After turning in stellar performances in both the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic, it's pretty clear that 6'7 Nassir Little from Orlando (Christian Prep) FL deserves a spot among the top five-ranked players when we publish our Final Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2018. If you will recall, Little had 28 points, five rebounds, 12-17 field goals, and 2-4 3-pointers en route to MVP honors in the McDonald's Game and had 24 points, six rebounds, 9-14 field goals, and 0-3 3-pointers and shared MVP honors with 6'7 Emmitt Williams from Orlando (Oak Ridge) FL in the Jordan Game. The only question mark with Little might be whether he is a consistent outside shooter, but he knows how to compete, is an excellent defender, and is at his best when he is using his speed, quickness, and athleticism to slash to the basket, finish through contact, and rebound with authority.
However, putting Little in the top five might be easier said than done due to the fact that 6'7 R.J. Barrett from Montverde (Academy) FL is clearly the #1-ranked player nationally in the Class of 2018, we go back and forth with regard to whether 6'6 Zion Williamson from Spartanburg (Day) SC and 6'8 Cameron Reddish from West Chester (Westtown School) PA should be ranked in the #2 and the #3 spots, 6'2 Tre Jones from Apple Valley (H.S.) MN has an innate feel for the game and is clearly the best point guard in the class, and 6'10 Jordan Brown from Napa (Prolific Prep) CA just flat out gets it done every time we watch him play. If you will recall, Barrett has a great combination of size, skills, and athleticism and he has gotten it done consistently for the last three years on the biggest stages at the high school level, including finishing with 26 points, three rebounds 10-14 field goals, 1-2 3-pointers, and 5-5 free throws, which would have been good enough to take home game MVP honors, if his team had won the game, in the McDonald's All-American Game.
Williamson is like a man among boys with his great combination of the size, strength, and deceptive athleticism and mobility around the basket and, although he has been sidelined with more than his share of injuries (he missed part of the season with a foot injury, was sidelined in the second half of the McDonald's Game with a hand injury and did not play in the Jordan Game), he deserves the nod righ now over Reddish as the better player. However, Reddish has a bigger upside and, with the size, athleticism, skills, and versatility necessary to play multiple positions, he clearly was one of the better players (11 points, three rebounds, nine assists, 5-10 field goals, and 1-4 3-pointers in the McDonald's Game and 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, 8-18 field goals, and 3-11 3-pointers in the Jordan Game) in both games. Jones finished with eight assists in both all-star games and although he's tougher and arguably a better defender than his older brother, his great ball handling and passing skills and ability to score in a variety of different ways and dominate the game from the point guard spot remind us of Tyus Jones in a lot of ways.
However, unlike Barrett, Williamson, Reddish, and Jones, all of whom are signed, sealed, and bound for Duke, and Little, who is already a done deal for North Carolina, Brown is still on the board and has schools like California, Oregon, Gonzaga, and UCLA still on his list. Brown did not play in the Jordan Game, but he has great length and athleticism, is extremely fluid and mobile around the basket, and he had 26 points, eight rebounds, and 13-19 field goals in the McDonald's All-American Game. He also was equally impressive with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 9-13 field goals, and 12-16 free throws in his team's 77-71 win against Nashville (Tennessee Prep) TN and 24 points, 13 rebounds, 8-17 field goals, and 8-12 free throws in his team's 78-74 loss against Huntington (Prep) WV) when we saw him play back in December in the Marshall County Hoop Fest. Brown will need to get bigger and stronger physically, but he does not seem to get quite the respect that he deserves and right now is one of the most undervalued players in the senior class nationally. And all of this is important, because Little has accomplished more and might be better right now, but Brown is one of those guys who should continue to blossom at the next level and, as a result, we continue to go back on forth with regard to whether Little or Brown should be #5 or #6 on our list.
This also is a good place to mention 6'4 Romeo Langford from New Albany (H.S.) IN, who also is still available (Indiana, Vanderbilt, and Kansas appear to be his final three) and is talented enough to be ranked among the top five by a lot of people in our business. Langford makes a living uses his quickness and athleticism to get the basket and knock down the outside shot and he too was one of the better players in both the McDonald's All-American Game (19 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, 7-14 field goals, 3-5 3-pointers, and 2-4 free throws) and the Jordan Brand Classic (14 points, five rebounds, 5-11 field goals, 2-4 3-pointers,, and 2-2 free throws). On the other hand, consistency and toughness are not Langford's forte and, as a result, he also has a tendency to be a feast or famine kind of guy. And rounding out our top 10-ranked players in the Class of 2018 are 6'7 Keldon Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Emmitt Williams from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, and 7'2 Bol Bol from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, who are bound for Kentucky, LSU, and Oregon respectively.
