment: Jasmine Caston 5-10 G (four-star)
Five-star Commits: 0
Four-star Commits: 1
Three-star Commits: 2
Number Committed: 3
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
9. Michigan Wolverines
Top Commitment: Siera Thompson 5-7 PG (four-star)
Five-star Commits: 0
Four-star Commits: 1
Three-star Commits: 1
Number Committed: 2
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
10. Florida State Seminoles
Top Commitment: Brittany Brown 5-8 G (four-star)
Five-star Commits: 0
Four-star Commits: 1
Three-star Commits: 1
Number Committed: 2
Full Recruiting Class
Team Clubhouse
On the bubble: Auburn, Boston College, Illinois
First-half winners
A lot of action can be packed into a week and a half, so here is quick rundown of the winners from the major events in the first half of July.
AAU 11th Grade Gold Super Showcase (Orlando, Fla.): Miami Suns
AAU 10th Grade Gold Showcase (Orlando, Fla.): Bay State Jaguars
AAU 9th Grade Gold Showcase (Orlando, Fla.): North Tartan 14U
AAU 8th Grade Showcase (Orland, Fla.): PSPA Rams
AAU 12th Grade Nationals (Orlando, Fla.): Cincinnati Heat Premier
AAU 11th Grade Nationals (Orlando, Fla.): LA Angels
AAU 10th Grade Nationals (Orlando, Fla.): NYC Gauchos 15U
AAU 9th Grade Nationals (Orlando, Fla.): North Tartan 14U
AAU 8th Grade Nationals (Orlando, Fla.): GA Pistols Elite
Battle in the Boro (Franklin, Tenn.): Georgia Metros
Best of Summer (Marietta, Ga.): West Virginia Thunder 2014
Big State Flava Jam (Carrollton, Texas): DFW T-Jack Elite
End Of the Trail (Oregon City, Ore.): Team Concept Heat
FILA Nationals (Suwanee, Ga.): Cal Sparks Gold
Nike Summer Showcase (Chicagoland, Ill.): North Tartan Elite
NW All Stars Showcase (Auburn, Wash.): Team Concept Heat
PBR Super 64 (Frisco, Texas): Cy-Fair Nike Elite Coleman
Real Deal in the Ville (Franklin, Tenn.): Missouri Phenom
Summer Kickoff (Marietta, Ga.): A.O.T. Lady Rebels
Brandon Clay and Keil Moore contributed to this report.
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Chris Hansen is the national director of prospects for ESPN HoopGurlz and covers girls' basketball and women's college basketball prospects nationally for ESPN.com. A graduate of the University of Washington with a communications degree, he has been involved in the women's basketball community since 1998 as a high school and club coach, trainer, evaluator and reporter. He is a member of the McDonald's All-American team selection committee. Hansen can be reached at chris.hansen@espn.com.