Updated 2018 Rankings: Biggest Risers
UPDATED 2018 RANKINGS HERE No.2 AJ Green (Cedar Falls) — Though he only moved up two spots, those were two substantial spots. If it wasn’t for having what may be the best player in the state — regardless of…
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No.2 AJ Green (Cedar Falls) — Though he only moved up two spots, those were two substantial spots. If it wasn’t for having what may be the best player in the state — regardless of class — in front of him, he’d be a sure-fire No.1 prospect in the class.
No.5 Hunter Strait (Cedar Rapids Washington) — The silky smooth floor general has risen all the way up to No. 5 from No. 41 in our rankings last year, and up from No.11 in the most recently updated rankings from February. It will be considerably tougher to rise now that he’s made it this far. But he is a player who has gotten better each time we’ve seen him.
No. 6 Jackson Joens (Xavier) — His performance during the Saints’ state title run in March was eye-opening, and the sharpshooter with great size now finds himself just a hair out of the top-5.
No. 11 Matthew Mims (Xavier) — Like his aforementioned teammate at Xavier, Mims was absolutely instrumental in its state title run in March. And as the poised and gritty floor general of that team, he was impressive enough to pick up his first offer, from North Dakota. He moved up to No. 11 from No. 18.
No. 19 Keith Johnson (Dubuque Hempstead) — Johnson makes a higher debut than anyone else in the latest rankings. And with his mix of height, length, athleticism, and elite defense, the sky is the limit for this star in the making.
No. 20 Zaine Leedom (Grinnell) — The full package, Leedom is a guard/forward hybrid who can sky for dunks or bury you from deep. Plus-length and good size make hem menacing on defense, and he’s up 14 spots from No. 34 because of it.
No. 29 Luke Appel (Marshalltown) — He’s always had great size, and now the 6-foot-6 shooting guard is starting to pair an ever-developing skill-set with the height. Appel is a good shooter and has developed some ball-handling abilities, that — paired with his height — allow him to create clean looks for himself. He’s up 34 spots from No. 63 to No. 29.
No. 37 Camden Vander Zwaag (Johnston) — The Kingdom Hoops Elite product was No. 62 in our last installment, that was too low. He was a key contributor off the bench for Johnston last season as a sophomore. And hit plenty of timely and clutch shots earning him a reputation as the Dragons’ Mr. Cool. Vander Zwaag is a nice shooter with deep range and has great poise.