Johnson is a big time athletic with a silky smooth demeanor and he can be an absolute scoring machine with his crafty moves to the basket, nice mid-range game, and ability to beat you with his outside shooting. He also was good enough to take home co-MVP honors for the week last summer at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and was one of the unsung heroes when he made two big defensive plays in the final minute of the McDonald's All-American Game, Williams was snubbed from playing in the McDonald's All-American Game due to off the court issues prior to the start of his senior season, but he more than made up for it with 44 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two assists, and 22-23 field goals in the Jordan Game. Not only does that break the old scoring record set by LeBron James, who scored 34 points in this game back in 2003, but we're talking about somebody with tremendous athleticism, a killer instinct, and the ability to make a living off dunks and going strong to the basket. Bol did not play in the McDonald's All-American Game due to an injury, but he did have 22 points, nine rebounds, and 8-9 field goals in the Jordan Game and he has the size, length, athleticism, skills, and agility necessary to be as good as anybody in this class. However, unlike Williams, who has a chip on his shoulder and always plays like he has something to prove, Bol plays when he wants to and he is not a tough customer.
We also don't want to forget about 6'4 Anfernee Simons from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, who is a 5th Year Player, but is good enough to be ranked right up there along with Williamson and Reddish as one of the top four players in the senior class nationally. If you will recall, we rank 5th Year Players separately and, in this case, it's probably a good thing, because Simons has already entered his name into the NBA Draft and he's the kind of guy who should be able to make the transition quite well, thanks to his big time athleticism and ability to get to the basket, create his shot, and light up a scoreboard,
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This also is probably a good time to check in and see where things stand with regard to our Ranking of the Top Coaches in College Basketball, which was published last month exclusively on our web site and in Basketball Times. If you will recall, Villanova's Jay Wright, Kansas' Bill Self, and Michigan's John Beilein, checked in at #4, #6, and #13 in our Ranking of the Top 60 Head Coaches in the Game Today and Loyola's Porter Moser was listed #16 on our List of the Top 30 Head Coaches in the Middle of their Career. However, with Villanova's impressive display in this year's NCAA Tournament and the fact that the Wildcats have won two of the last three NCAA Championships, we think it's probably safe to say that Wright should move up to #3 on our list, behind Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams and ahead of Michigan State's Tom Izzo. We also think Self should move up to #5 ahead of Kentucky John Calipari; and Beilein should move up to ##7, ahead of Virginia's Tony Bennett, West Virginia's Bobby Huggins, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, Oklahoma's Lon Kruger, Gonzaga's Mark Few, and Oregon's Dana Altman, As for Moser, it's pretty clear that he should now be included in our Ranking of the Top 60 Head Coaches in the Game Today someplace behind Miami-FL's Jim Larranaga and ahead of Wichita State's Gregg Marshall, who both have a NCAA Final Four appearance on their resume and check in on this list at #14 and #25 respectively.
Getting back to Jay Wright, he becomes the 16th coach in the history of the game to have won two or more NCAA Championships, along with the likes of John Wooden with 10, Mike Kryzewski with five, Adolph Rupp with four, Roy Williams, Jim Calhoun, and Bob Knight with three apiece, and Dean Smith, Denny Crum, Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan, Branch McCracken, Henry Iba, Phil Woolpert, and Ed Jucker, And, when we look back at our list of the Top 25 Coaches in the History of the Game, which we published on Marsh 12, 2016, we would insert Wright at #9 on this list behind John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski, Adolph Rupp, Bob Knight, Dean Smith, Denny Crum, Jim Calhoun, and Rick Pitino and ahead of Larry Brown, Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, Lute Olson, Henry Iba, Ed Jucker, Phog Allen, Billy Donovan, Fred Taylor, Bo Ryan, John Calipari, Jerry Tarkanian, Al McGuire, Eddie Sutton, John Thompson, Bill Self, and Everett Case. Another important change since the publication of this list two years ago would be to move Roy Williams up into the top top seven behind Calhoun and ahead of Pitino. And, after this year's NCAA Final Four appearance by Kansas, Bill Self should probably move just ahead of Calipari.
