2021 Rankings Update: Predicting Stock Boosting Guards
This was a rankings update that took us quite some time as we made sure to see as many prospects as we could in person as well as look at how they fared throughout the summer and began the season.…
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Continue ReadingThis was a rankings update that took us quite some time as we made sure to see as many prospects as we could in person as well as look at how they fared throughout the summer and began the season. With that being said, we added over 25 players to the 2021 class rankings and also seen massive movement with this group in particular. We will do one more update right after the season to get prepared for grassroots season. Here are five guards that we are predicting will make a jump in our next rankings.
Wes Ryan – De Beque
Unsure what more there is to accomplish for Wes Ryan. He was the 1A player of the year as only a sophomore, he led his team to a championship win and he has seemed to only come back reinvigorated. Ryan is a three-year starter and what standouts about his game is his ability to continue to get better. As a sophomore he put up 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds a game as a junior to win the player of the year and this season how could he not repeat as he is up to 22.7 points and 11.5 rebounds a game and has led his team to a 14-0 start!? Ryan is a proven winner that has not lost a game in two seasons, his De Beque team is having another sensational start to the season and he is doing it in every way imaginable. He gets to the rim and finishes, is a great ball-handler with size and he is great off of the ball as a combo-guard with a high ceiling. Right now he is currently the No.34 player in the class which I feel is almost criminal at this point. Ryan is one of the players that we argued about longest as the idea is only that he is doing this against inferior competition, I think that our staff just got bored and overlooked the fact that the biggest reason that De Beque is on such a run is because of their junior guard. Hopefully, De Beque schedules a 3A or 4A team next year and shows that they are a very talented group regardless of classification and Ryan uses this summer to also come down at showcases and tournaments to prove that he belongs. He is a player that I can GUARANTEE will be higher at our next ranking.
Cade Palmer – Rangeview
Palmer is another player that we had a hard time agreeing with. I feel as if Palmer is a player that sacrifices his own stats with his team winning games so easily as well as having the ability to affect the game in ways that don’t necessarily always show up on the scoreboard. I feel as if Palmer is one of the hardest working players not only defensively as he moves his feet, plays great perimeter defense and also makes opposing guards work extremely hard but I enjoy how he plays offensively. He is always moving when he does not have the ball, he comes off of screens ready to shoot, he gets the ball out of his hands quickly and makes the right play as the guard. He is a knockdown shooter that can let it go off of the move and last week we saw him explode for 29 points in a win where he knocked down nine 3-pointers. Palmer is capable of having those high scoring games and next season I feel they will need him to do it a bit more as a bulk of their offense graduates. He is one of the best examples that come to mind when you think team-first and right now he is at the No.36 spot in the class but I think this starting state champ deserves to be higher and will continue to climb.
Tanner Lamb – Legend
Lamb has my bid as one of the most underrated shooters in the entire state. Lamb has shot 104 3-pointers on the season and has made 50 of them. For a player to shoot so many shots but have the ability to shoot 48% from beyond the arc is a remarkable feat and is a big reason that Legend has turned their season around and put their name in as one of the state’s top teams and are a dark horse team that can win it all. They have size, great guard play, and big men and add in the fact that they have a weapon like Lamb that is averaging a team-high 13.6 points a game that can either go inside and make the right play or let it fly for deep at a high rate makes them an even more dangerous team. Lamb has a great motor and moves without the ball, he has unlimited range and also is a high IQ shooter that does not take bad shots. He also goes down there and boards when he needs to and Lamb is a player that should be on more radars. Lamb is currently the No.45 player in the class but I feel as if this sniper should be up just a tad bit higher and will continue to prove what makes him a special player that schools should come looking for soon.
Logan Owen – Belleview Christian
Owen is a player that might also make a move before our next rankings. Mostly everything that you ask of a player that is in a smaller classification he does. He comes out to showcases and shows that he can compete against the top guys, he spent a bit of time with a Denver team in grassroots season and during the school season he is dominating. Not just having good games type of dominating but truly putting up massive numbers. He was an All-State honorable mention as a sophomore as he put up 17.5 points and 6.4 rebounds a game and how does he come back as a junior? Better. The junior captain is the 4thleading scorer in the entire state at 25.8 points a game and while his shot is not falling at the rate that he wants it to he has added new parts of his game. He is now dunking the ball, he has upped his defensive game as he is putting up 2.7 steals a game and also is protecting the rim despite being a guard as he is putting up 1.5 blocks a game. He is the No. 54 player in the class but in my honest opinion that is too low for a player that has only gotten better. He will continue to put up big numbers and impacting the game with his scoring and hopefully, he continues to come down to our showcases and such and keep proving that he belongs. I am sure he makes a move, if not soon, by the next time we come out with an update. The kid can score and is very, very close to the 1,000 points scored in his career mark which is not an easy task.
Ethan Hill – Estes Park
Estes Park is having a middle of the pack type of season this year. They are still figuring it out and trying to find themselves as they are one of the youngest teams in the entire state. Estes Park might be the only team in the state that does not have a single senior on their team which is major in the fact that while they are building chemistry they do not have that player that has been battle-tested and can show the young guys the rope, but they do have a junior combo-guard/wing in Ethan Hill that has been one of the most consistent players in 3A over the past few seasons. Hill is a guard that just suddenly hit a growth spurt that has seen him grow over three inches since last season and with that he has found a way to impact the game in a different way, mostly going inside. He has always been a two-way guard that could score the ball and also rebound at a high level as he put up 17.8 points and 7.4 rebounds a game as a sophomore but in his junior season, his game has elevated. The 6’3 guard has seen a jump in every single category. He is putting up 20.8 points and 8.6 rebounds a game but what really stands out for me is how he has now gotten others involved as well and that has translated to a couple more wins their way. He is averaging 3.1 assists a game and is showing that he trusts in his teammates and is a more balanced player that understands how to let the game come easier to him. Hill is the No. 55 player in the class and has gone a bit under the radars for quite some time but is a player worth taking a deep look at that has the ability to alter games. Hopefully we see more of him this summer and he is a player that I will continue to follow. He should move up by next ranking and who knows, maybe he will continue to grow which will make things even more interesting.