NBPA Friday: Williamson on five-star path

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Thanks to his play at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, 2018 wing Zion Williamson has locked up a move to five-star status. Already a five-star, Williamson's fellow junior-to-be E.J. Montgomery played his best in quite some time.

We've already mentioned it during our coverage of camp, but class of 2018 small forward Zion Williamson is ranked too low at No. 33. That will change soon enough when we update the 2018 rankings in early July.

The only question that remains is how high will Williamson rise?

After averaging a camp high 16.7 points to go along with 6.2 rebounds per game through three days and six games, the 6-foot-6 southpaw from the Spartanburg (S.C.) Day School has made a pretty solid argument to be considered among 2018's top 10 players.

Something of a new age Larry Johnson in style, Williamson has gone over and through defenders for jams. He's showed surprising touch on jumpers and he's competed physically on both ends of the floor while finishing with incredible efficiency by making 73.1 percent of his shots.

"I've been getting to the rim and finishing strong through contact. I'm passing and creating for my teammates.

"I'm trying to be the most versatile player in the country. So I like to show that I can attack off the wing and dribble the ball."

So far, Williamson has been on the campuses of Clemson, South Carolina and Georgetown and they've already offered. He also mentioned Seton Hall, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Georgia as others making strong pushes while pointing out that he had so many places getting in touch that he can't remember them all of the top of his head.

"The recruiting process has been amazing," said Williamson. "This spring I picked up 15 plus offers and I can talk to college coaches now so my recruitment has really gone up."

Thanks to a huge sophomore season where he helped Washington (D.C.) Woodson complete the first undefeated campaign by a D.C. since 1985, wing Kiyon Boyd came from nowhere to achieve four-star status and a No. 26 national ranking in the class of 2018.

Because of his blend of power and skill, Boyd has earned offers from programs like Xavier, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Providence, Wake Forest and Louisville. He discussed his recruitment on Friday.

For a while now, class of 2018 five-star E.J. Montgomery's reputation and potential have been greater than his production. At the Top 100 Camp, Montgomery's output has finally matched his No. 9 overall ranking. Thought of in the past as a skill guy who likes to shoot jumpers, Montgomery spent most of his time attacking the rim and hunting high level conversions. Overall, it's been a very good look and his play in Charlottesville has been worthy of his lofty status in the rankings.

If there were any questions about whether or not class of 2017 small forward Savion Flagg would enter the Rivals150 as a four-star prospect when it gets updated in about 10 days, he's answered them. A workhorse style 6-foot-6 wing who gets on the glass, runs the floor and makes the open jumpers given to him, he's just a solid, all-around ball player. Georgia Tech, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Kansas State, TCU, Miami, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and many others have offered. He owns the top single game scoring performance in camp after a 26 point outing on Friday.

He remains a work in progress on the offensive end, but class of 2017 big man Kevin Samuel continues to impress as a prospect. He's a big bodied, mobile and strong post player who will rebound, run the floor and block some shots.

Already committed to Creighton, four-star shooting guard Ty-Shon Alexander had himself a nice outing in the day's first game. His bread and butter is the mid range pull-up but he also has a body to build on and should be a bucket getter at the Big East level.

He's not the biggest post player and he's not the most athletic, but class of 2017 four-star power forward Aamir Simms showed a big-time motor and was rewarded with production. Simms was an absolute monster on the glass during the first round of games grabbing a single game camp high (and we would suspect record) 21 rebounds to cement himself as the camp's top rebounder. He added 14 points and showed why programs like Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Pittsburgh, Georgetown and Miami to name a few have offered.

A hard-nosed four-star wing in 2017, Najii Marshall said that he really enjoyed a recent visit to Virginia Tech. More recently, Maryland has stepped up their pursuit and Xavier and Pittsburgh are among the others who factor prominently in his recruitment. After camp ends, he plans to check out Pitt unofficially. He's been to Maryland several times to play pickup but said that he wouldn't term any of his trips to College Park as a real visit experience.

He's just a pup and given that he's in the class of 2019, Matthew Hurt still has a few Top 100 Camps left in him. However, he's held his own like a much older player. A mobile big man from Minnesota who can score in traffic, rebound and step out to make jumpers, he's one of a handful of rising sophomores that has made a pretty strong case for five-star status when we first rank the class after the summer.

If you are looking to plug forward Donnie Tillman into a traditional position designation, you will be disappointed. With his upright playing style, the tough and rugged 6-foot-6 forward isn't your stereotypical small or power forward. What he is, though, is productive. Tillman has scored 11.2 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds per outing through six camp contests and his toughness should be without question. California is his most recent offer.

Finally, big man Luka Garza has had an effective camp and played his way into discussion for the next 2017 Rivals150. Pushing 6-foot-10, he's a strong center who can stretch the floor with jump shooting, doesn't mind getting physical and has a strong sense of awareness on the floor. Iowa is in there deep while programs like Georgia, Louisville, Princeton, Alabama and Pittsburgh have been increasingly active.