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We've already alluded to the fact that Duke has the #1, #2, #3, and #4-ranked players in what is clearly the top recruiting class in the nation. But, after that, the race is on, as the University of Kentucky edges out UCLA, LSU, and Oregon for the #2 spot on our updated list of the top 15 recruiting classes, which can be found below. However, the Wildcats could step up and challenge the Blue Devils for the top spot if 6'3 Jr Ashton Hagans from Covington (Newton) GA is able to successfully reclassify into the Class of 2018. If you will recall, Hagans, who is a legit 10-20-ranked player nationally in the junior class and is best known for his ability to get his teammates involved and lock his man up defensively, verbally committed to Kentucky just a couple of days ago.
Another guy who could tip the balance of power when ranking this year's top recruiting classes is 6'4 Romeo Langford from New Albany (H.S.) IN. If Langford picks Indiana, then suddenly the Hoosiers recruiting class, which also now already includes 6'6 Jerome Hunter from Pickerington (North) OH, 6'8 Jake Forrester from West Chester (Westtown School) PA, 6'6 Damezi Anderson from South Bend (Riley) IN, and 5'11 Robert Phinisee from Lafayette (McCutcheon) IN and is good enough to be currently ranked in the 20-30 range, would move into a tie at #8, along with N.C. State. If Langford picks Vanderbilt, that will move the Commodores recruiting class up #6, behind LSU and Oregon and ahead of Kansas. However, even more important, that would give Vanderbilt three of the top 15-ranked players nationally in what clearly already is the best recruiting class in school history. And if Langford picks Kansas, then the Jayhawks would move into a tie at #2, along with Kentucky. But that's assuming that Hagans remains in the Class of 2019.
Another guy who could really tip the scale on our list of the top recruiting classes is 6'10 Jordan Brown from Napa (Prolific Prep) CA. And, if he picks the University of California, which already has 6'7 Matt Bradley from Mt. Pleasant (Wasatch Academy) UT; 6'6 Jacobi Gordon from Louisville (Aspire Academy) KY, and 6'8 Andre Kelly from Stockton (Lincoln) CA in the fold, then the Golden Bears would have a top 10-ranked recruiting class. If Brown picks the University of Oregon, then the Ducks will have a recruiting class that is second only to Duke (or a close third behind Duke and Kentucky, if Hagans is allowed to reclassify up a year). Or a commitment by Brown to UCLA, would actually put the Bruins ahead of both Duke and Kentucky. Remember, we rank recruiting classes based on both quality and quantity, whereby a top five ranked player nationally is worth 10 points, a top 10-ranked player is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range is worth two points, and anybody not ranked in the top 1000 players natoiinally is worth only one point. Junior college and prep school players are also factored in accordingly and then we come up with a cumulative total for every team.
1. DUKE(40 Points)..........4 Recruits..........10.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(10) R.J. Barrett, 6'7, WF, Montverde (Academy) FL; (10) Zion Williamson, 6'7, PF, Spartanburg (Day) DC; (10) Cameron Reddish, 6'8, WF, West Chester (Westtown School) PA; (10) Tre Jones, 6'2, PG, Apple Valley (H.S.) MN;
2. KENTUCKY (33 Points)..........4 Recruits..........8.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(9) Keldon Johnson,6'6, 2G, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA; (8) Immanuel Quickley, 6'3, PG, Bel Air (John Carroll) MD; (8) Tyler Herro, 6''4, 2G, Greenfield (Whitnall) WI; (8) J. Montgomery, 6'10, PF, Marietta (Wheeler) GA.
3. UCLA(32 Points)..........6 Recruits..........5.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Pacific-12 Conference..........(8) Moses Brown, 7'0, C, Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY; (6) Jules Bernard, 6'6, WF, Los Angeles (Windward) CA; (6) Tyger Campbell, 6'0, PG, La Porte (La Lumiere) IN; (4) Shareef O'Neal, 6'10, C, Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA; (4) David Singleton, 6'4, 2G, Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA; (4) Kenneth Nwuba, 6'11, C, Huntington (Prep) WV.
4. LSU(31 Points)..........4 Recruits..........7.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(9) Emmitt Williams, 6'7, PF, Orlando (Oak Ridge) FL; (8) Javonte Smart, 6'4, 2G, Baton Rouge (Scotlandville) LA; (8) Nazreon Reid, 6'10, C, Roselle (Catholic) NJ; (6) Darius Days, 6'7, PF, Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL.
