2018 Rankings Updates: Free Overview
We’ve now had three years of high school and AAU basketball to break down the 2018 class, and things look much different then our first rankings of them two years ago. While rankings are always subject to change, especially with the reclass and transfer rate as it is, almost all of the players have improved whether they dropped or rose in our rankings.
When taking rankings into consideration, the Vantage Hoops team spends about a month contacting coaches and experts across the state to compile the list. There were over 250 kids we considered for the top 150, and the rankings reflect the next level potential of the prospects. Things taken into consideration include upside, high school production, head-to-head matchups, skill set on both sides of the ball and include intangibles such such as how recruitable a kid is based on grades, attitude and how coachable they are.
Here’s a broad overview of our rankings, taking a look at some of the trends we’ve seen so far. Stay tuned for more in depth breakdowns of the 2018 class and new 2019 and 2020 rankings on Vantage Hoops!
- Note: We do not rank postgrad players in Virginia. For the entire 2018 ranking list, click .
Talent Returns to the Top 10
In our last rankings overview, we talked about how so many of the top players in the state had left for opportunities outside of the state. What’s interesting is that the three biggest prospects we mentioned in Keldon Johnson, Keyontae Johnson and Rasir Bolton, have all returned to Virginia and returned to the top 10.
Keldon Johnson returns to the top spot of the Vantage Hoops rankings which he owned for his freshman and sophomore season before heading to Huntington Prep last year. The 6’6” wing has transferred to national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, and has recently cut his list of schools down to Kentucky, Maryland, Texas and NC State.
Johnson’s AAU teammate Keyontae Johnson, no relation, has also transferred to Oak Hill Academy from IMG Academy in Florida where he spent his junior season playing with now Duke point guard Trevon Duval. The two Johnson’s were key in returning Boo Williams to prominence and helping them go to the Peach Jam Semifinals over the summer. A freakish athlete with a 41 inch vertical, the 6’5” wing comes in at #7 in the Vantage Hoops rankings, and has a host of offers from all over the country including Kansas, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Florida, Ole Miss, NC State and others.
Coming in at #9 is Rasir Bolton, who transferred to Massanutten Military Academy and will play for their post grad team despite being a senior. Bolton had played for a number of programs in Virginia from his freshman year through the beginning of his junior season before transferring to Huntington Prep last year in the middle of the season. The 6’2” point guard started for Team Loaded VA 17U the past two seasons, and recently committed to Penn State.
The other new entry is #4 Kiyon Boyd, who transferred to Massanutten from HD Woodson High School in Washington DC. One of Team Loaded’s top scorers over the past two seasons, Boyd has been touted by top colleges across the country, however he had an apparent knee injury in the preseason and it’s unclear whether he’ll play this season or not.
Commitment Season is Upon Us
Many of the top players in the state make it their goal to commit before the season starts, so we’ve seen a big number of players make their college decision since the end of AAU season in July. Here’s a look at some of the commitments in Virginia so far.
#2) Dave McCormack | 6’10” C | Oak Hill Academy
College Commitment: Kansas
#3) Brandon Slater | 6’6” WF | Paul VI
College Commitment: Villanova
#5) Xavier Johnson | 6’2” PG | Bishop O’Connell
College Commitment: Nebraska
#6) Jaelin Llewellyn | 6’3” PG | Virginia Episcopal School
College Commitment: Princeton
#8) Rasir Bolton | 6’2” PG | Massanutten Military Academy
College Commitment: Penn State
#11) Mac McClung | 6’1” PG | Gate City
College Commitment: Rutgers
#12) Quentin Millora-Brown | 6’9″ PF | South County
College Commitment: Rice
#13) Jordan Miller | 6’5” WF | Loudoun Valley
College Commitment: George Mason
#16) Darius McGhee | 5’8” PG | Blue Ridge
College Commitment: Liberty
#18) Miles Latimer | 6’3” WG | Paul VI
College Commitment: Stony Brook
#19) DeAndre Thomas | 6’4” WG | Millwood School
College Commitment: Samford
#25) DeShaun Wade | 6’2” PG | Miller School
College Commitment: ECU
#26) Cle’Von Greene | 6’2” G | Williamsburg Christian
College Commitment: Radford
#27) Tyrek Williams | 6’8” PF | LC Bird
College Commitment: Norfolk State
#29) Devon Flowers | 6’8” PF | Potomac School
College Commitment: Loyola (MD)
#43) Chris Ford | 6’8” PF | LC Bird
College Commitment: Norfolk State
#47) Matt Becht | 6’3” WG | Bishop O’Connell
College Commitment: Mount St. Mary’s
#50) Jordan Gibson | 6’4” WF | Stonewall Jackson
College Commitment: Prebyterian College
Summer Stock Risers Still Without Offers
There are a few players who had great summers that for some reason are still without division one offers. Here’s a look at some of the best players in the state who should see some offers come in before the end of the season.
#31) Darius Hines | 5’10” PG | Bishop Ireton
Hines’ size may scare some schools away, but with the increase in small guards who have gone division one in the past few years there’s no reason this kid can’t do the same. He has all the intangibles a small guard needs. He’s smart, tough, makes others better and creates offense by himself when everything breaks down. He has a number of division two offers, and it would be surprising to see him not pull a single division one offer by the end of the season.
#37) Brayden Gault | 6’5” WF | Battlefield
Gault is starting to see interest turn into division two offers as he’s picked up recent ones from Shepherd and UNC Pembroke. He’s been a lights out shooter with good size, he has a great IQ both on and off the court and has been an impact player for three years on his Battlefield varsity team. He isn’t the quickest or most athletic, but he makes up for it with great feel on both ends and a high level skill set both on and off the ball you can try to teach but most players won’t reach.
#45) Rahim Jenkins | 6’1” CG | LC Bird/River City Reign
Say whatever you want about a 6’1” combo guard, Jenkins had a huge summer in which he got better over time and filled it up against all sorts of competition that was thrown at him. He’s going to showcase his talent as the go-to guy on a new look, but still talented, LC Bird group, and he’s going to score a lot of point this season against top competition. He does it in a somewhat awkward fashion, but his ability to straight fill it up won’t be questioned for much longer.
#48) Jarvis Vaughan | 6’7” PF | Robert E. Lee
There’s no way a kid with his size and his skill set can stay under the radar forever, and multiple college coaches have inquired about this kid and we’re pretty sure when they see him they will be impressed. At 6’7” he can shoot the ball out to 15 feet, runs the floor well and he has a swagger and toughness about him that you can’t teach. His 31 point explosion in the state championship game showed what he’s capable of, and he’ll likely show much more this season.
Breakdown by Position:
Guards: 45
Wings: 58
Bigs: 47
Top 10 Overview
1) Keldon Johnson | 6’6″ WF | Oak Hill Academy | Boo Williams |
2) Dave McCormack | 6’10” C | Oak Hill Academy | Team Loaded VA |
3) Brandon Slater | 6’6″ WF | Paul VI | Team Takeover |
4) Kiyon Boyd | 6’5″ WG | Massanutten | Team Loaded VA |
5) Xavier Johnson | 6’2″ PG | Bishop O’Connell | Team Takeover |
6) Jaelin Llewellyn | 6’2″ PG | VES | Team Loaded VA |
7) Keyontae Johnson | 6’5″ WF | Oak Hill Academy | Boo Williams |
8) Rasir Bolton | 6’2″ PG | Massanutten | Team Loaded VA |
9) Jason Wade | 6’5″ CG | Trinity Episcopal | Boo Williams |
10) Florent Thamba | 6’8″ PF | Mount Mission | Team Loaded NC |