Spring Stock Risers: 2021 Class
The top players in the 2021 class are starting to make their marks and it won’t be long before some of those players start to earn their first college offers. Early indications are that there could be as many as 15 D1 players in the class and possibly more than that depending on development. Here’s a look at some of the young men who have made strong impressions since the end of their freshman high school seasons.
Darrius Washington, Fern Creek – Darrius appears to have been living in the weight room. He has obviously bulked up but maintains his skill level. As he continues to grow and develop, Washington’s ceiling just keeps getting higher. He’ll see a bump in the next rankings update.
KJ Crump, University Heights – The question leading up to this AAU season was if Crump was capable of scoring in bunches or if he was strictly a facilitating PG with a pass first mentality. So far KJ has been Team Manimal’s leading scorer and one of Coach Greg Oliver’s most consistent scorers. His college ceiling is likely going to be based on how tall he grows but KJ is skilled and smart and that will get him a long way.
Jared Wellman, George Rogers Clark – After an adjustment year going from Lawrence County to GRC, Wellman looks to have found his stride again this spring. Jared has had several huge games on the AAU circuit and will have a chance to play D1 if he can continue to put up the numbers he has been.
TJ Toney, North Bullitt – Toney’s problem in the past has been trying to be too flashy and not being fundamental enough. This spring he has gotten back to his roots as more of a facilitating point guard who has created for others and not been concerned with his own offense as much.
Alijah Watts, Hopkinsville – Alijah has shown his ability to score on anyone at both the 15u and 16u levels this spring. He’s also shown an inability to stick with any team. If Watts can find an AAU program he likes and stay there, he can really flourish over the next few years. Alijah is clearly wired to score. Hopefully he finds an AAU team he likes and sticks with so he can show the parts of the game like passing and defensive communication that come with chemistry built over time.
Jaden Rogers, Fern Creek – Jaden plays on the G3 Grind like his high school teammate Darrius Washington. They have combined to be quite the duo. Rogers has had a great spring AAU season and earned an invite to Under Armour’s “The Workout” last week in Tampa and attended Elite Camp at Butler this past weekend. As Jaden keeps developing he keeps showing his advanced skill level and is starting to become a leader on the floor.