LSU Tops the First Prep Hoops Top 50 Team Rankings
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All the cross-country trips for open gym viewings, AAU events, late night high school games, and thousands of texts out to recruits pays off today when National Letters of Intent can be signed for the first time.
What schools hit the jackpot? Prep Hoops runs down our first ever National Recruiting Rankings.
LSU (1). Shaq? Ben Simmons? Pistol Pete? Legendary players at the top of their class, but they never had another guy of five star status come in with them like Nazreon Reid and Javonte Smart do. Both are five star prospects ranked 14th and 17th nationally. The previous players were LSU legends on their own, but Reid and Smart have a chance to be legends together (plus the Tigers pulled in 4.5 star talent Darius Days). Coach Will Wade currently has the best class of talent in America.
Kansas (2). Kansas landed three of the top 30 players in the Prep Hoops rankings led by five star David McCormack in the middle. McCormack pairing with Silvio De Sousa up front gives Bill Self a future frontcourt that has two very different pieces that should fit perfectly together. Devon Dotson is ranked 22nd overall and 6th among PGs. Still hoping to land Romeo Langford and/or Quentin Grimes.
North Carolina (3). The defending national champions dodged NCAA sanctions and inked themselves a five star guard in Coby White – ranked 19th nationally – plus wing Nassir Little next to him giving the Heels a pair of dangerous wings. Rechon Black’s size brings versatility to the guard position. Heels hoping to top things off with Zion Williamson and/or Simi Shitti who visits this weekend and they are also on the list of Romeo Langford.
USC (4). The Trojans enter this winter with high expectations but Andy Enfield’s run won’t be temporary. The signing of Elijah Weaver, Kevin Porter, and Taeshon Cherry as the future 1-2-3 of this program has everyone in the Pac 12 worried about trips to LA.
Notre Dame (5). Top 50 guard Prentiss Hub out of DC is the headliner but this is a steady group overall. Robby Carmody and Dane Goodwin give the Irish three top 100 level guards/wings in the class plus Nate Laszewski garnered a lot of late attention before picking South Bend.
Wake Forest (6). The Danny Manning group may be one that has slid under the radar a lot more than it should because his four man recruiting class will be huge for the Demon Deacons. Top 25 talent Jaylen Hoard has the potential to be a game changer and four star Isaiah Mucius is a big wing with potential to be special playing at forward with Hoard. Jamie Lewis and Sharone Wright are both guards that can play a couple spots.
Indiana (7). The Hoosiers were short on numbers and talent but they got both in Archie Miller’s first class of talent at Indiana. The group is even more impressive when you consider that Miller talked former 2018 top 100 talent Race Thompson into enrolling early and red-shirting. Jerome Hunter is the headliner ranked 35th in the country and PG Robert Phinisee and SF Damezi Anderson follow giving IU three top 100 guys (throw Thompson in there if you want to give them a fourth). The Hoosiers hope the biggest prizes are yet to come as they are hot after Romeo Langford and Darius Garland.
Texas (8). The Longhorns four man class is led by local four star top 50 area player Gerald Liddell on the wing and Westlake, Texas big Brock Cunningham who is closing in on the top 100. Kamaka Hepa is the highest rated player Shaka Smart landed plus he’s the number one player in Oregon plus Jaxson Hayes is a top ten talent from Ohio.
North Carolina State (9). Saddiq Bey and Jericole Hellems are both top 75 area four star gets for the Wolfpack at small forward and Coach Keats has himself a solid future frontcourt with 3.5 star level bigs in Ian Seere and Immanuel Bates. Four top 150 level guys will keep the NC State momentum moving.
Michigan (10). The Wolverines went long and skilled by inking 6-8 small forward Ignas Brazdeikis, 6-foot-8 power forward Brandon Johns, and 6-foot-10 post Colin Castleton plus they kept four star point guard David DeJulius within their borders.
Duke (11). It’s just two guys so how could Duke be rated so highly? Just two guys? It’s two of the top six players in the nation (Cameron Reddish and Tre Jones) and it’s the only top six players in the nation that have made a choice so far. Nobody in the country has a top eight player in the nation besides Duke and they have TWO!
Michigan State (12). Spartans group doesn’t have the headliners that some of their other classes have had but with four guys ranked between 61 and 121 the Tom Izzo group will add both depth and talent which should scare the Big Ten. This is a forward heavy group including instate additions in Marcus Bingham Jr, Gabe Brown, and Thomas Kithier. Spartans get a ranking boost for having four top 120 players in one class.
Maryland (13). Top 30 area power forward Jalen Smith was kept within the Maryland borders meaning the Terps will continue to have versatile frontcourt players for years to come. Four star wing talents Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala will be capable of near double figure numbers of four years. Maryland is also still in on five star Keldon Johnson and Moses Brown.
