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Porter holds on to No. 1 spot in final class of 2017 rankings

The final results are in for the class of 2017 and a familiar face has retained the top position as Seattle (Wash.) Nathan Hale small forward Michael Porter Jr. is the No. 1 ranked player in America. He joins a list of Rivals' No. 1 players that includes LeBron James, John Wall, Dwight Howard, Andrew Wiggins and last season's No. 1, Josh Jackson.

RELATED: Final Class of 2017 Rivals150 | Team rankings | Predictions on uncommitted seniors

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Porter headlines top 10

After taking control of the top spot in the 2017 rankings during the winter, Porter Jr. has held serve and finishes ranked No. 1 overall in Rivals.com’s final ranking of the senior class.

Armed with unusual size and plentiful athleticism, Porter had initially signed with Washington where his father Michael Porter Sr. was an assistant coach. When Lorenzo Romar was fired, Porter Sr. was hired by Cuonzo Martin and Porter Jr. followed by committing to Missouri. The commitment to Missouri sets up a homecoming as Porter Sr. was on the Tigers women’s staff before taking a job at Washington.

While Porter Jr. is happy to be the top ranked player in America, he’s previously told Rivals.com that his goals go far beyond being the top ranked player in his class.

"It's a goal of mine so it's awesome to reach it, but at the end of the day rankings are opinionated so if I go down to No. 2 or No. 3, whatever people say about me I know what my goals are in the end," he said. "I want to be the best to ever play the game, so opinions don't really mean that much to me."

After Porter, there was some movement inside the top 10.

The top available player in the country, seven-foot shot blocking specialist Mohamed Bamba of the Westtown (Pa.) School makes a jump from No. 4 overall to No. 2. Bamba is down to Duke, Kentucky, Michigan and Texas.

Checking in at No. 3 is Arizona-bound big man DeAndre Ayton of Phoenix (Ariz.) Hillcrest while the nation’s top point guard, Trevon Duval, comes in at No. 4. A product of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, the 6-foot-2 Duval is considering Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Kansas and Seton Hall. Finishing up the top five is Duke-bound big man Wendell Carter of Atlanta (Ga.) Pace Academy.

Making the biggest move inside the top 10 is Michigan State-bound power forward Jaren Jackson. The 6-foot-10 senior from La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere made a strong move up from No. 10 to No. 6.

Alabama-bound point guard Collin Sexton of Mableton (Ga.) Pebblebrook holds onto the No. 7 spot while Western Kentucky-bound center Mitchell Robinson of Chalmette (La.) High checks in at No. 8. The only other uncommitted player in the top 10, combo forward Kevin Knox of Tampa (Fla.) Catholic, checks in at No. 9. Knox is down to Duke, Florida State, Kentucky, North Carolina and Missouri. Kansas-bound power forward Billy Preston of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill completes the top 10.

By the numbers

* Two prospects have achieved five-star status in the final Rivals150 for the class of 2017. Iowa State-bound combo guard Lindell Wigginton of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill moves from No. 31 to No. 23 and gets a fifth star. Also moving enough to earn a fifth star is Alabama-bound shooting guard John Petty of Huntsville (Ala.) Jemison, who moved from No. 28 to No. 24.

* Six prospects make their debuts in the final rankings. Leading the way is Creighton-bound power forward Jacob Epperson. A native of Australia who attends La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere, Epperson enters the rankings at No. 75. Florida-bound power forward Chase Johnson is the other new member of the rankings to debut as a four-star prospect, checking in at No. 100 overall.

* A total of 17 players climbed at least 10 spots in the final Rivals150. Making the biggest leap was former NC State commitment Thomas Allen of Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Prep. A sharp shooter from deep who now has an open recruitment, Allen rose 50 spots from No. 149 to No. 99 overall. Right behind Allen in the big move category is Ole Miss-bound forward Jamarko Pickett of Woodstock (Va.) Masssanuten Military who rose 36 spots from No. 113 to No. 77 overall. The other major move inside the rankings came from Edwardsville (Ill.) High combo guard Mark Smith, who won player of the year in Illinois and climbed 26 spots from No. 78 to No. 52 overall.

* The highest ranked player who has yet to make a commitment is No. 2 overall Mohamed Bamba. The seven-footer is one of six five-star prospects who has yet to make their decision. Fourteen of the final Rivals150 remain undecided at this point.

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