VHSL Rankings: Big Men 10-6 (All Classes)
With our updated class rankings coming out soon for the 2017-2019 classes, we thought it would be fun to try something different for a change. We broke our rankings up into public schools in the VHSL and private schools that play…
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Continue ReadingWith our updated class rankings coming out soon for the 2017-2019 classes, we thought it would be fun to try something different for a change. We broke our rankings up into public schools in the VHSL and private schools that play in the VISAA (sorry Oak Hill), and broke them down into three positions: Point guards, wings and big men. We took all of the players that we ranked in our three classes in each position, and came up with a top 10 for each position regardless of the class. While breaking them up into classes is great for recruiting purposes, it’s also cool to take a look at who the best in the state is regardless of year.
It wasn’t easy to make cuts because of all the great players, but we did our best to compare the over 300 ranked kids in the state to come up with our list. Here, we take a look at the top of our list for the best big men in the VHSL, again regardless of classification or age. Here’s numbers 10-6 for the best posts in all of public school in Virginia. Stay tuned for more rankings previews, and our fully updated prospect rankings coming soon! Let the debate begin!
10) Josh Oduro | Battlefield | 2019
Big men usually take time to develop, especially in the public school setting, but Oduro made huge strides this summer playing up on VA Elite’s 17U team. He needs to get his body right, but he’s sprouted to a legit 6’7”, so instead of being a slow wing he’s now a versatile big. He can rebound and put it on the floor in transition, has a nice looking stroke out to 18 feet and he can score in back to the basket or face up situations. He has a ton of promise and will be given the chance to play for a very good Battlefield team this year.
9) Nate Spurlock | WT Woodson | 2018
The lanky step out four man showed a lot of promise and got a lot better late in the season last year, and he continued that improvement over the summer. Whether it was with with District Basketball 16U, Hoop Group Elite camp or the Vantage Hoops Top 250 Expo, every time that we’ve seen him we walked away talking about him. His strength is his ability to play on the perimeter and in the high post, where he can shoot it or facilitate, but he’s also a scrapper that rebounds the ball well and gives you effort on both ends of the floor. His unique skill set, paired with the shooting strength of his group at Woodson could make him an All State performer this year.
8) Nyzaiah Chambers | Oscar Smith | 2018
A defensive minded big that patrols the paint and protects the rim, Chambers had a huge summer with Team Loaded 757 where he picked up three offers from Mount St. Mary’s, Norfolk State and Radford. While he may not put up huge numbers on the offensive end, Chambers makes teams change their offensive game plan to avoid him in the paint, and if you come down that way you’ll be thinking about him coming help side to swat your shot. Offensively he’s still improving, but he does a lot of things well that may not show up in the stat book such as setting good screens, keeping plays alive or occupying help side defenders for driving guards. He’s a decent finisher with his athleticism, and if he continues to work and improve offensively his game should open up a lot.
7) Kenneth Southerland | Varina | 2017
Southerland seemed to come out of nowhere last season as he patrolled the paint for a talented Varina team that upset their way to the Conference 12 Championship game. A super athletic and strong 6’6″ forward, Southerland is good for at least one highlight or poster a game, and he absolutely owned the glass last year. He continued his stellar play over the summer with River City Reign, and was standout at a number of showcase events including the Prep Hoops Top 250 Combine where he was named an All Star. He’ll be asked to do a lot again this season, but with another year of improvement, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Southlerland named to the All Conference 12 team again, and possibly even more.
6) Austin Katstra | Albemarle | 2017
He broke the Albemarle County High School career scoring record as just a junior last season, and after leading them to arguably the best season in school history, Katstra retrons to try to lead them back to the state tournament yet again. Much like Southerland, Katstra is a little undersized at 6’6”, but he can get up and down the floor like a gazelle and has athletic finishing ability in the lane. He’s also versatile, as he can switch on pick-and-rolls and guard on the perimeter, and he can also step out and hit the set jump shot when he’s open. He’s an all-out high motor type of player, and he’s the heart and soul of his team that will only go as far as he’ll be able to take them again.