2023 Bigs Rankings (10-6)
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As we look at the first class of 2023 rankings in the state of VA, we will break down the positional rankings by guards, wings and big men. While we label prospects by six positions as far as point guards,…
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Continue ReadingAs we look at the first class of 2023 rankings in the state of VA, we will break down the positional rankings by guards, wings and big men. While we label prospects by six positions as far as point guards, combo guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers, I like to put some of them together to simplify things and do rankings based on the three main positions.
Today, we take a look at part one of the bigs rankings, looking at some of the top power forwards and centers in the sophomore class.
10) Eli McCoy Eli McCoy 6'5" | C Eastside | 2023 State VA | 6’5” | Eastside (#46 Overall)
McCoy is a guy from SWVA to keep an eye on, as he comes from a program in Eastside that has produced some very good bigs over the past few years and has shown a good skillset and potential moving forward. He’s a big guy who knows how to use his size to clear out space and is surprisingly mobile for his size, he has good touch both in the paint and out to the elbows and he plays with a great motor on the glass and on the defensive end.
9) Kaiden Swortzel Kaiden Swortzel 6'5" | PF Floyd County | 2023 State VA | 6’3” | Floyd County (#43 Overall)
Swortzel was one of the most productive freshmen in the NRV area last year, and he’s one of the reasons that Floyd County is considered to be one of the top teams in their classification this year. He isn’t the biggest or most athletic guy but he has an uncanny ability to score the basketball around the rim. He has tons of moves in the paint and is very crafty around the basket, he’s a good help side defender and he just finds so many ways to be productive on the court.
8) Dylan Saunders Dylan Saunders 6'8" | C Cave Spring | 2023 State VA | 6’7” | Cave Spring (#36 Overall)
Saunders didn’t play much on varsity last year for the state champions because they had two senior big men that are now playing college basketball, but he’s part of a young Cave Spring team that could be back there in a few years. Saunders has a mix of skill and mobility at his size, he plays the game with a good motor and is able to produce on both ends. He’s just scratching the surface with how good he will be, and is likely still growing as well.
7) Patrick O’Brien Patrick O’Brien 6'8" | C Bishop O'Connell | 2023 State VA | 6’8” | Highland School (#33 Overall)
O’Brien is a very intriguing big man prospect with a lot of long term potential, and as he continues to develop he’ll be more of an impact guy the next few years. He has a good frame that should fill out nicely and is likely still growing, he’s an impact guy in the paint defensively as a shot blocker and rebounder and he has good hands and feet that bolds well for his improvement rate moving forward.
6) Ethan Ward Ethan Ward 6'7" | SF Landstown | 2023 State VA | 6’6” | Landstown (#28 Overall)
Another very intriguing big man, Ward is a guy who is still growing into his body and if he can get his body right has a chance to develop and get better moving forward. He uses his physical size to clear out space in the paint, and he’s surprisingly mobile and explosive around the rim for his frame and is a force in the paint. He has good touch out to the free throw line and elbow, he attacks the glass hard on both ends and he plays extremely hard that makes him productive in a number of ways.