4. OREGON (31 Points)..........4 Recruits..........7.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Pacific-12 Conference..........(9)Bol Bol, 7'2, C, Napa (Prolific Prep) CA; (8) Will Richardson, 6'4, 2G, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA; (8) Louis King, 6'8, WF, Jersey City (Hudson Catholic) NJ; (6) Miles Norris, 6'9, PF, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH.
6. KANSAS(24 Points)..........3 Recruits..........8.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference.........(8) David McCormack, 6'10, C, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA( 8) Devon Dotson, 6'1, PG, Charlotte (Providence Day) NC; (8) Quentin Grimes, 6'4, 2G, The Woodlands (College Park) TX.
7. NORTH CAROLINA (22 Points)..........3 Recruits..........7.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(10) Nassir Little, 6'6, WF, Orlando (Christian) N; (8) Coby White, 6'4, 2G, Wilson (Greenfield) NC; (4) Rechon Black, 6'7, WF, Concord (Cox Mills) NC.
8. N.C. STATE(22 Points)..........5 Recruits..........4.4 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(6)Derek Funderburk, 6'9, PF, Northwest Florida State (JC) FL; (6) Jericole Hellems, 6'6, WF, St. Louis (Chaminade) MO; (4) Immanuel Bates, 6'9, C, Fayetteville (Northwood Temple Academy) NC; (3) Ian Steere, 6'9, C, Fayetteville (Northwood Temple Academy) NC; (3) Saddiq Bey, 6'6, WF, Washington (Sidwell Friends) DC.
9. OHIO STATE (21 Points)..........4 Recruits..........5.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) Luther Muhammad, 6'3, 2G, Jersey City (Hudson Catholic) NJ; (6)Jaedon LeDee, 6'8, PF, Houston (Kincaid) TX; (4) Justin Ahrens, 6'6, WF, Versailles (H.S.) OH; (3) Duane Washington,6'3, 2G, Chatsworth (Sierra Canyon) CA.
9. WAKE FOREST (21 Points)..........4 Recruits..........5.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(8) Jaylen Hoard, 6'8, WF, High Point (Wesleyan Christian) NC; (6) Isaiah Mucius,6'7, WF, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH; (4)Jamie Lewis, 6'2, 2G, Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV; (3) Sharone Wright, 6'5, 2G, Greenville (Legacy Charter) SC.
11. NOTRE DAME(21 Points)..........5 Recruits..........4.2 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(6) Prentiss Hubb, 6'3, 2G, Washington (Gonzaga) DC; (4)Robby Carmody, 6'4, 2G, Mars (H.S.) PA; (4) Dane Goodwin, 6'5, 2G, Upper Arlington (H.S.) OH; (4) Nate Laszewski, 6'9, PF, Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA; (3) Chris Doherty, 6'8, PF, Marlborough (H.S.) MA.
11. MICHIGAN (21 Points)..........5 Recruits..........4.2 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) Ignas Brazdeikis, 6'8, PF, Orangeville (Prep) ON; (4)Brandon Johns, 6'8, WF, East Lansing (H.S.) MI; (3) David DeJulius, 6'2, PG, Detroit (East English Village) MI: (3) Adrien Nunez, 6'5, 2G, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT; (3) Colin Castleton,6'11, C, Daytona Beach (Father Lopez) FL.
13. VILLANOVA(20 Points)..........3 Recruits..........6.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference..........(8) Jahvon Quinerly, 6'1, PG, Jersey City (Hudson Catholic) NJ; (8) Cole Swider, 6'8, WF, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI; (4) Brandon Slater, 6'5, 2G, Fairfax (Paul VI) VA.
13. MARYLAND(20 Points)..........3 Recruits..........6.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8)Jalen Smith, 6'9, PF, High Point (Wesleyan Christian) NC; (8) Aaron Wiggins, 6'6, WF, High Point (Wesleyan Christian) NC; (4) Eric Ayala, 6'3, 2G, Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL.
15. VANDERBILT (19 Points)..........3 Recruits..........6.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(8) Simi Shittu, 6'9, PF, Saxton's River (Vermont Academy) VT; (8) Darius Garland, 6'0, PG, Brentwood (Academy) TN; (3)Aaron Nesmith, 6'5, 2G, Charleston (Porter-Gaud) SC.
