Rivals150: Inside the numbers
The last time Rivals.com ranked the class of 2012, its members had yet to play a single game of their junior seasons. Now nearing the end of their junior years, there's been plenty of change. Some guys have stalled, some have come out of nowhere and Rivals.com has had the opportunity to evaluate more prospects in different settings.
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Here's a look at how the new Rivals150 for the class of 2012 breaks down by the numbers.
California is tops
There are prospects from 32 states, as well as players from Canada and New Zealand. When looking at the list, we try to count prospects from their home state, not just where they are going to high school. No state, though, produced more members of the 2012 Rivals150 than California.
By our count, the Golden State lands a whopping 16 prospects in the new rankings. Of those 16, the two highest-ranked are five-stars Brandon Ashley at No. 14 and Grant Jerrett, who checks in at 17. There are six four-stars and eight three-stars who call California home.
Led by five-stars Shaquille Goodwin and Robert Carter, Georgia is next on the list with 14 ranked players, tied with Texas. Of the Lone Star State's 14, an impressive 12 are ranked as at least four-star prospects. With 12 ranked prospects, Indiana is the only other state to produce a double-digit number of ranked players. Indiana boasts three five-stars, as well as two of the three highest four-stars in Gary Harris (26) and Kevin Ferrell (28). North Carolina (8), Michigan (7) and Florida (7) followed as the best states producing Rivals150 members.
Five-star climbers
There are a total of seven new five-star prospects. Making the biggest splash is Indiana native Mitch McGary who makes a meteoric rise from No. 92 to number No. 5 nationally. Devonta Pollard moves up 23 spots himself from 29th to sixth while Rodney Purvis debuts at No. 7 after re-classifying from the class of 2013.
Georgia big man Robert Carter jumps 17 spots from No. 33 to 16. Canadian Anthony Bennett makes the second-biggest five-star jump moving all the way from 91 to 22. Justin Anderson leaps 20 spots to 23rd while Torian Graham moves one spot to No. 25 and checked in as the final five-star.
The new four-stars
A total of 19 prospects make the jump from three-star prospect or unranked to four-star status.
Starting with the unranked, California big man Robert Upshaw makes the highest debut at No. 45 and Texan Danuel House is not far behind him at 49th. Connecticut point guard Kris Dunn enters the Rivals150 at 59th followed by Joel James (79), Darryl Milburn (88), Javontae Hawkins (92), Kareem Canty (93), Katin Reinhardt (97), Kenny Gaines (98), Mike Tobey (100), Darrick Wood (101) and Mike Hall, all entering the rankings as four-stars.
The players previously ranked as three-stars who moved up to four-star status were: Glenn Robinson III (118 to 50), Malik Morgan (126-81), Sam Dekker (133-82), Tyler Lewis (113-86), Nick Stauskas (106-89) and Prince Ibeh (123-103).
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