Arizona 2019 Updated Rankings: Class Breakdown
The class of 2019 is extremely solid and has a lot of prospects who are receiving next level interest due to their versatility and basketball IQ. Below are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the class of 2019.
Arizona 2019 Updated Rankings
2019 Rankings: Strengths
The class of 2019 is quite solid and has a number of prospects who will play at the next level. Further, many of them will suit up at the NCAA Division-I level.
Versatility
This group has a lot of prospects who can potentially play 2-4 in a system where the coach values position-less basketball. The top prospect in this class, Terry Armstrong, can play an array of spots. His ability to be a playmaker from an array of spots on the court makes him intriguing to high major NCAA Division-I schools.
In addition to Armstrong, Emmanuel Taban, Stephan Gabriel, and Majok Deng all stand out as prospects who are drawing a lot of college interest due to their versatility. Taban’s best skill is his ability to shoot it from deep. However, he has a really high basketball IQ and has played the point guard spot at times for his club team and for his high school team. He can corral rebounds and immediately start putting pressure on the defense in transition.
Gabriel has good length and strength which enables him to get into the paint at will and guard multiple spots on the defensive end. His ceiling is extremely high because of the uncoachables that he possesses mixed with his skill set. Further, Deng is capable of leading any team he plays on in all major statistical categories which makes him an absolute luxury and prize at the next level. His game does not stand out for highlight plays. Rather, it is his solid play that enables him to fill up the stat sheet in a hurry that draws intrigue.
Jalen Graham is another prospect whose skill set mixed with his athleticism has caused colleges to gain a lot of interest. He has solid footwork and a soft touch around the rim to go with his length and toughness.
Depth
This group is solid top to bottom with many guys capable of playing college basketball. From the guard positions, Jaelen House and Jovan Blacksher lead the group. Both are NCAA Division-I caliber point guards who make their teammates better. House is more explosive while Blacksher is a good floor general who locks up on the defensive end.
Further down the list, prospects like Josh Ursery are able to score the basketball at a high level which aids him in being interesting to next level suitors. Often times, Arizona has good talent at the top, but lacks depth. This group does not as it contains a lot of prospects who should be receiving serious college consideration.
IQ
In addition to being versatile and having depth, a number of the prospects in this group have extremely high basketball IQs. A number of these high IQ prospects have already been mentioned, including House, Blacksher, Taban, and Armstrong. With that said, Trent Brown is one of the most intriguing next level prospects in this group due to his shooting ability and high basketball IQ. He makes great decisions with the basketball and understands angles extremely well.
Khlid Price and Reed Myers are two other high IQ prospects who could get the opportunity to play at the college level. Price is a flat out winner who does every little thing to impact the game. His understanding of how to put his teammates in spots where they can be successful is top tier. Further, he uses his bulldog mentality and intelligence to be one of the top defenders in the class.
2019 Rankings: Weaknesses
While the class of 2019 has a lot of positives, the group lacks depth at the center spot. With more and more teams playing position-less basketball, this group has a number of prospects who fit that category. However, for teams looking for length at the 5 spot, this group is a little low on bigs.
Center Depth
While this group might not have a consortium of top tier big men, there are a couple of next level candidates who should be on college’s radars. Cameron Katal is a legitimate 6’10 and has improved greatly since last year. He has a decent motor and a good touch around the rim. Katal is also the longest prospect in this group other than Latrell Swan of Pinnacle. While Swan has potential, he has a lot of work to do before playing at the next level.
In addition to Katal and Swan, this group has two high IQ bigs who are slightly undersized for a true 5 in Ethan Spry and Shaun Wahlstrom. Both of these prospects are good shooters who make good decisions with the basketball. There decision making and skill set has aided them in drawing interest from IVY League and Patriot League schools who run the Princeton offense.