Rivals Rankings Week: Top dogs, notable players at each position
Rivals Rankings Week rolls forward with a look at how things in the position rankings shook out in the latest update to the 2024 Rivals150. Below, basketball recruiting director Rob Cassidy explores which prospect reigns supreme at each spot and highlights a notable name from further down the list at each position.
NEW 2024 POSITION RANKINGS: PG | SG | SF | PF | C
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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
Thursday: New 2025 Rivals150 unveiled
Friday: Rivals Rankings Roundtable
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POINT GUARD
TOP DOG: Boogie Fland
Fland tops the point guard list because of his upside, length and ability to totally dominate a game when he’s going well. The 6-foot-3 prospect has led his PSA Cardinals EYBL team to a 12-5 record on the circuit this spring while averaging 15 points and nearly three assists per game. Schools heavily involved with Fland include Kentucky, Indiana, UConn, St. John’s, North Carolina and Alabama.
NOTABLE: Robert Wright III
The 5-foot-11 Wright lacks size, which will likely hold him back from a draft stock standpoint, but there is no more effective floor general in the 2024 class. The Baylor commit routinely takes over games with his ability to fill it up from deep but also his floor vision, which is nearly unmatched in the high school game. Rivals has him ranked as a five-star prospect because he seems like a slam dunk to have a major and immediate impact in the Big 12 from the day he steps on the Bears’ campus.
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SHOOTING GUARD
TOP DOG: Dylan Harper
The No. 1 overall prospect in the class, Harper impacts games in every possible way and spent the spring posting points and assist numbers. His thick build allows him some added versatility on defense and the ability to finish through contact at the rim. He’s a well-above average shooter from distance and seems to be taking positive strides on that front. Rutgers, Indiana, Duke and Kansas are the major players in his recruitment.
NOTABLE: Kon Knueppel
The case can easily be made for Knueppel as the best long-range shooter in the class, but the broad-shouldered guard is much more than a 3-point specialist. The five-star prospect is a highly efficient scorer that stays within the offense and seems to avoid bad shots. He’s a high-effort defender that shines on both ends of the floor, even in camp settings, where defense feels optional at times. He describes his approach as an “old-man game,” but he’s more athletic than such a characterization implies. Ohio State, Marquette, Virginia and Wisconsin feel like schools to watch in the race to land his letter of intent.
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SMALL FORWARD
TOP DOG: Karter Knox
Few prospects have had as hot a spring as Knox, who finished the EYBL regular season as the circuit’s second-leading scorer with an average of 21.2 PPG. Knox has become a more willing rebounder in the last year, but he could still use some growth on that front. The younger brother of former Kentucky star Kevin Knox is thought to be seriously considering the Wildcats. Other notable schools in his recruitment are Florida State, Louisville and Arkansas.
NOTABLE: VJ Edgecombe
Edgecombe continues to climb up the Rivals150 and now finds himself as the No. 7 small forward in the country with room to move up further in the coming months. The hyper-athletic Edgecombe is a reliable shooter from range as well as a gifted finisher at the rim. His motor will allow him to grow as a defender down the road. Edgecome has not taken many recruiting visits, but he seems high on schools such as Mississippi State, Ohio State, Alabama and Villanova, among others.
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POWER FORWARD
TOP DOG: Airious Bailey
The highest-ranked commit in Rutgers history tops the power forward list based on his massive pro potential, head-turning athleticism and low-post skill in a 6-foot-9 frame. Bailey seems to be fully recovered from a knee injury that stole a chunk of last year, and he is turning heads each time he takes the floor. Bailey functions as a combo forward and has taken positive strides as a three-point shooter since returning from his injury.
NOTABLE: Nicolas Codie
One of the 2024 update's most notable rankings crashers, Codie went from unranked to No. 57 overall, based on a head-turning spring on the adidas 3SSB circuit. The Texas-based forward is all of 6-foot-8 and is evolving into a well-rounded forward that always seems to be in attack mode. His motor and versatility make him a capable defender that can guard nearly anyone he’s asked to match up against. Illinois, Houston, Kansas and Texas are among the schools in pursuit of the Codie.
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CENTER
TOP DOG: Flory Bidunga
The top rim -protector and most reliable rebounder in the 2024 class, Bidunga’s athleticism, instincts and motor have given him a base on which to build. He’s evolving from a skill perspective. And even if he'll never be an elite shooter, he has progressed as a scorer in the post. Bidunga has been a walking double-double this spring and is high on schools such as Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana and Michigan.
NOTABLE: Derik Queen
Queen has seen his potential turn to production on the Under Armour circuit this spring, as the Maryland-born big man has leaned out and dropped significant weight. Queen achieved five-star status in this update following a spring that saw him average 17.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and two blocks per contest. Maryland and Indiana seem like serious players in the Queen sweepstakes.