Advertisement
basketball Edit

Class of 2018 updated rankings: Bagley on top, Shaq's son climbs

MORE: Full 2018 Rivals150 rankings

The class of 2018 features some legitimate firepower at the top in top overall player Marvin Bagley III.

However, after those immediately chasing the power forward from Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon, there is a bit of a drop off. The class of 2018 is in a state of flux and still clawing to carve out it’s identity when compared to previous classes.

BAGLEY ESTABLISHES HIMSELF

Advertisement

While there are questions about the overall strength and depth of the junior class, one thing is for sure: Marvin Bagley III would compete for the top spot in any class.

The 6-foot-10 power forward out of Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon is everything that you could want out of an elite big man prospect. He runs the floor, blocks shots, has astounding agility and the more time passes, the more he’s stretching out his game and playing with comfort while facing the hoop.

Bagley is being recruited by Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, Kentucky, Oregon and UCLA and has never hid from his desire to be considered the best player in the country.

"If you don't want to be the best then why play the game?" Bagley told Rivals.com. "That's my mindset. I want to be the best player for my class and any class. It's not to be cocky, but me as a competitor that's what I work for. When I go through my workouts I think about that stuff.”

WILLIAMSON THE ULTIMATE MIXTAPE WARRIOR

Because of his ludicrous highlight reels, it is hard for many to believe that there could be a better player in the class of 2018 than 6-foot-7 beast Zion Williamson.

Make no mistake about it, the product of the Spartanburg (S.C.) Country Day School is a big-time prospect in his own right. He plays like a new age version of Larry Johnson because of his unique blend of power, explosiveness, overall skill and feel for the game.

He’s not far behind Bagley in the rankings at this point, but Williamson has likely established himself as the most popular player in high school basketball with millions of YouTube hits and nearly 130,000 Instagram followers.

Williamson hasn’t yet cut his list down but Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, UCLA and countless others are giving chase.

SON OF NBA LEGEND MAKES FIVE-STAR JUMP

Growing up the son of a player as legendary player as Shaquille O’Neal surely has advantages and 6-foot-9 power forward Shareef O’Neal of Santa Monica (Calif.) Crossroads has surely benefited at times because of his famous father. However, he has also done a very nice job of making his own name.

After watching O’Neal again this winter, it has become evident that he is on the cusp of turning into an elite prospect, and for that reason he’s been elevated from No. 27 to No. 16 overall. He is the only new five-star prospect in the updated 2018 rankings. He runs the floor, he makes jumpers to 18 feet, plays above the rim and is starting to fill out his wiry frame.

College programs are certainly paying close attention as well. Arizona, California, USC and UCLA are heavily involved while others like Kansas and Michigan State have also been keeping tabs.

WHERE ARE THE BREAKOUT PLAYERS?

While there were certainly some big moves inside of the rankings for this update – TCU-bound point guard Kendric Davis made the biggest jumping from No. 91 to No. 55 overall – our travel and hunt for new talent this winter has left us wanting a bit more.

The highest ranked addition in the refreshed rankings is made by 6-foot-8 power forward Jake Forrester of the Westtown (Pa.) School who debuts at No. 70. It is a solid debut and Forrester is joined by 12 other newcomers to the 2018 Rivals150. However, we haven’t yet found that true breakout star and there is very little separation over the bottom half of the rankings. The rest of this winter and the early spring are undoubtedly going to result in much more change and 2018 is completely wide open at this point.

Advertisement