[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I am sure a lot of you have seen the original documentary directed by Adam Yauch and featuring Kevin Love, Brandon Jennings, Donte Greene, Michael Beasley, Tyreke Evans and Lance Stephenson among others (though oddly enough not Derrick Rose, who got that #1 spot, lol). It was a good doc, not exactly Hoop Dreams, but it showed how where they came from and where their minds were at. It also showed a little bit of what people most highly criticize HS ball for, which is the shady dealings by sponsors and recruiting sites. For instance, it showed that recruiting sites will sometimes change and move around their rankings more for the story than for their integrity.

So I am saying, was their a time where you felt like someone was maybe overranked, or ranked ahead of a player and you kind of asked why? Do you think that recruiting websites sometimes sell stories over actual rankings? Also, are their some players who are maybe underrated because they have become old news? Well, all of them may be true, and I guess you just have to be careful who you get your information from. I think a lot of recruiting sites have people who are very good at scouting players, regardless if they played in high competition themselves, but sometimes the rankings could be biased or overlooking certain aspects. Also, the schools they sign with could definitely have something to do with ranking, and I think with out a doubt it has become an issue with the McDonald’s All-American game.

What I am wondering is, do you guys have any memories of seeing rankings that confused you or you thought were not right? Do you think certain players may get overranked for going to certain schools, or even underranked for going to less prestigious places? I am not saying that the prestigious colleges do not get some of the best recruits, of course they do, that is how they got prestigious in the first place. I guess what I am trying to find out is how you guys see rankings, and whether you think their could be some bias in the system that propels people to higher rankings than where they should be.

While I wanted to point that out, I also wanted to point out who you all thought would be Gunnin’ for that #1 Spot amongst this years HS prospects. This is of course something that we will have to see in time, but who do you all see as being the best amongst the current HS classes of 2011 to let’s say 2013 (We will let Wiggins wait, lol). Who would be your Boost Elite Mobile 24 players from these classes? Who do you see as the best players in the nation regardless of class? It could be best HS players right now, could be best college prospects, could be most pro potential. Mine is a little bit of all of that, and I will give my rankings as well. So, we will see who are our honest #1 players and hope our agendas are kept to a minimum 🙂

Guess I will break it down by position, than give my top 10 regardless of class:

C Andre Drummond, 2012

C Nerlens Noel, 2013

C DaJuan Coleman, 2012

C Isaiah Austin, 2012

C Cameron Ridley, 2012

PF Julius Randle, 2013

PF Anthony Davis, 2011

PF James McAdoo, 2011

PF Khem Birch, 2011

PF Tony Parker, 2012

SF Quincy Miller, 2011

SF Michael Gilchrist, 2011

SF Jabari Parker, 2013

SF Kuran Iverson, 2013

SF LeBryan Nash, 2011

SG Shabazz Muhammad, 2012

SG Austin Rivers, 2011

SG Rodney Purvis, 2012

SG Bradley Beal, 2011

SG Chris Thomas, 2013

PG Andrew Harrison, 2013

PG Marquis Teague, 2011

PG Yogi Ferrell, 2012

PG Myck Kabongo, 2011

 

Top 10 Gunnin for that #1 Spot

Seniors:

1. Austin Rivers (Most complete player at this point, think he has a bright future)

2. Anthony Davis (Came on like a freight train, but he is 6’10 and has incredible skills. We will see if he lives up to it, but by all means he looks like a force)

3. Quincy Miller (The injury hurt him in the rankings, which may not be justifiable as he may be the best player in this entire class. Until next year, we will see.)

4. Mike Gilchrist (He plays incredibly hard and cares about both ends of the floor. Will need to work on becoming more complete offensively)

5. James McAdoo (Good athlete at the 4, might be a tad undersized and will need to work on developing more of a post game, but has a very nice skill set)

6. LeBryan Nash (Total manchild, kind of like 4 playing 3, but I believe he has the athleticism and skill set to become a sufficient wing player. Definitely has the strength to battle down low in college though)

7. Bradley Beal (Total burner, he is usually seen as being the most complete scorer in the class besides Rivers.)

8. Marquis Teague (I do not believe he is ranked this high due to his brother, he is a complete burner and has a lot to offer as a potential starting PG at Kentucky next year)

9. Khem Birch (Based on potential more than anything, but he has athleticism and length you do not see very often. Plus he is aggressive and has a nose for the ball. Will need to bulk up considerably and work on his post skills offensively, but a prospect with a lot of upside)

10. Myck Kabongo (Has incredible speed and a very real desire to compete. Definite leader and should do very well next year at Texas)

Next Year:

1. Andre Drummond (I think he has this position on lock. To me, their is no player in the nation with more upside at this point. People question his desire and his dominance, but he just lead his team to a championship at the prep level, and he has size and athleticism that comes along a couple times every decade. He will need to show more consistency and desire, but these are prospects and they have to be given time)

