Out but not down, a dozen rising seniors to watch in July
Maybe hardest part about updating rankings is deciding who to leave out. Could recent Vanderbilt commitment Saben Lee be one of the guy's that was a mistake to leave off the updated 2017 Rivals150? We take a look at Lee and 11 others who were knocking on the door of the newest ranking.
RELATED: Updated 2017 Rivals150
Recruiting wrap: Offers from Northern Iowa, Middle Tennessee State, Oral Roberts, San Jose State and interest from Memphis, Texas Tech, Tulsa and others.
What to watch: A smooth shooting guard from Northwest Missouri, Bennett put himself on the map during a strong spring run with Oklahoma Run PWP. Bennett has good size, good skill and he’s proven that he can get buckets. It’s surprising that he doesn’t already have more offers and his stock will soar if he plays in July like he did during April and May.
Recruiting wrap: Just decommitted from Miami (Ohio) over the weekend.
What to watch: Originally slated to be a class of 2016 prospect, Beverly signed with Miami (Ohio) out of high school. Now, he’s decided to ask for his release and he’ll head back to Hargrave for a prep year. A tough competitor who can shoot the lights out, he’ll be a very intriguing guy for upper end mid-major to high-major coaches to evaluate during July.
Recruiting wrap: Arizona State, UNLV, Washington State, San Diego State, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah among recent offers.
What to watch: There haven’t ever been any questions about Bey’s athletic ability. He’s a long, rangy and bouncy swingman who can play as a three or a four man because of his size and athleticism. Consistent output has been the question. During the spring word was that he started to knock down more jumpers and be a more consistent producer.
Recruiting wrap: Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU, Illinois and UT-Arlington have offered scholarships.
What to watch: For a while, it looked like Culver would be a lock to work his way into the newest Rivals150. He’s a versatile guard who can play all three positions around the perimeter and he’s a good athlete with a body to build on. What is keeping him out of the Rivals150 for now, though, is consistency with his jump shot.
Recruiting wrap: DePaul, VCU, Connecticut, Creighton, Marquette and others have offered.
What to watch: Gueye is a guy who intrigued us on the Adidas Uprising circuit while playing with Mass Rivals. He’s got good size, he’s mobile and he has long arms. However, Gueye is still pretty raw and didn’t put up huge numbers when we got to see him. High majors are biting and if he’s able to show a bit more production, he’ll have an excellent shot at working his way into the rankings.
Recruiting wrap: Committed to Arkansas.
What to watch: Hall would appear to be a perfect match for the pressing style favored by his future head coach Mike Anderson. He is athletic, plays hard and doesn’t shy away from physical contact. He’s an energy guy for sure but sources have indicated to us that his skill level is being underrated. If that proves to be the case, the Hogs might have stolen one.
Recruiting wrap: Mississippi, Charlotte, Kansas State, VCU, Tennessee, UCF, Baylor and Rhode Island are among those to offer.
What to watch: After moving from Alaska to North Carolina, Huffman had a solid junior season and has had a nice run on the grassroots circuit. He’s a big and strong kid who looks like he’ll be physically ready for the college game. However, our only long look at him was at the Pangos All-American Camp and while the camp was loaded with talent, we would like to get a look at how he performs in structure before moving him into the Rivals150.
Recruiting wrap: Committed to Vanderbilt.
What to watch: A combo guard with athleticism and savvy, Lee is a kid that looking back on we feel that we may have made a mistake on by dropping him out of the rankings during the post winter update. Unfortunately, we were not able to scout him during the spring to see if our feeling was correct. He’s very high on the list of players we most want to evaluate during July.
Recruiting wrap: California, UNLV, UTEP, Toledo, Creighton, San Diego State and Dayton and others have offered.
What to watch: Is he a three man, is he an undersized four man? That’s the main question we’ve had when watching Tillman play. What hasn’t been a question is how productive he has been as a tough guy, combo forward who will get on the glass and make hustle plays.
Recruiting wrap: Committed to Pittsburgh.
What to watch: Thompson isn’t going to wow anybody with flashy play. He is very steady, knows how to run his team and looked very confident while running with Team Takeover in Nike’s EYBL. After watching him during his junior season there was some worry that his development had plateaued a bit but he has looked improved over the past few months.
Recruiting wrap: Offers from Kansas State, DePaul, Nebraska, Texas, Tulsa, Charlotte, Illinois State and others.
What to watch: The well-built wing put up impressive scoring numbers on the Adidas Uprising circuit with the Atlanta Celtics. He scored 20 per game, but his team struggled at times and Usher wasn’t the most efficient shooter from the field (41.7 percent from the floor, 28.3 percent from three). What we would like to see is if can he make his teammates better and whether or not his production is more a case of every team needing to have a leading scorer, or him being a legitimate Rivals150 prospect.
Recruiting wrap: Georgetown, Cincinnati, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Saint Louis, N.C. State, Rhode Island, DePaul and others have offered.
What to watch: Another player who was originally in the class of 2016, Walker helped lead H.D. Woodson to a city title in Washington D.C. and an undefeated season. Now that he’s headed to prep school and into the class of 2017, we’re looking forward to evaluating him as a member of the rising senior class. He has great energy, can play the three or the four and doesn’t lack in the toughness department.