Virginia Rankings Breakdown: 2017 Wings
The Vantage Hoops Virginia 2017 Top 150 Rankings were introduced yesterday, and now it’s time to take a closer look. Below is a breakdown of the top 10 wings in the class. Stay tuned for more content, including additional position-by-position break-downs, biggest stock…
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Continue ReadingThe Vantage Hoops Virginia 2017 Top 150 Rankings were introduced yesterday, and now it’s time to take a closer look. Below is a breakdown of the top 10 wings in the class. Stay tuned for more content, including additional position-by-position break-downs, biggest stock boosters, and more.
Myles Douglas| 6’7”| Paul VI| #8 overall
The biggest asset for Douglas is his size and versatility on both ends of the floor. At 6’7” with a wide frame and good quickness, he’s able to guard both on the perimeter and in the post allowing him to switch on almost all screens. Offensively, he’s a jack of all trades because he’s strong enough to finish through contact and has developed into a deadly shooter from deep. The best part about his game is that he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be affective. He’s a good screener, understands how to get opportunities in different sets, moves well without the basketball and is a good rebounder on the offensive glass. Douglas already holds double digits offers including high major programs in Maryland, Rutgers, USC, Virginia Tech and West Virginia among others.
Naji Marshall| 6’5”| Hargrave| #11 overall
Marshall, who’s transferring from Eleanor Roosevelt in DC, has steadily improved into a high major prospect at the 2-3 spot. He uses his length and size to his advantage on both ends, where he’s a disruptive and versatile defender and is a big time rebounder for a wing as well. Offensively, Marshall is an attacking wing that gets in the lane where he can create for himself or others. He plays with a high motor and shows toughness with a chip, but because he’s a late bloomer he still has work to do to make him a consistent scoring threat from all three levels. Still, Marshall’s ascent has been phenomenal, and he now holds double digit offers including South Carolina, Temple, Pittsburgh, Xavier and Cincinnati.
Travis Ingram| 6’3”| Norcom| #14 overall
One of the biggest stock risers this spring, Ingram picked up seven offers so far this summer playing with Baltimore Elite to bring his total to a healthy 12. He isn’t a point guard like some were hoping he would be, but Ingram is an energy player that makes plays in transition and is a walking highlight reel. A superb athlete, Ingram often leaves defenders at the fourth floor while he elevates to the sixth. He has good body control in the lane, can finish with either hand through contact and has shown more consistency in his middle game. Still has to work to become a threat from deep, and if he does that he’ll be a nightmare to guard. Expect the bouncy two guard to pick up some more offers this July as many midmajor schools have him circled to look at.
Gabe Osabuohien| 6’7”| Carlisle| #15 overall
Upside and ceiling are the two words that come to mind when you talk about Osabuohien. The wiry 6’7” Canadian isn’t strong enough to play in the post, but isn’t quite a consistent enough threat to kill you on the perimeter. While he’s stuck in the middle with that, the middle is probably where he’s best at as he can knock down the 15 footer and is solid in one-to-two dribble attack scenarios. He has tremendous length, can guard almost any position on the floor and keeps plays alive when he’s engaged. If he can come back during the high school season with some fire and shows that he’s been working on his game his recruitment has a chance to take off.
Marquis Godwin| 6’5”| Hampton| #16 overall
One of the best shooters in the state, Godwin had a roller coaster of a junior season. After a big sophomore season at Hampton, he transferred to Christ School in North Carolina, but transferred back to Hampton after Christmas break (along with the other two VA players), and then committed to Richmond in the middle of the season. With all of the recruitment behind him, Godwin has shined this summer on the EYBL Circuit as a knockdown specialist with the green light. He should have no problem fitting in the Richmond system with his ability to shoot the basketball within sets in the half court, and his great size at the two spot works well in their matchup zone. His quick trigger and deep range are his best asset, but he’s also shown the ability to make the right decision attacking closeouts and finishing at the rim or in the midrange. He has to continue to develop his handle and lateral quickness, but it seems like he made a good decision system wise in the Spiders, and he should be an impact player in the A10.
Kevin “KJ” Davis| 6’5”| Norcom| #18 overall
Once considered an undersized stretch four, Davis has really worked on his perimeter skills and continues to produce at a high clip. In the high school setting he’s a real matchup problem because most perimeter players are too small for him while most bigs aren’t comfortable guarding a player like him on the perimeter. Because he’s a combo forward, Davis is a great rebounder for a wing and is capable of playing and guarding multiple positions on the floor. He’s developed well out of the triple threat, but still needs to work on breaking defenders down in transition and working out of pick-and-rolls. His recruitment has slowed up a little after his breakout sophomore season, but he has a number of midmajor schools showing interest and recently picked up a Towson offer.
Darius George| 6’6”| Robert E. Lee (Staunton)| #25 overall
He’s still developing a lot on the offensive end, and you can see that he isn’t quite the killer against high level competition with Big Shots Elite as he is at 2A Robert E. Lee where he’s already surpassed the 1,000 point mark. However, George has as much potential as anyone on this list. His length is impressive and his motor and timing defensively allows him to contest shots, deflect passes and get steals in press situations. He’s improved his jump shot immensely, but still needs to sure it up and become more consistent, but he’s a threat on the offensive glass and in transition. He provides energy, makes winning plays and has a lot of room to grow, meaning whatever school is willing to work with him could end up with a big steal in a few years.
Matt Lewis| 6’4”| Bishop O’Connell| #26 overall
A solid mix of size, athleticism, skill set and grit, Lewis is the type of player that can be versatile on both ends of the floor and will make winning plays throughout the game. He’s somewhat of a combo guard because he can create off the bounce and has good vision and feel, however he’s possibly better working off the ball because of how well he moves without the basketball. He’s a lock down defender with good strength and lateral quickness, and he can guard multiple positions in switch situations. On top of that, he has enough explosion and a high enough motor to be a big time factor on the glass from the wing position. His next step is to develop more consistency in his jump shot, but he’s already a key contributor with all of the ways he impacts the game.
Jordan Cross| 6’6”| Middleburg Academy| #27 overall
The problem with Cross the last few seasons hasn’t been what he’s done on the court, but rather just keeping him on the court. After reclassifying as a sophomore at Millwood School, Cross broke a bone in his foot during AAU season and wasn’t 100% healthy going into the season. After having a big spring with River City Reign in which he pulled in multiple offers and looked on his way back, he then tore his ACL and missed his entire junior season after transferring to Middleburg last season. Cross has recently returned, playing for Boo Williams EYBL team, but it’s obvious he’s still working his way back into things. He still can’t explode in transition or change directions the way he could before the injury, but his stroke still looks smooth and that was the biggest part of his game. If Cross can get back anywhere near what he was before he tore his ACL, he’s still a division one prospect with his length, ability to shoot it and his versatility on defense. It will be interesting to see how he plays when he finally gets healthy.
Taqwain Drummond| 6’4”| Kecoughtan| #32 overall
Much like Cross, Drummond didn’t look the same during the high school season after a devastating knee injury his sophomore season, but now that he’s healthy it looks like somewhat of a blessing. As a young prospect, Drummond was able to use his big size and explosive athleticism to dominate on the wing, but during his recovery he was forced to work more on his perimeter game and shot and it seems to be paying dividends. Drummond has become a knock down shooter from deep, and while he’s streaky at times he’s liable to get hot and hit four or five threes in a half. He seems to have his spring back, which is adds to the value of him as a shooter because he elevates so well to shoot over players. At times he seems to settle too much for the outside shot, but if he can remain healthy and get that aggression attacking the basket back he should see his recruitment pick up in July.