Rivals Rankings Week: Storylines surrounding 2024 Rivals150 update

The Rivals150 for 2024 has been refreshed and the moves were plentiful to say the least. Below, national recruiting analyst Rob Cassidy details the list’s new No. 1 as well as a massive move for big man, a Kentucky legacy busting into the top five and plenty of other news items stemming from the rankings refresh.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Previews: Five who will enter 2025 rankings

Monday: 2024 Top 10 Countdown

Tuesday: New 2024 Rivals150 unveiled | Cassidy's thoughts on new Rivals150

Wednesday: New 2024 position rankings | Breaking down the positions

Thursday: New 2025 Rivals150 unveiled

Friday: Rivals Rankings Roundtable

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Five-star guard Dylan Harper finally seized the top spot and did so with a brand of consistency that is sometimes absent among the other elite prospects in the 2024 class. The New Jersey-based guard’s final EYBL campaign saw him average 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists per contest while proving to everyone that he’s capable of impacting games in a long list of different ways.

And while his three-point shooting will need to become a bit more reliable down the road, he managed to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor over the course of 16 games.

Harper, who will likely land at Duke, Indiana or Rutgers, might not want to get too comfortable at the top, however, as prospects such as Airious Bailey, Tre Johnson and Flory Bidunga will make holding on to the top spot difficult to say the least. The Rutgers-bound Bailey is the highest-upside prospect in the class and Bidunga, who sits in the No. 3 spot, has the chance to become a truly special presence in the low post.

The younger brother of Kentucky star turned lottery pick Kevin Knox, class-of-2025 forward Karter Knox has climbed over his older brother’s final ranking of No. 10 back in 2017 and projects as a difference-maker at the college level.

The long and athletic five-star has been at his absolute best this spring, averaging 21 points and 4.5 rebounds in the EYBL. Still, it’s his improved presence on the defensive end and his physical drives and pull-up jumpers alike that helped shoot him up the Rivals150.

Kentucky, Louisville and Florida State are among the programs most likely to land Knox.

Queen has been in the process of reshaping his body for roughly a year, and his work is paying off. The Maryland-based big man looks as lean as he ever has, and the work he's done in the gym has yielded a more agile, dexterous prospect than we’ve seen in the past. The big man has been nothing short of dominant playing with Team Thrill on the UA circuit, averaging 17.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and two blocks per contest. He also left his mark on the USA Basketball 19U national team training camp this month.

It all amounted to a jump for Queen in the rankings, where he went from No. 29 to No. 19. Queen may not be tapped out on that front, either, as a strong senior season at famed Montverde Academy could easily push him closer to the top 10.

The highest debut in this rankings update goes to Virginia-based center Patrick Ngongba, who checks in at No. 31 in the Rivals150 after a massive spring running with Team Takeover's grassroots program.

The last six months have seen Ngongba add significant lean muscle and turn into one of the more mobile post-scorers in the class. He could see another rankings jump if he becomes a more reliable shooter from the outside, but his length, ability to score in the paint and tendency to create extra possessions on the glass were good enough to kick down the door to the top 35.

Kansas State, Duke, UConn, Kansas and Virginia are among the programs to watch when it comes to Ngongba’s recruitment .

One of the spring’s most notable stock-risers, Austin Swartz has been an absolute scoring machine for the Boo Williams organization. His 95-spot jump up to No. 38 in the Rivals150 reflects a season he spent proving to be an elite shooter that can get buckets in any number of ways.

Swartz, who averaged 21 points per contest in the Nike EYBL, is as physical as guards come and proved to be one of the most well-rounded scores in the country. He sometimes falls into a lull when it comes to taking contested shots, but he’ll likely become a bit more selective with age. That being said, he still shot 44% from the floor, including an extremely solid 37% from three-point range. His strength and agility provide him some tools to work with on the defensive end, even if he's not elite on that front as of yet.

Clemson, Pitt, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Tennessee and Miami are among the schools involved with Swartz, who has seen his offer list expand quickly this spring.