Holiday tournaments kicked off the high school basketball season with a bang, with prospects all across the ranking’s spectrum turning in mind-boggling performances.
Granted, it’s early, but as we approach 2024 we’ve zeroed in on a handful of prospects who have been stellar to the point of ascension in the new year.
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2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2026 Rankings: Top 65
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Sure, we know that Bailey already checks in at No. 2 in the 2024 Rivals150 just behind Cooper Flagg, who also has been dominant this season. Thing is, based on his play, Bailey doesn’t seem to be content with being No. 2. Bailey obliterated the competition at the City of Palms last week, posting 43 points and 19 rebounds in one game then following up with 32 points and 17 rebounds in the next. In the end, he finished No. 8 on the tournament’s all-time scoring list. His ability to get his shot at his size combined with his unrelenting motor and athleticism has NBA scouts drooling about his ceiling.
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Edgecombe checks in at No. 5 overall in the Rivals150 but has already showcased marked elevation in every aspect of his game, most notably his 3-point shot. Edgecombe’s aggressiveness and explosion have always been staples, but his ability to stretch the defense has become even more efficient early in the season. Edgecombe is the best two-way guard in the class, bringing the same dominant mentality to the defensive end on the perimeter.
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Hammond is currently not currently ranked in the Rivals150 but turned in an elite showing at the City of Palms Classic last week. In four games against three top-10 teams, including No. 1 Montverde Academy, Hammond averaged 18 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals. Hammond faced a murderer’s row of elite guards like Labaron Philon, Tre Johnson, Rob Wright, Curtis Givens, Jasper Johnson and Darius Acuff Jr. Still, he more than held his own, and oftentimes won the matchup.
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Perry made scoring look so easy last week at the City of Palms where he averaged 35 points a game in two wins. Perry is known as a knock-down shooter, but his ability to knife into the lane and use angles to finish in the paint is severely understated. Perry checks in at No. 92 overall, but with this type of production he won’t be in that tier long.
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Wright is the engine that makes it all work for No. 1 Montverde and the reason that media types are calling this year’s Eagles squad potentially one of the best high school squads ever assembled. His ability to control tempo and score any time at all three levels has made him invaluable and increased his profile in the class. Wright checks in at No. 24 in the Rivals150.