UCLA (14). Wing production won’t be an issue at UCLA with Jules Bernard and David Singleton both heading to Westwood. Both are top 50 area players plus Steve Alford is expected to sign 6-10 project center Kenneth Nwuba, a player that Prep Hoops scouts feel has a chance to be very good after some work at prep school this year. The Bruins are also in play for five star Darius Garland and Moses Brown.
Oregon (15). Only eight schools have landed a five star guy so far this year and Oregon is one of them with Louis King (out of New Jersey). Between King and 6-foot-10 top 60 area power forward Miles Norris, the Ducks two man class Quacks past several others in the Quality over Quantity area. Ducks also still hot after top ranked RJ Barrett as well as third ranked Bol Bol.
Syracuse (16). Ohio prospect Darius Bazley is the Prep Hoops 33rd ranked player in the 2018 class and the highest rated player that Jim Boeheim has signed this fall. Guard Jalen Carey will compliment Bazley well plus gives the Cuse two top 50 recruits.
Arkansas (17). A six man class that dominates the 100-150 group with Ethan Henderson (119), Reggie Chaney (124), Keyshawn Embery (131), and Isaiah Joe (136) all being right in the same area. Texas prospect Jordan Phillips is a guy that will shoot near that area in the next rankings and Desi Sills is also a top 250 player. This is a class with a solid ranking based on The Hogs getting a big amount of solid players.
Providence (18). The Friars are expected to sign a four man class that is led by a pair of top 50-60 level guards in David Duke and AJ Reeves. Duke and Reeves played together in the backcourt for Mass Rivals and will continue their continuity in the Big East. South Carolina’s fourth ranked prospect Jimmy Nichols also signed with Providence.
Minnesota (19). Minnesota landed an all Minnesota group with top 40 big Daniel Oturu leading the way followed by a pair of 150 area guys in Gabe Kalscheur and Jarvis Omersa joining Oturu this summer.
Arizona (20). Obviously recent events have people scared of what is happening in Tucson but Shareef O’Neal and Brandon Williams are still top 50 level (or better) players committed to the program and expected to sign.
Villanova (21). The Cats found a pair of top 50 wings in Brandon Slater and Cole Swider that had excellent summers on the EYBL circuit and are now planning to play for Coach Jay Wright. Both have excellent size and a lot of potential.
Ohio State (22). The Buckeyes needed a host of new players and top 75 level talent Luther Muhammad is the biggest piece they were able to add. Ohio State also went to Texas to land top 100 level Jaedon Lee. In all they added four top 200 guys to help get the program turned around.
Florida (23). The Gator two man class includes Canadian 6-foot-4 point guard Andrew Nembhard who is top 25 level talent worthy and top 100 guard Noah Locke. Nembhard is the bigger player but he’s more of the playmaker while Locke is fine wherever in the backcourt. Some believe the Gators are also favored to land Keyontae Johnson.
Purdue (24). Matt Painter’s class is a lot more talented than people are giving it credit for. In Eric Hunter, Trevion Williams, and Emmanuel Dowuona are all top players listed from 90-120 in the Prep Hoops Top 250. Hunter is a combo guard while Dowuona and Williams are both bigs ranked just outside the top 100 from Florida and Michigan respectively.
Mississippi State (25). The Bulldogs are one of those teams that was able to grab a five star prospect as today they signed 6-foot-9 power forward Reggie Perry. Starkville only has two to celebrate but Perry is a big time prospect plus DJ Stewart is a top 150 level guy.
Utah (26). Utah added a pair of four star prospects in Timmy Allen out of Arizona and Riley Battin from California. Both are forwards plus the Utes grabbed juco standout Charles Jones form Southern Idaho.
Northwestern (27). Peter Nance is a back end top 100 that can play the four next to Houston three man Miller Kopp who is a top 125 area prospect signing with the Cats (plus 6-10 Ryan Young out of Pennsylvania). Add in 6-4 top 200 point guard Jordan Lathon out of Missouri (sixth ranked player in the state) and it’s a nice group for Coach Collins.
Iowa State (28). One of the sneakier good classes in the country with the Cyclones grabbing Talen Horton-Tucker in November giving them a top 100 level player (102 to be exact) to go with one of the summer’s biggest stock raisers in Zion Griffin, a fall offer exploder in Tryese Haliburton, and an Illinois top 150 level talent in George Conditt that Prep Hoops feels is underappreciated nationally.
TCU (29). The Horned Frogs landed three players between the 120-141 mark on the Prep Hoops Top 250 and all three are from the state of Texas. Kendrick Davis is the lead guard, Kaden Arichie the wing, and Russell Barlow the frontcourt player that had Prep Hoops scouts buzzing giving him a top 150 spot.
