Rivals.com basketball recruiting analysts Jerry Meyer and Eric Bossi weigh in on four current topics.
What stood out to you the most in ranking the class of 2012?
Meyer: I was really impressed with the quality of prospects in the upper half of the four-star range. That was the toughest part of the Rivals150 to rank because of the parity of quality prospects in that range. In fact, legitimate arguments could be made that many of those high four-star prospects are on par with some of the bottom five-star prospects. I don't know if 2012 will produce any marquee superstars, but it could produce a high number of NBA players.
Bossi: I believe Jerry touched on this when he wrote about the rankings on Thursday, but the class of 2012 has turned out to be much deeper than initially realized. For the last year, the class has been getting bashed a bit for being poor and I don't think that's fair at this point. The point guard class remains perhaps a little average, but several of those guys have stepped their game up. The stretch of higher ranked four-star players starting with Shaquille Goodwin at No. 27 and ending with Montay Brandon at No. 60 is really strong and is likely to produce several guys who could one day make a pretty good living playing the game of basketball either in the NBA or overseas.
Meyer: Both are great prospects, but I like Muhammad in the short-term and long-term. What he does well at this level, I expect to fully translate to the NBA. He is a natural competitor who is becoming more explosive, has a complete game and can score in a variety of ways. I expect him to be a quality NBA scorer. With Drummond, he isn't going to be a big scorer in the NBA unless he improves his outside shooting. I don't envision him just beasting players down low for big points in the NBA. I do think he will be a high-impact defender and rebounder in a Tyson Chandler-type way. Whether or not Drummond will be a big NBA scorer is a question mark.
Meyer: Exposure and confidence. We didn't really know about Dunn until he hit the scene at the Real Deal on the Rock in April. As the travel circuit continued, Dunn became more assured of his abilities and more assertive. By the end of July I became convinced he has greatness in him.
Bossi: It's been a combination of several things. First, Dunn got the chance to perform and he did so consistently. But beyond that, he's got a unique blend of size, athleticism, playmaking ability and upside that no other point guard in the class of 2012 has, at least not in my mind. He looks better every time out, isn't afraid to try and make a play and has plenty of room to expand his game as he gets more polished. I love big, athletic, versatile point guards and Dunn certainly fits that mold. What a terrific pickup for Providence.