City of Palms: Five-star R.J. Barrett leads top performers

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Five-star sophomore wing R.J. Barrett made a strong play for the top spot in the class of 2019 by earning MVP honors and leading Montverde (Fla.) Academy to the title at the 2016 City of Palms.

Here is a look at the 13 players that played best while watched by Rivals.com. There are some notable names, like 2017's top ranked player DeAndre Ayton and five-star big men Mohamed Bamba, Wendell Carter and Charles Bassey, who did not make the list.

Performance: Barrett told Rivals.com he felt he was the best player in the class of 2019 and then he went out and backed it up. He can shoot from deep, he can overpower guys at the rim, he rebounds and most of all it is very clear that winning is what matters most to him when he's on the floor.

Recruitment: Barrett hasn't yet spoken publicly about his recruitment but programs like UCLA, Oklahoma, Baylor, USC and Utah have offered. Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Stanford and others are showing early interest.

Performance: One of the top unsigned players in the class of 2017, Walker was an absolute monster, averaging over 30 points a game. His team needed him to shoot as often as possible to compete, so his shooting percentages suffered some because of the need to take tough shots. He's physically ready to play college hoops at a high level and has a well-balanced game.

Recruitment: Has visited Florida State officially and Georgia Tech unofficially. Kansas, Ohio State, Maryland, UCLA, California and others involved.

Performance: Reddish has been ranked highly because of his potential for some time now. Moving forward, his ranking is going to be because he's producing like an elite player should. He essentially plays point guard for his team and has found a good blend of using his size to get to the rim, jump shooting and setting up others.

Recruitment: Reddish said that he will set up his first official visits in early 2017. Duke, Villanova, Syracuse, Connecticut and Arizona look to be the main players.

Performance: Thanks to sheer athleticism and imposing will, Williams was a monster in the paint at the City of Palms. Despite a lack of elite size, he intimidates much bigger players because he's simply meaner and nastier around the rim. He's most comfortable inside, but it is starting to show a willingness to take mid-range jumpers, which will be key moving forward.

Recruitment: Williams is a priority recruit in Florida with offers from Florida, Florida State and Miami. LSU, TCU and others have offered. Kansas offered after his play in the City of Palms.

Performance: Arguably the top point guard in the class of 2018, Garland led his team to a title in the consolation bracket. He was a little bit trigger-happy with his shot at times, but his quickness, ability to put defenders in bad spots with his ball-handling and leadership are all high level.

Recruitment: Visited Duke, Indiana, Louisville and Vanderbilt unofficially during the fall. Many others have offered but these four appear to be the main group.

Performance: When Rivals.com saw Petty at the beginning of the month, his effort was just so-so and his performance suffered. There weren't any questions about his effort in Fort Myers and he had a McDonald's All-American like performance making deep jumpers, crashing the glass and showing some competitive fire.

Recruitment: Signed with Alabama in the fall.

Performance: Hammonds has always been a high level athlete who showed flashes of potential but struggled with consistency. Those consistency struggles are looking like a thing of the past as he had three solid outings while we watched. He's added necessary strength, has committed to playing from the inside out and has a bright future ahead of him.

Recruitment: Signed with Georgia in the fall.

Performance: No matter what, Sexton is always going to put on a show and nobody in high school basketball is better at getting to the rim. His affinity for talking to opponents, teammates and often himself can be entertaining, but at times it appeared he was more focused on his persona than actually playing. No question he's a mega talent with a great motor, but we hope the extra stuff doesn't become an issue.

Recruitment: Signed with Alabama in the fall.

Performance: As Diallo continues to toy with a potential jump to the NBA out of prep school, he continues to expand his game. Once again, Diallo looked very good shooting the ball from deep and his ball handling has improved. NBA sources told Rivals.com that Diallo is on his way to establishing himself as a likely first round pick if he wants to enter the NBA Draft.

Recruitment: Currently on an official visit to Connecticut. Also considering Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse and the NBA.

Performance: Richards didn't get too many touches on the offensive end to show what he could do there, but he was very active as a rebounder, shot blocker and big man who creates space for his teammates to operate. He's physically ready for the rigors of the SEC and doesn't seem to mind being a dirty work guy.

Recruitment: Signed with Kentucky in the fall.

Performance: The junior point guard had it rolling with his jump shot down in Florida and put up big scoring numbers. He's not a typical blow by guy at the point so he uses clever changes of speeds, hesitation dribbles and a good basketball IQ to beat his defenders. Sometimes, he is a little dribble dominant and could move the ball via the pass a little more.

Recruitment: Arizona, Syracuse, Maryland, Connecticut, Stanford, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Cincinnati and Seton Hall are among those who have offered and they all watched him in Florida.

Performance: Duval had a great half during winning time in the quarterfinals but also struggled some in the semis. He remains as good as it gets when it comes to getting to the rim and making plays in transition. Duval's jump shot continues to come and go and sometimes his teammates have a tendency to stand and watch him which leads to him sometimes forcing the issue.

Recruitment: Has a final five of Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Kansas and Seton Hall. Visited Kansas unofficially in the fall and was watched by Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard plus assistants from Arizona and Kansas in Fort Myers.

Performance: Carr didn't put up huge offensive numbers because Montverde has R.J. Barrett and plenty of other guys to do that. However, he led his team and he most of all played intense on the ball defense. His defense on Duval during a hotly contested semifinal game may have been the difference between Montverde winning a title or playing in a consolation game.

Recruitment: Signed with Pittsburgh in the fall.