2. Shabazz Muhammad (A complete scorer who has separated himself from the rest of his class and maybe the nation in this category. He is the closest player in my mind to taking the top spot away from Drummond and should be an immediate presence at whatever school he attends)

3. DaJuan Coleman (Shows a lot of grit and desire, soft hands and has a big competitive edge. He also needs to work on conditioning, which is slightly scary when it comes to evaluating a prospects NBA future. Still, he has incredible size, strength and skill, might be the most dominant high school post at this current time)

4. Isaiah Austin (The guy obviously has a long way to go as far as being a low post presence on offense, but his length and ability as a defensive player are present. Will need to add considerable weight, but you can not teach height. His soft shooting touch just makes it all that much more dangerous)

5. Rodney Purvis (He moved up a class but has totally wowed people with his quickness and potential as a scoring guard. Just has to continue to put in work and he could be near the top of this class)

6. Cameron Ridley (Definitely could make a jump in the rankings as he has a solid frame and a nice post game already. Shows a definite desire and I expect he will create a big stir over the summer)

7. Ricky Ledo (Big, athletic SG who committed and than de-committed from Providence. The talent and athleticism is there, he could end up doing big things)

8. Perry Ellis (Has seemed to slip in the rankings after once being considered a top 5 player, but he has a game that has not faded even though he has never really grown in stature. Still, a solidly built PF from Kansas who seems to fare incredibly well against his peers)

9. Kyle Anderson (Watching him you just see he has a bright future. Really have no idea what position to put him at, he is just a baller. Has amazing court vision and while his athleticism is not elite, he gets by on his high IQ. Also built very strong, though he needs to work on his jumper)

10. Tony Parker (This is the year of the big man for this HS class, and he might be the biggest of all of them. Still has decent foot work and a soft touch, not to mention the strength that comes with his size. He will undoubtedly need to work on conditioning as well, but has a lot of experience and should compete well over the summer)

I am sure I have left people out and I would be very interested in others thoughts and rankings. Also am sure these will change radically with time, but it might be one of those fun excercises to look back on, much like looking at old HS rankings and see how many stand the test of time. While LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose and most recently John Wall certainly seem too, there have been others that I am sure would make people shake there heads. Though, at the time, you may have thought differently.

 

[Lotto StudParticipant]

"So I am saying, was their a time where you felt like someone was maybe overranked, or ranked ahead of a player and you kind of asked why?"

Scout.com positional rankings

• #4 Daniel Gibson over #6 Darius Washington-PG
• #2 Sherron Collins over #4 Mike Conley-PG
• #1 O.J. Mayo over #2 Derrick Rose-PG
• #1 Jrue Holiday over #2 Tyreke Evans-SG
• #5 Iman Shumpert over #6 Willie Warren-SG
• #1 Avery Bradley over #2 Xavier Henry-SG
• #7 Dorian Finney-Smith-SF
• #9 Nick Johnson-SG

[nappy headed whitey]

yeah i agree to a certain extent. But a recruiting website is just like us, they have certain opinions on players that not everyone is going to agree with. I’m not going to go as far as saying they are conspiring to generate buzz but there is no doubt they play into the hype machine just like ESPN. If you look back at Rivals, I think they had BJ Mullens as the #1 player in his class. How’s that looking now?

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

The guy looked like a potential beast. He did really well against his peers, he was a legit 7 footer and he is a good athlete for a guy his size. Hindsight is definitely 20/20 on these things. Memphis, you list some decent examples, you liked Darius Washington Jr. over Daniel Gibson though? Daniel kind of came out looking better between those two guys. Than again, certain scouting programs will have people ranked in certain places while others see something else. Not to mention, over time certain recruiting classes are stronger/weaker than others. 2011 looks strong at the top, but 2012 looks much deeper, not to mention KILLS them in post prospects. 2007 was a fantastic HS class, 2004 was pretty stacked, where as the classes of 1998 and 2005 were a little weak sauce.

I guess you really never know how a player will develop, when they will hit their peak or how much better they will get. Do they crack under pressure? Were they an early developer? Will they get too confident in their own ability to put in the hours necessary to play with the elite? Also, will injuries and durability become issues, not to mention strength and conditioning over time? These questions usually get answered over time and we will see if the rankings do stand. Being a top ranked player usually means your chances of playing at a higher level are a lot greater than otherwise, but their are always someone gunning for your spot. Rankings are incredibly important to a lot of these players, but never being content with your ranking, regardless if it is #1 or not and always shooting to be the best you can be is what is truly important. To me, guys like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, two players I see as the best of all time, had this mentality, which is what got them to their prestigious levels. 

