Prospect Rankings: 2020 Forward/Centers (Part 1)
There’s a lot of high school and grassroots basketball left to be played for the kids included in our 2020 Prospect Rankings. Some players will play their way up the rankings, while others will digress and fall out. For that reason, most of these players aren’t a priority for college programs at this point in their career — it’s just too early!
As of right now, we have 105 prospects from the 2020 class who we’ve seen enough from to believe they’re future college hoopers. We’ve explained their spots in our rankings throughout the week with articles like this one, which is focusing on the post players.
#1 Zach Loveday
Loveday does everything you’d expect from a 6’11” player at the high school level — protect the rim, finish in the paint, and clog the painted area. However, he’s #1 because he’s much more skilled than most guys on this list below him. Loveday can also hit the three-point shot, face-up for fluid moves from the elbow, and run the floor with grace. He’s a modern-day big man at 6’11”.
Loveday has a Purdue offer, the only high-major offer in the class. We expect him to gather plenty more going forward from Big Ten schools and other Midwest high-majors.
#5 John Hugley
Hugley’s upside is high-major. At 6’8”, Hugley was a force of nature at the 15U level. Hugley has pretty good feet, as his post moves are indefensible for less physically gifted defenders. He also has a good shooting touch and communicates like a leader.
We hope that Hugley is a featured offensive threat for Brush during the winter months, as the AAU style isn’t conducive to an interior scorer.
“Big John” has offers from Kent State, Buffalo, Akron, Pepperdine, Miami (OH), and Cleveland State.
#9 VonCameron Davis
Davis can do it all in the mid-range. He’s athletic enough to carve up the defense with one or two explosive dribbles where he’s spinning or cutting through for finishes. Also, Davis showed the ability to hit turn-around jumpers or spot-up 12-footers too.
We expect Davis to dominate games at the varsity level with on-ball screens set for Qian Magwood, another 2020 stud for Walnut Ridge.
If Davis can become more versatile as a ball-handler, others will join Stony Brook, in offering him.
#15 Luka Eller
Eller has a bit of a European-style game. He shoots the ball at a high-percentage from deep and has skilled post moves. He’s likely going to be the top stretch-4 prospect in Ohio’s 2020 class.
#26 Jackson Ames
Ames transferred from Batavia to West Clermont during the off-season. He also joined All Ohio Red late in the grassroots season. A shift in basketball culture could allow Ames to polish up his footwork and post skills, as he’s a raw prospect currently. However, you can’t teach 6’10” height!
#33 Nehemiah Benson
#45 Jackson Sizemore
Sizemore could end up being the top non-point guard prospect to come out of northwest Ohio’s 2020 class. Sizemore likes to engage his opponent in a little trash talk on the floor, which is all the edge he needs to start dominating a game inside. He has a nice feel with his back to the basket and finishes over either shoulder. Sizemore also can hit the three-point jumper and convert straight-line drives if the defense closes out too hard.
It’ll be interesting to see how well Sizemore protects the rim for Perrysburg going forward. He’s pretty skinny right now, which is his disadvantage when it comes to defense. If he finds a way to be playable as a center on the defensive side, Sizemore will jump in the rankings.
#47 Marcus Peaks
According to those who have been involved with Peaks’ development, he’s just now learning how to play the game. Peaks is a raw athlete who has an impact on the game as a shot-blocker, finisher, and rebounder. Once he ties it all together and adds some ball-skills, Peaks could transition into a wing. Regardless, his athleticism and tenacity make Peaks an prospect to track closely.
#50 Max Mollman
#51 Dominique Cole
Cole is 6’5” and is a strong kid that clears space in the paint. His pump-fakes and hook shot might lead you to believe that he’s an interior scorer. Yet, given his tendencies during games, Cole is seemingly look to develop into a stretch-4. We’re very interested to see if he starts hitting the jumper with consistency. His passing and feel is that of a guards, he just needs to establish his shooting as a real threat or teams will play off of him.
#54 Darrion Henry