2021 Class Rankings Breakdown: Shuffled Top 5, Risers and Sleepers
With our latest release of the 2021 class rankings, there is plenty to breakdown as we have had a lot of movement in the rankings since our last update in August of last year.
Below is a break down via four categories, “A Shuffled Top 5,” “Risers,” “Sleepers”. As always, PHKY will continue to track and follow the state’s top talent and stay up to date on players who deserve and earn a boost up the rankings as they continue to take shape. Stay tuned!
A Shuffled Top 5
We have had a slight shift in the top 5 since the start of the high school season. Zion Harmon will remain the top player in 2021 in Kentucky for as long as he remains in the Commonwealth. How long will that be? No one knows. But with his stats and resume as a gold medal winner and potential top 10 player in the country for 2021, Zion will remain on top of our 2021 rankings for the foreseeable future.
Trey James (Sheldon Clark) remains at the second spot. The 6’11 Center is averaging a double double on the year and blocking shots by the dozen. James won’t see any competition in the post until he gets back on the AAU circuit. Once he goes up against some kids with his similar size and build, we can see if James will be the potential top 100 kid that he has been advertised as.
Kale Gaither (Henderson County) went from unranked and off our radar to #3 in the class. Gaither is a smooth point guard who is wired to score. Already standing 6 foot and looking like he can grow another 3-4 inches, Gaither has tremendous upside and will only get better as he starts to play against national competition with Eric Gordon’s AAU program this spring and summer.
Alijah Watts (Hopkinsville) is one of the more prolific scorers in the the class. The Tigers have had a rough season to this point but the high scoring freshman is a bright spot for Coach Haworth’s squad. Alijah is a lefty with good size and length who reminds me of Northern Kentucky bound senior Trevon Faulkner.
Ben Johnson (Lexington Catholic) has had a solid freshman campaign but hasn’t shown the scoring ability that he has flashed on the AAU circuit over the last few summers. Still, Johnson is scoring over 10 points per game and his shooting percentages have gone up over the course of the season. Ben will need to become more of a slasher in the future and not just a jump shooter.
Risers
There has been some movement in the rankings since our last update and there are several kids who are on the verge of being top 10-20 players the 2021 class. In 3 years, we may look back and see that some of these guys have had impressive 4 year careers in high school and should have been ranked higher:
Isaiah May (Johnson Central), DaShawn Jackson (Frederick Douglass), Jaz Johnson (Wolfe County), Mason Moore (Paintsville)
Sleepers
There are many kids who have the potential to be very good college players despite being lower in our rankings. Each of these players will be worthy of tracking over the next several years and could certainly wind up in the top 10-15 in the class by graduation.
TJ Toney (North Bullitt), Isaiah Mason (Bowling Green), Jared Wellman (George Rogers Clark), Hunter McNaughton (Webster County)