Regional Rankings: Rounding out the I.E. Top 10
Over the last few months, the Prep Hoops SoCal staff has broken down each ranking update with in-depth pieces on the top players by position, by class and covered sleepers and players to watch across the vast SoCal area. In…
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Continue ReadingOver the last few months, the Prep Hoops SoCal staff has broken down each ranking update with in-depth pieces on the top players by position, by class and covered sleepers and players to watch across the vast SoCal area.
In our latests rankings coverage, we wanted to regionalize the lists a little more, and in this piece we take complete the top 10 players in the Inland Empire region regardless of class with input from our collection of PH SoCal staff writers. These rankings remain consistent with our consensus class rankings published earlier this spring and take into account current impact at the high school level and long-term upside at the college level.
6. RJ Smith RJ Smith 6'4" | CG Damien | 2022 State CA-S , 2022, Damien – Smith impacts the game in a variety of ways from guarding multiple positions, rebounding at a high rate in and out of his area and offensively with his finishing ability and improving perimeter jump shot. Smith is as versatile and reliable of a two-way player you’ll find at the high school level.
7. Chance Stephens Chance Stephens 6'2" | SG Riverside Poly | 2022 State CA-S , 2022, Riverside Poly – Stephens is a lethal perimeter shooting threat who moves well without the ball and is a perfect fit for the Riverside Poly system. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard is another IE guy who has seen a boost in college interest this spring and, with Lamont Butler Lamont Butler 6'1" | PG Riverside Poly | 2020 State #151 Nation CA-S graduating and heading to San Diego State, Stephens becomes the go-to guy at Poly.
8. Jaden Byers Jaden Byers 6'1" | PG Rancho Christian | 2021 State CA-S , 2021, Rancho Christian – Like Knapper who was No. 3 in our top five piece, Byers is one of the more bouncy transition athletes we have in SoCal. The 6-foot-1 lefty point guard is lightning quick on the break, carves his way to the basket and can finish through, above and around length with ease. Byers showed some improvement with this perimeter jumper during his junior season.
9. Daniel Rouzan Daniel Rouzan 6'8" | C Eisenhower | 2021 State CA-S , 2021, Eisenhower – The 6-foot-8 big man is a traditional post player in an era of hoops that looks to celebrate the stretch four’s and five’s. Rouzan has fundamental interior footwork, great touch with either hand in the painted area and a variety of back-to-the-basket moves in his offensive repertoire. Rouzan is also a big time positional rebounder who averaged better than 16 boards per game last season.
10. Donovan Dent Donovan Dent 6'1" | PG Corona Centennial | 2022 State CA-S , 2022, Corona Centennial – Dent won’t get enough credit for what he does for his high school team, so we’ll try to reward him for it here. The 6-foot-1 combo guard is a beast of a defender who applies tremendous on-ball pressure and creates countless turnovers with his quick hands. Offensively, Dent is a relentless attacker of the basket who uses his strong frame to absorb and finish through contact in the paint.