15. SYRACUSE (19 Points)..........3 Recruits..........6.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(8) Darius Bazley, 6'8, PF, Cincinnati (Princeton) OH; (8) Jalen Carey, 6'2, 2G, Montclair (Immaculate Conception) NJ; (3) Buddy Boeheim, 6'5, 2G, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH.
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Originally we thought the Class of 2019 was going to be the next great class in high school basketball. But it now we're starting to have some concerns due to the fact that some of the top players in the class have not lived to expectations, others have been slowed by injuries, and nobody appears to be ready to step up and separate himself from all of the rest. There also does not appear to be much separation among 6'10 Jr Vernon Carey from Ft. Lauderdale (University School) FL and 6'10 Jr Charles Bassey from Louisville (Aspire Academy) KY, who currently check in as the top two-ranked players in the junior class nationally. Remember, Carey is a physical specimen and a force to be reckoned with both on the boards and when he goes strong to the basket. However, he also has a tendency to settle at times and negate what he does best by drifting out onto the perimeter. Bassey has gotten stronger physically and has the size, skills, versatility, and athleticism necessary to be a match-up problem both inside and outside. However, he has yet to develop a takeover mentality and, quite honestly, there have been times when we've just expected a lot more out of him.
One thing that we do know is that 6'11 Jr James Wiseman from Memphis (East) TN is not as good as the billing (some people in our business have this long lanky athletic finesse big man ranked #1 in the class, but we're not sure he even belongs in the top five). He also is not a very tough customer and there is something to be said about the fact that the teams that he's played for have underachieved. If you will recall, Team Penny didn't get out of pool play last summer in the NIKE EYBL Finals at the Peach Jam and Memphis East was upset by Ft Lauderdale (University School) FL in the Championship Game back in December at the City of Palms Classic. Instead, the guy that we'd put #3 on our list right behind Carey and Bassey is 6'8 Jr Precious Achiowa from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ. We're talking about somebody with big time athleticism, great moves to the basket, and the versatility necessary to play either forward spot. He also was good enough to be ranked among the top 15-ranked players while playing up a year in class last summer at both the NBA Players Association Top 100 and the Pangos All-American Camp and was clearly the best player last winter when he scored 17 points in his team's 64-55 win against Huntington (Prep) WV and 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 14-19 field goals in his team's 68-57 win against Phoenix (Hillcrest Academy) AZ in the Marshall County Hoopfest.
We also think 6'8 Jr Onyeka Okongwu from Chino Hills (H.S.) CA made a strong case for a top five national ranking back in January in the Spalding Hoop Hall Classic. If you will recall, he finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 13-19 field goals and got the better of 6'7 Zion Williamson from Spartanburg (Day) SC in their head-to-head match-ip. It also was difficult not to be impressed with the outside shooting, explosiveness in transition, and prolific numbers that 6'4 Jr Bryan Antoine from Trinton Fallls (Ranney School) NJ put in the City of Palms Classic back in December and, as a result, we give him the nod over 6'5 Jr Scottie Lewis from Trinton Falls (Ranney School) NJ even though Lewis is probably a more well rounded player, is unselfish almost to a fault, and always seems to do a lot things that don't always show up in the box score. We also don't want to forget about 6'3 Jr Cole Anthony from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY and 7'3 Jr Chol Marial from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, who are two of the biggest enigmas in the class, but for different reasons. If you recall, Anthony has a tremendous pedigree and great point guard skills. But, instead of letting the same come to him, often tries to do to much and actually was a major bust when we saw his high school team go down in flames back in December at the City of Palms Classic. Marial has great length and athleticism, runs the court like a deer, and is an intimidating presence when it comes time to block and alter shots. Unfortunately he also appears to be very injury prone and, as a result, it's been almost two years since we last seen him play.
