2018 Rankings Breakdown: Bigs (Part 1)
It’s that time of the year again! With our new and updated comes new names, new recruitment and more! Over the next few weeks we’ll be breaking down all of our rankings, today we’ll be featuring eight of the best rising senior bigs in Virginia. Stay tuned to Vantage Hoops for positional breakdowns across each class, and more content on our updated rankings!
David McCormack | 6’10” | Oak Hill Academy/Team Loaded VA (#1 Overall)
An intimidating presence in the paint, McCormack has seen his recruitment take off, and now that he’s cut down the fat and turned it into muscle he’s widely considered one of the top five big men in the country. He has over 20 division one offers, and his freak athleticism for his size makes him a nightmare to matchup with, and one of the most dominating low post players in the country. He continues to improve not only his body but his game as well, as he’s improved around the basket with his left hand and has added a midrange and pull up jumper to his game.
Kenneth Nwuba | 6’9” | Oak Hill Academy/MBA Hoops (#5 Overall)
Nwuba is a massive individual, and he’s quick off his feet making him a great paint protector defensively. He’s still pretty raw offensively, but he attacks the glass on both ends, runs the floor well for his size and he finishes everything in the paint with a dunk. He’s sure to see more division one offers come through this summer if he continues to improve.
Florent Thamba | 6’8” | Mount Mission/Team United (#6 Overall)
Thamba passes the look test from all angles. He has broad shoulders, long arms and he blocks everything that comes into the paint. He hasn’t progressed offensively the way that we have predicted, but there may be no better project on the east coast than this one.
Quentin Millora-Brown | 6’9” | Bishop O’Connell/New World (#9 Overall)
The biggest riser in this class already holds five offers, but with his rate of improvement he’s looking like a late bloomer for mid and low major schools. He’s tremendously long, has bulked up and gotten stronger in the post and it’s made him much more confident in his game. He can shoot the midrange, finish with both hands around the basket and his length allows him to contest shots at the basket as well.
Zach Pfaffenberger | 6’8” | Episcopal/Team BBC (#17 Overall)
Pfaffenberger is finally starting to come into his own, and it’s resulted in his first couple of division one offers already. He’s a strong and physical big man that isn’t afraid to throw his weight around, and he can score with both his back to the basket and in face up situations. Smaller division one schools looking for a blue-collar big man should continue to trickle in if he keeps playing well.
Tyrek Williams | 6’8” | LC Bird/River City Reign (#22 Overall)
An old school big man, Williams is a double-double kind of guy if you make an effort to go through him. He can finish with both hands in the paint, has great patience within his sets and he’s a tough and physical presence inside. Although many schools don’t recruit traditional big men, he’ll thrive in the right system at the next level. He holds three offers, the latest of which came from Youngstown State.
Nyzaiah Chambers | 6’6” | Oscar Smith/Team Loaded 757 (#27 Overall)
A defensive specialist, Chambers is an undersized big man that’s quick off his feet which allows him to protect the paint defensively. He runs the floor well and finishes above the rim, and when he catches in the paint he’s going to finish. He needs to become more aggressive offensively, but his athleticism and frame means he has a lot of promise moving forward.
Trey King | 6’8” | Hargrave/Kentucky Travelers (#29 Overall)
An athletic four man, King can run the floor and finish above the rim with the best of them. He has a competitive mindset, and at times he gets frustrated when he doesn’t touch the ball, but he has strong hands and explosive leaping ability around the rim. He needs to work on his game from 15 feet and out, but the transition shouldn’t be that difficult with his skill set.