Bossi's Best: Winter stock boosters
We are nearly halfway through the high school basketball season and, unsurprisingly, there are some standouts who are boosting their stock since we last updated our rankings coming out of the summer. In this week's edition of Bossi's Best, national analyst Eric Bossi highlights a few (in alphabetical order) like Kentucky-bound five-star B.J. Boston who he feels could be do for bumps when the rankings get updated during the last week of January.
THREE-POINT PLAY: Teams to watch, stall ball, Charles O'Bannon
Recruitment: Signed with Arizona State.
Why he could be rising: Bagley is fully healthy and looked tremendous when I watched him multiple times at the Tarkanian Classic out in Las Vegas. He has great size, is strong, is athletic and has a pure jump shot. He should be in the discussion for five-star status and he should be seen as a legitimate McDonald's All-American Game candidate.
Recruitment: Signed with Kentucky.
Why he could be rising: Given that he's already in the national top 20, there's only so much room for Boston to go up, but I would say that he has made a pretty strong argument for at least the top 10 in 2020 at this point. He's really blossomed as a creator off the dribble and is shooting the ball with good consistency from deep. He's been very impressive so far this season.
Recruitment: Signed with Clemson.
Why he could be rising: Today's game is about versatility and I love Hall's ability to play as either a power forward or a matchup problem five man in the ACC. He is a very good athlete, he has back to the basket game and he's skilled when facing the rim. Throw in range on a jump shot and he's got a solid argument to be somewhere in the top 40-50 nationally.
Recruitment: Offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Texas Tech, UCLA, UNLV, USC and Washington among others.
Why he could be rising: Like Boston above, there's only so high a kid who is already ranked as highly as Hardy is can go. But, he's been as good as any guard I have seen this winter and at multiple events. The top five in 2021 is going to be tough to crack, but Hardy has established himself as the top guard in the class and has the best chance to do so. He shoots, he sets up teammates, he finishes in transition. He does it all.
Recruitment: Signed with Gonzaga.
Why he could be rising: A lot of the attention, and deservedly so, goes to 2020's No. 1 player Evan Mobley when discussing Rancho Christian. But, the Gonzaga-bound Harris has been dynamite all season long. He is shooting it well from deep, is tough attacking the cup and has the size, game and athleticism to play at either the one or the two. The more I see him, the more I expect him to be an instant contributor in Spokane and he deserves top 50 consideration nationally.
Recruitment: Offers from Arizona State, DePaul, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, Utah and Washington State.
Why he could be rising: There's so much to like about Lewis long term. He has good positional size, he can shoot a bit and he's a good athlete. Also, you have to consider that this is his first season of playing varsity basketball and that he's got lots of room to get better as he gains experience. Don't be surprised if he moves into the top 100 of 2021 during the next update.
Recruitment: Signed with North Carolina State.
Why he could be rising: I've always been really impressed with Moore as an athlete and a a competitor. Those two strengths remain, but watching him at the John Wall Holiday Invitational I saw somebody who was better as a jump shooter, leader and playmaker than I had realized. He's a really good fit for what Kevin Keatts wants to do and has to be in the discussion for a move into the 2020 Rivals150.
Recruitment: Offers from Kansas, Oregon, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
Why he could be rising: I had never seen Morris when we did our post summer rankings for 2022. That's understandable. He's still young and there are lots of players that will end up the rankings from that class who will end up being ranked that we haven't seen yet. But, make no mistake, he'll be in the next rankings and he'll debut pretty highly. He's big, he's athletic, he's tough and he is always applying pressure. I've said in the past he reminds me some of John Wall in his approach.
Recruitment: Signed with Florida.
Why he could be rising: We didn't get to see the Russian wing during the summer because of an injury, but he's back with vengeance as a senior. I love his ability to stretch defenses with his shooting, he's athletic to the rim and he plays with a swagger and toughness that is borderline cocky. His edge is needed in Gainesville.
Recruitment: Offers from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Creighton, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon and others.
Why he could be rising: We need to be talking about Sallis as a potential five-star and there are several reasons. He has good size, he can play the one or the two, he is an athlete and he has a high skill level and great feel for the game. I see him a a guy just scratching at the surface and I'm expecting his recruitment to become a free-for-all a the highest level.
Recruitment: Auburn, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and others.
Why he could be rising: A mobile seven-footer from the Philippines, Sotto impressed me with his raw talent and long-term upside when I saw him in Las Vegas during July. He has good touch, is also a good passer and can block some shots. He'll need to get much stronger and be a bit more assertive offensively to majorly impact a high level college game right away, but the upside is certainly there and he should be in contention for the 2020 top 50.