2019 Rankings Update: Balance at the top
The 2017-18 high school basketball season brought some movement and clarity to SoCal’s bevy of 2019 hoops talent.
One of the storylines to evolve from November to March was the balance at the top of the junior class rankings.
Three guards, three bigs and four wing prospects make up the updated Top 10, led by the No. 1 overall prospect Onyeka Okongwu of Chino Hills.
Here’s a closer look at the three guards in our updated Top 10 rankings for the 2019 class.
The highest ranked guard in the 2019 class hails from San Diego: Mission Bay’s smooth scoring Rejean “Boogie” Ellis. Ellis is a dynamic three-level scorer at 6-feet-3 and continues to mold his game into a true combo guard who can create for others just as well as he can for himself.
Boogie Ellis was named the Player of the Year in the San Diego Section.Next up is Hesperia scoring guard Jaden Shackelford at No. 8. The 6-foot-2 lefty is as creative with the basketball in his hands as you’ll find anywhere. Shackelford missed the first month-plus of the season after sitting CIF-required transfer period, but displayed his scoring ability the moment he was able to step on the floor. He averaged better than 23 points per game on the year with a mix of 3-pointers, pull-up mid-range jumpers and floaters off of paint touches.
At No. 9 is Bishop Montgomery signal caller Gianni Hunt. Hunt is one of the most intense competitors in SoCal regardless of class and showed this season that he’s one of the better on-ball defenders in the area. Hunt’s ability to lock down opposing guards and run the Knights’ offense with precision, while balancing distributing and scoring, are big reasons why Bishop Montgomery reached the Southern Section Open Division semifinals and the State Open Division SoCal regional semifinals.