Four other guys who are vying for spots in our ranking of the top 10-ranked juniors nationally are 6'7 Jr D.J. Jeffries from Olive Branch (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Jr Trendon Watford from Mountain Brook (H.S.) AL, 6'9 Jr Matthew Hurt from Rochester (H.S.) MN, and 6'5 Jr Cassius Stanley from Chatsworth (Sierra Canyon) CA. Jeffries is a big time athlete with the versatility necessary to play either forward spot and, whether it be posting up on the block, pulling up from mid-range, or knocking it down from behind the arc, this guy can really score. And, just like 6'3 Jr Ashton Hagans from Covington (Newton) GA, Jeffries has already made an early verbal commitment to the University of Kentucky, which is important, because the Wildcats are now the early leader with the #1-ranked recruiting class in 2019. Watford has a great pedigree (his older brother was a star at Indiana University) and he is another guy who is capable of scoring in a variety of ways and playing multiple positions. As a matter of fact, he was the leading rebounder with 13.0 rpg in the City of Palms Classic and he still has along way to go before he reaches his full potential. Hurt is an athletic white kid with excellent skills, a high basketball IQ, and the ability to both score in the post and step outside and keep you honest with his outside shooting. The value of Stanley's stock appears to be on the decline due to the fact that he has had an age advantage over the other players in this class for a long time and now a lot of guys are starting to catch up to him. He also will need to become more of a consistent 3-point shooter and spend less time dominating the ball. On the other hand, is a tough match-up when he attacks the basket, does have the versatility and athleticism to play multiple positions, and is extremely talented.
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After leading his team to the Championship and taking home tournament MVP honors in the City of Palms Classic, it's pretty easy to make a case for 6'7 Soph Scottie Barnes from Ft. Lauderdale (University School) FL being the #1-ranked player in the Class of 2020. Remember, Barnes has big time athleticism, incredible natural talent, the versatility necessary to play multiple positions, and a propensity for coming up big at crunch time. However, it gets a little tougher after that as 6'5 Soph Josh Green from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'4 Soph R.J. Hampton from Little Elm (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Jr Soph Kyree Walker from Phoenix (Hillcrest Prep) AZ, 6'10 Soph Isaiah Todd from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, 6'3 Soph Jalen Suggs from Minneapolis (Minnehaha Academy) MN, 6'8 Soph Jaemyn Brakefield from Huntington (Prep) WV, 6'7 Soph Gregory Brown from Austin (Vandergrift) TX, 6'10 Soph Hunter Dickinson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD and 6'1 Soph Nico Mannion from Phoenix (Pinnacle) AZ are all good enough to be mentioned among the top five players in this class a various times.
There aren't many better athletes nor guys as naturally talented as Green and he is like a highlight reel with his explosiveness and elevation when he attacks the basket. He also has good ball handling and passing skills, rebounds extremely well for his size, is an excellent defender, and promises to be the best player to come of Fresno, CA since DeShawn Stevenson. He will need to get bigger and stronger physically and he has a tendency to coast at times, but the fact he's young for his class means that his upside and potential are off the chart. Hampton's excellent ball handling and passing skills and great feel for the game make him arguably the best point guard in the class. He also has good size for his position, rebounds well for his size, can both shoot and slash, and has a 4.0 gpa in the classroom. Walker tends to be a streaky outside shooter, but he is tough to stop when he uses his strength and athleticism to attack the basket, plus he can defend multiple positions, plays with a competitive edge, rebounds well for his size, always seems to put up impressive numbers, and is a great early catch for Arizona State.
Todd is not a tough customer and he spends too much time out on the perimeter, but it's hard not to be impressed with his length, athleticism, skills, and versatility, soft touch, and ability to pick and pop out to 18-feet. Suggs finished ranked #5 in scoring with 18.3 ppg, tied for #15 in rebounding with 6.2 rpg, and #3 in steals with 2.7 spg a year ago as a freshman in the Under Armour Association and we're talking about somebody with tremendous length, a silky smooth demeanor, and the skills necessary necessary to play anywhere from the one to the four spot on the basketball court. He also has excellent athleticism, knows how to compete, and is good enough to be ranked among the top two or three freshmen nationally, Brakefield will need to get bigger and stronger physically, but he has the skills, versatility, and athleticism necessary to play just about any position on the court and he is second to none for somebody his size with the quickness, agility, and moves that he has to the basket.
Brown will need to get bigger and stronger physically, but he's long, athletic, and bouncy and he makes a living dunking, finishing in traffic, and knocking down the outside shot. Dickinson is a skilled big man with good post moves, an excellent nose for the ball, and a knack for being able to find the open man and pass out of the post. However, it's his size, the improvement that he's made in the last year, and where he likely will end up someday that gets us excited. Mannion is a tough hardnosed and fearless competitor with a great combination of skills and athleticism, a high basketball IQ, and the ability to make things happen at both ends of the court. There are times when he can be too quick for his own good and he will need to get bigger and stronger physically, but he has a special knack for finding the open man and always seems to find a way to get his team over the hump, plus he has an excellent pedigree based on the fact that his father (Pace Mannion) is 6'7 and he played seven years in the NBA.