The Rivals150 for the classes of both 2022 and 2023 have been refreshed and are set in stone for the next four months. Today in the roundtable, the Rivals rankings tribunal of Rob Cassidy, Jamie Shaw and Dan McDonald have a look back at last week’s update and discuss a trio of rankings-related questions.
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More: Big moves in new 2023 Rivals150
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Rivals150
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1. Which player In either 2022 or 2023 stands to make a jump if he continues his trajectory into the next update?
McDonald: Jaden Schutt made a strong jump into this edition of the Rivals150, but I still think he has room to go up at the next update. He has great size for a guard and he has an elite trait with his shot. He’s a smart, productive player that should continue to trend upward throughout his senior year and into his college career.
Cassidy: Tarris Reed will be interesting to monitor this season. He made a huge jump -- from No. 90 to No. 43 -- based on a big summer and will have every chance to flirt with the top 40 in the next update. Reed now attends Branson’s Link Year Academy, which plays a truly national schedule. That’s all to say that the talented Michigan commit will have a lot of eyes on him while he spends his senior season squaring off against high-level opposition.
Shaw: This is a tough one to answer overall as I think the majority of guys are slotted rather appropriately for where things currently are. However, one player I think has a chance to make a jump is Cameron Corhen, who showed flashes with Houston Hoops during the Nike EYBL Bubble. The 6-foot-9 Corhen showed nice length and great hands with touch around the basket as he averaged 10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1 block per game throughout the first week of the Bubble. He followed that up with 5.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1 block per game during Peach Jam. Corhen currently carries 20-plus offers, so the high-major coaches are seeing the same flashes we are. We currently have him at No. 130 in the Rivals150 and if Corhen is able to put together longer stretches of consistency, there is a chance he could continue to rise.
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2. Which newcomer to the 2023 rankings are you most excited to watch develop?
McDonald: Jimma James earned his way into the top 100 with his play this travel season. He’s a really talented 6-foot-6 guard that brings a ton of versatility and athleticism to the table. He has a lot of the traits that you just can’t teach. I think the next step for him is becoming a more consistent shooter, and if that happens, he could be in line for another big jump.
Cassidy: Pryce Sandfort is interesting to me because my sample size on him is pretty small, but what I saw I loved. Add in the fact that he’ll develop quickly as he adds muscle and has Div. I bloodlines (younger brother of Iowa freshman Payton Sandfort), and I’m really interested to see what he might look like as a prospect a year from now. He has a nice jumper and will become more versatile as both a scorer and a defender as he fills out.
Shaw: Austin Ball. This one was interesting as expanding from 100 to 150 there were so many additions to the class. But Ball, for me, simply has a ridiculous amount of upside. Standing 6-foot-7, Ball is one of the smoothest shooters in the country. His release is quick and high, his balance is great, and he is always able to get his shoulders squared and eye on the basket. Ball is also a very good straight line athlete, as he is able to finish well above the rim, in traffic. Add in his length and his passing ability along with his motor off the ball and as the game continues to slow down for him, all the tools are there to potentially sky-rocket up from No. 86.
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3. What was the hardest ranking decision you faced this time around?
McDonald: I live in a state with five really good guards in the 2023 class in London Johnson, Isaiah Collier, Kanaan Carlyle, Stephon Castle and Jakai Newton. I’ve seen them all play so much and think they all have such bright futures that it’s hard -- really hard -- for me personally to settle on how I would rank those specific prospects, and then how to incorporate them into a national ranking. I’m constantly changing my mind almost every time I see them and I’m sure that will continue to be the case the next couple years.
Cassidy: The No. 3 spot in 2023 Rivals150 was tricky for me. Both Mackenzie Mgbako and Kwame Evans Jr. have a legitimate claim to that slot, as a case could be made for either guy. In the end, we rewarded Mgbako for the massive summer he had from a production standpoint. And while there’s no doubt both players belong in the top five, the argument for Evans at No. 3 would be that his ceiling may be a bit higher than that of Mgbako. It’ll be interesting to see what the year ahead holds for both prospects, as there doesn’t seem to be much to separate the two from a rankings standpoint.
Shaw: Again, a lot of these decisions were pretty straight-forward and the players are pretty well slotted for where things are at. In sitting down and piecing out how I was going to rank the players, I would have to say positioning the run of guards in the 2023 top 25 was where I spent the most time. Where was the separation with Kylan Boswell, Robert Dillingham, Caleb Foster, Marvel Allen, Simeon Wilcher, Jared McCain, London Johnson, Mikey Williams, Isaiah Collier and Bryson Warren. Each of the players are different and bring a lot to the table, with varying success during the summer. At the end of the day, I may have tweaked one or two of them but for the most part they came out in deserving positions. I think this will be a fun discussion to continue to monitor until the end.