Arizona State (30). Five star shooting guard Luguentz Dort is an instant go to scorer for the Sun Devils and Finish 6-6 wing Elias Valtonen gives ASU another element.
California (31). Cal had another change in leadership with Coach Martin headed back to the Midwest but Cal’s landing of two top 100 level players in Matt Bradley and Jacobi Gordon is a nice step in the right direction.
Saint Louis (32). Carte’Are Gordon is the 32nd ranked player in the nation and headed to Saint Louis. Gordon and Fred Thatch are nationally ranked Top 250 players plus Mickey Pearson is a forward from Kentucky coming to play for the Billikens.
Iowa (33). Coach Fran picked up a commitment from another top Iowa talent in Joe Wieskamp early and Joe stuck with his decision giving the Hawkeyes a top 50 prospect. CJ Fredrick out of Kentucky is a nationally ranked top 150 level player.
Georgia Tech (34). Coach Pastner’s addition of PG Michael Devoe out of Montverde Academy gives the Yellowjackets a ball handler to work around plus forwards Khalid Moore and Kris Sjolund are Top 250 level players.
Harvard (35). Four star Spencer Freedman has Tommy Amaker confident that he will have another handler that can lead his club into the NCAAs. Between Feedman and Noah Kirkwood the Crimson continue to recruit above a lot of major conference programs.
Stanford (36). Cormac Ryan is a four star shooting guard from the East Coast and Keenan Fitzmorris is a big from Kansas ranked in the top 200. Both signed with Stanford today and have the Cardinal are excited about this pair.
Washington (37). Elijah Hardy’s commitment to Washington gives them a four star PG to bring in the new era of basketball. Ed Chang is the top prospect in Nebraska, Nate Roberts is a top 200 talent, and Jamal Bey is also a top 250 ranked talent. Four players from our Top 250 are headed to Seattle.
Creighton (38). The Jays lost a big man recruit but still have an excellent pair of players ready for the backcourt in Omaha. Marcus Zegarowski is a shooter who can handle while Christian Bishop is the fifth ranked player in Missouri and a top 125 level prospect.
Kentucky (39). UK only has one player committed this November but that player is 6-foot-3 guard Immanuel Quickly who is a five star guard out of Maryland ranked 9th overall in the nation. The Cats are also hoping to land number one rated RJ Barrett plus they are also on the list of Zion Williamson, Bol Bol, five star Keldon Johnson, five star Moses Brown, and newly opened up Tyler Herro.
Clemson (40). John Newman and Trey Jemison are both top 150 level players headed to Clemson giving the Tigers a mid-level ranked ACC class. Newman is a scoring guard while Jemison is a 6-foot-11 big. Clemson hosts Zion Williamson this weekend for an official visit.
Wichita State (41). The Shockers start their AAC era not only as the favorite in the league but with a strong recruiting class that includes top 150 talents Rodgerick Brown and Morris Udeze. Erik Stevenson is also a Prep Hoops Top 250 player. Overall Gregg Marshall signed five.
Alabama (42). Four star guard Jared Butler was an important addition for Coach Avery Johnson as Butler has the ability to playmaker from both guard spots. Diante Wood and Javian Fleming joining Butler gives the Tide three players out of the Top 250.
Buffalo (43). Buffalo didn’t just land a four star prospect in Jeenathan Williams but they also added a top 200 prospect in point guard Ronald Segu and a talented juco in Javion Hamlet.
Georgetown (44). Josh LeBlanc is a four star prospect that Patrick Ewing can build around plus the Hoyas were able to get Mac McClung to flip from Rutgers. Solid start for the new staff.
Rhode Island (45). Top 100 power forward Jermaine Harris puts the Rams in “noteworthy” areas plus Brendan Adams is a top 250 level prospect that had several major conference programs calling.
UCONN (46). With Lukas Kisunas and James Akinjo the Huskies have a pair of top 150 talents that will add depth to the club plus Washington wing Emmitt Matthews Jr was also added by Kevin Ollie.
West Virginia (47). Derek Culver moved from the 2017 class into the 2018 group and will eventually play power forward for Bob Huggins. The additions of Jordan McCabe at point guard, top 200 level player, and Trey Doomes at shooting guard, top 30 player in Florida, and Coach Huggins has a solid group.
Penn State (48). Rasir Bolton and Myles Dread are the nationally ranked additions coming to Happy Valley with Bolton being ranked 133rd overall and Dread being 175. Both are guards that will add immediate depth.
Rutgers (49). Montez Mathis is a four star shooting guard that will be a go to scorer for the Scarlet Knights for years. From the juco level Shaq Carter is post get and locally Ronald Harper has also committed.
San Diego State (50). The Aztecs squeeze into the rankings by adding Joel and Nathan Mensah to their program. Joel Mensah is a top 150 level player while brother Nathan is a top 200 talent.