Prospect Power Rankings: 757 (5-1)
With no live periods or AAU so far this season, we decided to take our content a different way and do power rankings for each metropolitan area in the city. These rankings include all classes between 2021, 2022 and 2023…
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Continue ReadingWith no live periods or AAU so far this season, we decided to take our content a different way and do power rankings for each metropolitan area in the city. These rankings include all classes between 2021, 2022 and 2023 and are based on how good we think the prospects will be at the next level. This is one of the hardest things to do because it encompasses all classes, but should be great for debates throughout the cities.
With no further ado, here’s a look at the top 5 prospects in the Hampton Roads area.
5) Jaylani Darden Jaylani Darden 6'3" | CG Norview | 2021 State VA | 6’3” G | Norview 2021
Darden was one of the best players in the state this past year and has had a terrific career so far at Norview. A utility guard that can play all over the court, Darden stuffs the stat sheet in every way and is a big time impact guy on both ends of the floor. He’s terrific with the ball in his hands in transition where he sees the floor well and puts pressure on the defense, he flies around defensively and makes plays with his length and athleticism and he improved in a big way this past season on his ability to catch and shoot it from deep. He holds offers from VCU, Norfolk State and Hampton and should see more moving forward.
4) Allen Strothers Allen Strothers 6'2" | PG Menchville | 2021 State VA | 6’2” PG | Menchville 2021
While there are a ton of talented guards in the 757, there aren’t many that have the next level potential of Strothers with his size and athleticism at the position. While he stands 6’2”, Strothers has extremely long arms and gets off his feet very well which allows him to make plays above the rim on both ends of the floor. He’s a great playmaker who always knows where his teammates are and how to put them in positions to succeed, he’s able to handle pressure and break guys down off the bounce and he has a great middle game with a variety of pull-ups and floaters. He holds a handful of offers including Robert Morris, App State, Radford, ODU, Elon, Howard, Kent State, Hampton and Norfolk State and would have been a hot commodity during the live periods this year.
3) Efrem “Butta” Johnson | 6’3” CG | Western Branch 2022
One of the smoothest scoring guards in the area, Johnson was a big reason that a young Branch team was as successful as they were this year and his rate of improvement between his freshman and sophomore year was very impressive. He’s grown and grown into his body losing some baby fat and getting more athletic, he became the go-to guy on the team and took on more of a leadership role and he played more with the ball in his hands showing that he can create for himself and others as well. He’s a three level scorer with playmaking ability and if he continues to improve the way he did this past year it won’t be long before colleges start to notice as well.
2) Donald Hand Jr. Donald Hand Jr. 6'5" | CG Landstown | 2022 State #93 Nation VA | 6’4” CG | Landstown 2022
The son of former UVA star Donald Hand, DJ took his sophomore year by storm as the go-to guy on Landstown, earning himself All State honors in the process. His size at his position is what sets him apart as he’s now a legit 6’4” and likely still has a few inches to grow, and he showed much more confidence and more of a killer instinct this year as well. He’s a highly skilled shot maker who can play on or off the basketball, has great range in both situations and finds ways to score the ball at multiple levels. He already holds offers from Penn State, TCU, Hampton and ODU and that list will only grow with time.
1) Jayden Epps Jayden Epps 6'1" | CG Combine Academy | 2022 State #41 Nation NC | 6’1” PG | King’s Fork 2022
The #1 player in the Prep Hoops VA 2022 class, Epps proved himself worthy of that title as he was the leading scorer in the 757 this year and led King’s Fork to the Class 4 state championship in the process and was named Class 4 State Player of the Year. While he isn’t the biggest or most explosive guard, Epps has a toughness and a killer instinct about him that you can’t teach and he comes at you on every play with an array of moves in his bag. He has unbelievable range off the bounce and can make contested shots out past the NBA line, he’s a strong guard who can slash and get to the rim and finish through contact and he has a smoothness to his game that makes it look almost effortless. He already holds offers from Florida, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Providence, VCU, St. Louis and ODU among others, and he’s among multiple national rankings boards as well.