2020 Rankings: Top 5
The 2020 rankings are finally being released! A lot of work and debate between staff members went into making these rankings over the past few months. Previously, we had a 2020 top 10 and then a watch list. Now, we have bumped the rankings total up to a top 60, that will continue to be added to as more prospects emerge over the coming months and years. The 2020 class as of right now, is looking to be a very talented class. Especially at the guard spot. There was a ton of debate about who should be in the top 10, and outside of 3 or 4 players, essentially every other spot was up for debate between a dozen or so players for 7 spots.
For our subscribers, click here for the link to the updated 2020 class rankings:
The new number one player in our updated 2020 rankings is Flint Beecher point guard Jalen Terry. Terry had a huge July, and is already the most accomplished player in 2020 based off of achievements. He was one of the stars on Flint Beecher’s class C state championship team. In AAU, he led what was perhaps the best 15u squad in the country, as The Family 15u won every tournament in July, including the coveted Peach Jam title. Terry’s an explosive athlete who is more than capable of finishing of plays above the rim with both hands, despite not even standing 6’0 tall. There are very few weaknesses to his game, as he scores from all three levels in a variety of ways and is an elite playmaker as well. Terry also has a knack for stepping up in big moments, as he played well in the Class C state championship game, and he dropped 28 points in the Peach Jam championship game as well. Coming from some people in Flint, there are some saying that Terry at this stage in his high school career is better than Beecher legend and current NBA player Monte Morris. People are putting him in a hybrid mold between Monte Morris and 2017 grad, and now Eastern Michigan player Malik Ellison. He controls the tempo of games and takes care of the ball similarly to Morris, and scores effortlessly at all three levels like Ellison. Despite his sophomore year of basketball not starting for a few more months, Terry already possesses offers from Iowa, Tulsa, Cleveland State and Detroit, and that offer sheet should balloon in the coming months. Terry is a top 50 player in 2020 in most national scouting services. If he continues to refine his game, he should be able to hold his place as a top 50-100 player in the country for the next few years. He likely will receive an offer from Michigan State in the coming months, and is one of the top candidates to get a Michigan offer on June 15 of next year as well.
Coming in at number two is 6’7 Old Redford Academy forward Isaiah Jackson. Jackson has some of the highest upside of any player in 2020. He is extremely long and mobile, and also has a skillset that allows him to play on the perimeter, where he can stretch defenses with his ability to knock down threes or make straight line drives to the rim. Some scout services list him as a forward, and others have him listed as a shooting guard, which highlights his unique inside-out ability. What makes Jackson special though is his impact on the game on defense. His presence down low is enough to make teams throw up wild shots. He backed this up consistently in EYBL competition and at major camps across the country. If Jackson grows another inch at least, or continues to develop his perimeter game even without growing, he should easily be able to hold his place as a top 100 player nationally. Jackson already holds offers from Mississippi State, USC, Marquette, Tulsa, Oakland and Southern Mississippi. And like Terry, that offer list should continue to grow in the coming months.
Coming in at number 3 is Carlos Johnson. You could make a case for Johnson still being the number one player in Michigan in 2020 as well. Johnson has gotten comparisons from some to a young Ladontae Henton, a former Lansing Eastern legend and former Providence star. For us, a comparison to the current top 2019 in Michigan, and top 50 player nationally Romeo Weems seems fitting as well. Johnson had a big freshman season, where he averaged over a double double per game and led his Benton Harbor squad to the final four in Class B. In AAU, he starred for a loaded Family 15u team, and stepped up big in the Peach Jam. Johnson is a workhorse who combines talent with an unmatched motor. He simply outworks most players on both ends and produces on that trait alone. His skillset has been improving nicely since last year as well, and his handles and verticality have noticeably improved. Johnson currently holds an offer from Detroit, but has quite a bit of additional high major interest from in state programs Michigan and Michigan State, and has additional high major interest from schools like Creighton among others. After watching him at the Top 250 Expo a few weeks ago while playing with the 2018s and 2019s in the morning session, Johnson showed he is likely projecting as a high major player. His jump shot has improved greatly, and he was hitting comfortably from three point land as well as inside. Just about every facet of his game has improved and he looks even smoother on the floor than he has in the past. A big time talent who should be strongly considered as a top 100 player nationally in 2020.
The number 4 ranked player in our rankings is Wendell Green Jr. Green is a highly skilled, smooth scoring point guard from Detroit Country Day and the star of the Michigan Playmakers AAU program. As of now, he may be the purest three level scorer in Michigan in 2020. He has plenty of range, great handles, and as good of a pullup jump shot as there is in his class. He also is an underrated playmaker who put that ability on display at Reggie Butler’s Big Man Camp in July. Green currently holds a pair of D1 offers from Detroit and Eastern Michigan, and that offer list will likely expand in the coming months as he continues to torment opposing team’s guards. He is one of the most productive players in the state in any class. If he grows to be at least 6’0, he could become a high major basketball recruit.
Coming in as the number 5 player in our 2020 rankings is 6’1 point guard Lorne Bowman. Bowman recently transferred from Detroit Western high school to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. He was arguably the top player production wise for Detroit Western in the PSL last year. During AAU, he was the starting point guard and was a key cog on the loaded REACH Legends 16u NY2LA squad that was arguably the best 16u program in Michigan this year. Bowman does not have any D1 offers yet compared to most other players in the top 10 in this class. However, he produced as much or more than almost every player in the top 10 when counting high school and AAU, and at a higher level than most the others and D1 offers should begin to come in the very near future. He is one of the best on ball guard defenders in his class right now, and is a very good 3-level scorer. He also has good size for a point guard, and with defense being his best trait, it sets him apart from many other guards in this class, who are absolutely dynamic scorers. Usually defense is one of the biggest issues for high school players as incoming freshman, and he has a jump on that compared to others. Offense is what many times gets players offers, but defense a lot of the time is what gets college freshman meaningful minutes. Offers from MAC and Horizon league schools should begin to come in with offers before the next AAU season kicks off.