[Lotto StudParticipant]

I like Scout.com rankings better than Rivals, but they also had #5 Jordan Farmar ahead of Darius Washington. The only PG’s who were better at the time in HS were Livingston, Telfair, Rondo. To have Gibson & Farmar ahead of him is just plain underrating DWash.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Dude, as I said, the rankings may not just be based on who is better at the time. They take into a lot of other things, probably a players mental side and how they will develop. Those players you listed all made the league, Darius did not. Even from year 1, most I think all of those players moved ahead of Darius as prospects. You listed a case where if anything, the rankings were dead on. If the rankings are anything like the draft, which I would think they would be, you have to hope you look into the future, as unpredictable as that may be. If by the time you are playing ball for a profession, being better than someone in HS does not matter anymore. Just ask Darius Vasington, the naturalized Macedonian citizen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_Washington,_Jr.

[darius3milesParticipant]

taking a peek at his user name might explain the confusion. 

[OhCanada-Participant]

I never liked the fact tht people said Josh Selby’s athletisism was elite, it is very good but not elite, similar to Demar Derozan. Selby getting that #1 ranking on rivals knowing he wasnt the top PG in that class always upset me.

I cant help but believe Anthony Davis is overrated, I mean he looks to be half a foot taller then any Centers in his highschool league. I just cant commit to his hype stock until I see him play in KU and the SEC.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

But I can feel what you are saying Bonner, those are two good examples of possibilities. Pretty much everyone either had Harrison Barnes or Jared Sullinger at the top of the class, and while I liked Selby a lot, he was in no way better than Irving. Just watching them both play, it became apparent that Irving was the most legit all-around PG in the class, and that Selby might struggle at that position and was undersized for a 2. Rivals might have been trying to go against the norm and create drama, they have done so in the past more than other sights I believe.

With Anthony Davis, it is very tough to say. The guy obviously has a tremendous skill set and very nice athleticism to go with his major length. But, you are right, he played against incredibly soft comp throughout most of HS. What makes him stand out though is that he did really well over the summer, well enough to be named the top prospect at the NBAPA camp. Also, he held his own quite well when he played against other top players, though his teams were usually on the short side of the score board. See, I want to think Anthony Davis is really as good of a prospect as people say he is, but it could just be the amazing story of a kid coming really out of nowhere due to an 8 inch growth spurt. That being said, he is 6’10 and that will undoubtedly help his case as he possesses a skill set for either forward position. He may have been going up against weak comp, but he completely dominated, like 32 and 22 type stuff. Plus, at the Global Challenge he played two games going 14-17, not exactly going up against slouches. I am very intrigued to see how he does, and if he truly is as good as he has been ranked, but judging from what scouts and his peers say, he could be real.

Darius3miles, I know exactly what his username is, but I have been surprised by him before. He definitely seems to be a Tigers fan, but he seems to rep VA and at times does seem to be unbiased. I was just sincerely questioning why he felt so strongly about that particular case, and it very well could be because of his username, but he might have some other insight. It is hard not to have a bias about certain players, I mean, I am guessing you must still like your name sake as a player and would defend him. I try to remain unfluttered when it comes to these things, but I will admit I probably feel more strongly about certain players than others. I definitely admit to this, but I still try to respect players who do great things. Darius Washington was a great young PG, but so were the others. I of course remember his missed FT’s against Louisville, and while I did not dislike him for missing them, I remember him kind of acting cocky before he took them, which really kind of turned me off to him at that point. He is probably still a great player, but I think the rankings definitely got it right as every PG who was ranked ahead of him is an NBA player and he is playing in Europe. I respect that being his opinion at the time completely, after all hindsight is 20/20, but I think at this current point, the rankings got it right when having Boobie above Darius.  

[Lotto StudParticipant]

"Darius3miles, I know exactly what his username is, but I have been surprised by him before. He definitely seems to be a Tigers fan, but he seems to rep VA and at times does seem to be unbiased. I was just sincerely questioning why he felt so strongly about that particular case, and it very well could be because of his username, but he might have some other insight."

I am being very unbiased with my opinion. Even if DWash chose another school, I still feel as though he was better than both Gibson in Farmar in HS at the time. Did both Gibson & Farmar have a better college career YES. Were Gibson & Farmar both more successful as far as making it to the NBA, YES again. In HS DWash was the only PG out of the 3 that should have been the 3rd PG in that class if it were not for Rondo being there. If you take a look back DWash could have made the jump from HS, something that Gibson nor Farmar were even considered for. I’m not saying DWash would have been a 1st Rounder, but he would have got drafted. Another thing is I was not a big Dwash fan, he had grew on me after I watched the game he played vs Telfair. I was a big Telfair fan back then.

 

[HitsterParticipant]

Anthony Davis with that well documented growth spurt will take time to adjust to his new position and grow into his body but with a backcourt skillset he could take into the frontcourt then he is one of the more interesting prospects in recent years. He’ll have Coach Cal to guide him at Kentucky so he should be in safe hands next year and it will be intersting to see how he develops and whether like his eyebrow he’ll be a one and done.

Andre Drummond is another prospect who I’ll enjoy following as he seems to have a unique skillset and size who could be a potential monster rather like DeMarcus Cousins but as he plays at higher levels his size difference will not be so unique and we’ll have to see how he progresses. His college choice will also be crucial and that will be his next big decision.

[Author]

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