Rivals Rankings Week: Five-Star Countdown for 2024 class
This week, the 2024 rankings will be getting a refresh in basketball and we started it off Tuesday with the Five-Star Countdown. We revealed our 21 five-stars throughout the day, ending with the overall No. 1 player in 2024, Tre Johnson. Basketball recruiting director Rob Cassidy offers his thoughts on each five-star below.
RELATED: Biggest questions in 2024 rankings
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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
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Cassidy's Take: Tre Johnson stayed No. 1 based on consistency and versatility, a combination of which exceeds anyone else in the class. That said, the Texas-based guard, who is considering schools such as Auburn, Texas, Baylor and Kentucky, doesn’t exactly have a stranglehold on the top spot. Things at the top remain contested.
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Cassidy's Take: Flory Bidunga is a truly elite rim protector and seems to be making strides on the offensive end each time we see him. He may seize the top spot before all is said and done. He’s considering Cincinnati, Purdue, Auburn and Indiana.
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Cassidy's Take: The hard-charging Dylan Harper jumps into the No. 3 spot from No. 10 and also may have something to say about the race for the top spot down the road. Duke and Rutgers feel like the most likely landing spots for the New Jersey-based standout. The talented lefty has solid size even if he lacks elite length and is as skilled as any guard in the class.
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Cassidy's Take: Airious Bailey, a Rutgers commit, is the highest-ranked prospect to ever choose the Scarlet Knights. He returned from a knee injury this season and looks to have shaken off the rust relatively well. Bailey’s length, athleticism and ability to handle the ball on the perimeter. provide serious intrigue.
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Cassidy's Take: Ian Jackson, a North Carolina commit, is as athletic as any prospect in this class and can take over a game from deep on the days he's shooting it well. He recently chose the Tar Heels over Kentucky, which pressed hard for his commitment from start to finish. Jackson’s battle has been with consistency this season, and the five-star could creep up the rankings further if he levels out this summer.
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Cassidy's Take: The uncommitted Bryson Tucker had a great year at IMG Academy before leaving the program late in the season. The junior was the team’s most productive player on a lot of nights and comes with great length and a smooth jumper.
Michigan State and Duke seem like major players in his recruitment.
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Cassidy's Take: Indiana, Texas and Oklahoma are all chasing Liam McNeeley, who is in the midst of a remarkable junior season at Florida’s Montverde Academy. The 6-foot-7 forward has always been a versatile scoring threat, but he has used this season to improve as both a defender and a passer.
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Cassidy's Take: Asa Newell’s recrutiment seems like a Georgia-Indiana battle, but there are other schools that could involve themselves seriously down the road. Newell was born in Athens, but seems just as intrigued by Indiana as he does UGA.
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Cassidy's Take: Johnuel Fland, the top point guard in the 2024 class, is playing his recruitment close to the vest. North Carolina is involved, so is Kentucky. UConn and Alabama are other teams to monitor. Fland is thought to be nowhere close to making a commitment.
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Cassidy's Take: Karter Knox, the younger brother of former Kentucky star-turned-first-round pick Kevin Knox, seems to favor the Wildcats. Just where he fits in with the roster, however, is unclear for the time being. Florida State is involved, as are a handful of other major programs.
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Cassidy's Take: Yves Missi is committed to Baylor and will provide Scott Drew with rim protection. Offensively, Missi is a rim-runner that tends to dunk anything close with authority. His defensive game is significantly ahead of his offense for the time being, but he has the length, the hands and the touch to take strides down the road.
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Cassidy's Take: Elliott Cadeau is one of the more creative passers in the class and he is a facilitator first and foremost, shining in that role. The North Carolina commit makes mostly good decisions and has a thick frame that allows him to absorb contact and get to his spots. He’s a better-than-serviceable shooter that keeps defenders honest on the perimeter.
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Cassidy's Take: The 6-foot-8 Dink Pate’s strength is his versatility, as he handles the ball incredibly well for a prospect of his size and can legitimately play three spots on the floor. He stuffs the stat sheet and is nearly unstoppable offensively when he’s shooting it well, which seems to come and go.
Pate is set to announce his finalists later this month.
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Cassidy's Take: Tyler Betsey’s ascent started last summer and the 6-foot-8 wing continued to turn heads as a junior. Long, athletic prospects capable of filling it up from three-point range don’t grow on trees, making the new five-star a rare brand of player.
Duke, Michigan State, UConn, Rutgers and others are involved.
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Cassidy's Take: Zoom Diallo has good positional size. And while he’s come a long way as a facilitator, he still shines brightest as a versatile scorer capable of scoring through traffic and knocking down shots from the perimeter.
Arizona, Florida State and Gonzaga are his most likely landing spots.
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Cassidy's Take: Annor Boateng truly broke out last summer and his development has continued. His size, wide-ranging skill set and fluidity will allow him to play multiple positions at the college level.
The Arkansas native is high on the Razorbacks as well as Auburn, LSU, Missouri and Oklahoma State.
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Cassidy's Take: Naasir Cunningham, the Overtime Elite standout, may be a little inconsistent from time to time, but his upside is as high as anyone’s in the class. Cunningham could help his stock significantly with a consistent summer. He has a top five of Rutgers, Memphis, Duke, UCLA and Kansas.
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Cassidy's Take: Jason Asemota, a Baylor commit, has massive potential, as he’s an absolutely lethal offensive weapon when he’s shooting the ball well, which he’s done in spurts over the last year. His frame, along with his stroke and motor, give him unlimited upside. He’ll need to be more assertive going to the basket and work on his shot selection to take the next step.
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Cassidy's Take: The 6-foot-7 Isaiah Evans is a slim but skilled offensive threat that is capable of filling it up from all three levels. His long arms grant him some of the best defensive versatility in the class as well.
He’s considering schools such as Florida State, Kansas, Tennessee and NC State. Duke is yet to offer but is heavily involved in his recruitment.
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Cassidy's Take: Cam Scott, who has trimmed his list to include just Auburn, Florida State, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, hopes to make a commitment in the near future. Whichever school lands him will be getting a long, fluid athlete that shines primarily as a three-level scorer but has the potential to be a multi-positional defender.
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Cassidy's Take: Kon Knueppel's five-star status is due to his hyper-elite shooting ability, but the 6-foot-5 wing is more than a one-trick pony. He may be the best three-point shooter in the 2024 class, but he’s also a bit more athletic than he gets credit for and is a long, rangy, high-effort defender that impacts the game on both ends of the floor.
Knueppel is considering Virginia, Marquette and Wisconsin among others.
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