Both Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates have reclassified and exited the class of 2022 rankings, leaving a massive hole at the top of the Rivals150. With the current No. 1 and No. 2 prospects now out of the picture, Rivals recruiting director Rob Cassidy has a look at five players that could find themselves in the top spot when rankings refresh later this month. That, in addition to one college coach’s plan to get the bulk of his team vaccinated, in this week’s Florida Man column.
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RELATED: Jalen Duren commits to Memphis | Keyonte George chooses Baylor
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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WHY HIM? Filipkowski has been a prospect on the rise for some time now. The 6-foot-10 Duke commit jumped from unranked to the No. 48 player in the country this spring and will get another massive bump in the near future. Filipkowski spent the summer creating mismatches in a way few other prospects can, while proving to be one of the nation’s best passers as well. He can also handle the ball and shoot it from distance. There’s actually not much the New York Rens forward can’t do. He may not have the explosiveness or freak athleticism of some others, but nobody is more well-rounded from a skill perspective.
WHY NOT HIM? Filipkowski will likely be one of the best college players in the country when he takes the floor in Durham, but he may not pack the same level of pro upside as a couple of the others on the list. If we were ranking who the best players are right now, he’d likely top the list. Projecting things forward, however, makes things a bit trickier. Our staff was excited to see what Filipkowski would do during Peach Jam’s championship week in late July, but he missed the entirety of the week with an illness.
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WHY HIM? Nobody has turned more heads lately than Sharpe, who played the summer circuit with UPlay Canada. He first announced his presence as a contender for the top spot at MADE Hoops Midwest Mania event back in April, but it was his two-week dominance at Peach Jam that made him a serious option. He averaged 24 points and 6.6 rebounds during the second week of the event, when only the elite teams remained in the field. The most impressive part, however, is that he did so on neat 47.5-percent shooting. One of the most explosive players in this class and a true three-level scorer, Sharpe has a rare knack for taking over games while still playing within the offense and avoiding bad shots.
WHY NOT HIM? Sharpe can coast on occasion and fail to assert himself, as if he forgets he’s an elite talent from time to time. He’s also not a polished defender as things stand, even though he has the length and motor to become one in college.
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WHY HIM? Bailey wasn’t as active as the other players on this list this summer, but his talent has never been in question. He sits at No. 3 in the rankings for a reason, after all, and if Duren and Bates were simply extracted from the list amid no other changes he’d occupy the top spot. There’s no better guard in the country when it comes to playing in transition and he has long proven capable of creating his own shot. He has the build, athleticism and upside of a future lottery pick. Bailey would be a safe play at No. 1 because of his remarkably high floor.
WHY NOT HIM? As thrilling as he is running the floor, Bailey still has work left to do when it comes to his jumper and playing in the half court. Also, it’s difficult to slap a No. 1 ranking on a prospect that didn’t make his case on the July circuit.
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WHY HIM? It’s difficult to argue with George’s productivity. He gets to his spots on the floor, thanks to upper-body strength and a tight handle. He’s also an underrated passer. When he’s going well, he can fill it up from 3-point range in a hurry, and his ability to finish at the bucket complements his streaky shooting. The future Baylor Bear has grown by leaps and bounds as a facilitator this year and could easily play the point in a pinch. His ceiling may not be quite as high as the others on this list, but he’s as well-rounded as almost any of them.
WHY NOT HIM? George isn’t an elite shooter from long range and is known to post some poor efficiency numbers from time to time. He definitely has a rare skill set, but nitpicking is the name of the game when you’re discussing the top spot.
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WHY HIM? Lively had a massive grassroots season and got a 31 spot bump in the rankings because of what he did during the circuit's first month. Now that the summer has come and gone, it’s clear that the spring jump wasn’t enough. Lively clearly has the upside of a No. 1 prospect, as his blend of length, athleticism and skill are rare in this class. The 7-footer used his team’s run to this year’s Peach Jam title to prove he can knock down 3-pointers in addition to everything he’s long done in the paint on both ends of the floor. Lively’s ceiling is as high as anyone’s in this class, even if he hasn’t come close to hitting it just yet.
WHY NOT HIM? Lively didn’t always take over games from a scoring or rebounding perspective at Peach Jam in the way a No. 1 player should. Was some of that a product of playing on an absolutely loaded team Final squad? To an extent. He was still impressive and looked like a contender for the top spot in short stretches, but rarely put it all together for four quarters.
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NOT SLEEPING ON VACCINATIONS
You can’t force college basketball players to get the COVID-19 vaccine no matter what the science says. What you can do, however, is make college kids choose between the vaccine and partying.
That, my friends, is a winning proposition.
This was the crux of a conversation I had with an SEC assistant at NBAPA Top100 camp a couple weeks ago. As athletic programs attempt to move in the direction of a 100-percent vaccination rate, said assistant coach floated the idea of 5 a.m. COVID tests for unvaccinated players on Sunday mornings. Get the vaccine, and you’re welcome to sleep off your Saturday night in the comfort of your bed. Decline to get it and be forced to drag yourself to the facility before sunrise.
How’s that for a personal choice?
The coach I spoke with didn’t know for certain if such a policy would actually be implemented at his school, but he did say it was being kicked around at the highest level. It’s not a half bad idea, either, as most college students value their Saturday nights and everything that comes with them like they're actual currency. Trust me when I say the college version of me would have let you inject me with nearly anything you wanted if it meant I could sleep in on a Sunday. Getting a shot that helps protect you and those around you shouldn’t be a difficult sell in the first place, but this could give players on the fence the final nudge they need to get the jab.
