Jackson finishes as top-ranked player in 2016 class
The final Rivals150 for the class of 2016 is complete and Kansas-bound wing Josh Jackson finishes where he began the first time Rivals.com ranked the class of 2016, in the top spot.
RELATED: Final class of 2016 rankings
JACKSON RETAINS TOP SPOT
It isn’t easy to go wire-to-wire as the top player in any class, but five-star swingmanJosh Jackson came awfully close. The 6-foot-7 native of Detroit who spent his final two years of high school at Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep debuted at No. 1 in the first class of 2016 rankings back in September of 2013.
A big-time athlete and monster competitor, Jackson lost the top spot for a bit during his junior season. However, his ability to change the game in transition, attack the rim and as defend have allowed him to finish in the top spot.
Kansas head coach Bill Self is certainly well aware of what he’s getting in Jackson -- the third Jayhawk signee to finish No. 1 in the Rivals150.
"He is probably as highly thought of as any recent player to come out of high school because of his competitive nature,” said Self when Kansas announced Jackson’s signing last week. “He is very similar to Andrew Wiggins. He's a tall guard that can do a lot of everything. We feel his impact on our program next year will be as much as any freshman will have on any college program. He's extremely athletic, but more importantly extremely competitive. We have a very competitive culture at Kansas, but I think it just got improved with the signing of Josh.”
Jackson wasn’t the only highly ranked player to finish where he started. The Duke-bound duo of power forward Harry Giles (No. 2) and high-scoring small forward Jayson Tatum (No. 3) both finished the final rankings where they were the first time the class was ranked in 2013.
MOVEMENT AFTER TOP 3
Though there was little movement among the top three prospects, there was plenty behind them within the top 10.
Moving from No. 8 to No. 4 overall, UCLA-bound point guard Lonzo Ball led Chino Hills (Calif.) High to an undefeated season and an Open Division championship in California.
Combo guard Markelle Fultz of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha climbs to No. 5 from No. 13. Washington is hoping Fultz can soften the blow of losing Marquese Chriss and DeJounte Murray to the NBA.
Staying steady in the top 10 at No. 6 is the first of Kentucky’s three top 10 signees, point guard De’Aaron Fox. He will be joined in Lexington by athletic big man Bam Adebayo, who checks in at No. 7 and Bentonville (Ark.) High shooting guard Malik Monk, who finishes at No. 9 overall.
Also finishing in the top 10 are sweet-shooting and athletic Florida State-bound forward Jonathan Isaac at No. 8 and Michigan State-bound tough man Miles Bridges at No. 10.
MOVERS, SHAKERS AND MORE NOTES
There are 26 five-stars in the final 2016 Rivals150 and 27 total when you factor in Canadian-schooled Thon Maker, who is headed to the NBA Draft. Of those five-stars in the final rankings, three of them are newly minted. Gonzaga-bound big man Zach Collins had a McDonald’s All-American season and finished with four state titles at Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman and achieves five-star status at No. 21. Headed to Texas, combo guard Andrew Jonesis the second highest ranked player signed by a Big 12 school at No. 22. Finally, shot blockerIke Anigbogu gives UCLA a third five-star prospect -- along with Ball and T.J. Leaf (no. 16) -- by finishing at No. 25 overall.
A total of 11 players are new to the final 2016 Rivals150. Making the highest debut is Virginia-bound power forward Jay Huff, who enters at No. 50. BYU-bound power forward Yoeli Childs(No. 71), Marquette-bound combo guard Markus Howard (No. 73) and Oregon-bound wingKeith Smith (No. 100) also enter as four-star prospects.
There were 18 prospects that made double-digit climbs. SMU-bound big man Bruno Fernandomade the biggest leap, climbing 45 spots to No. 96, while Purdue-bound point guard Carsen Edwards was right behind him rising, 43 spots to No. 90. Arizona State-bound shooting guardSam Cunliffe climbed 31 spots to No. 36 while San Diego State-bound power forward Jalen McDaniels leapt 28 spots to No. 99 and unsigned wing DeShawn Corprew moved up 27 spots to No. 85 overall.
The ACC leads the way with 25 members of the Rivals150 (five of them five-stars). The SEC was right on its heels with 24 (six five-stars) while the Big Ten has landed 23. The Pac-12 has a few less with 21 Rivals150 prospects headed its way, but it managed to land the most five-star prospects with seven.
Kentucky has landed the most five-star prospects of any school by hauling in five. Arizona, Duke and UCLA each landed three and Michigan State was the final school to land multiple five-stars with two.
There are eight undecided players in the final 2016 Rivals150. Of those eight, the two highest ranked are Texas big men Marques Bolden (No. 11) and Jarrett Allen (No. 15), who both finish as five-star prospects. Bolden is down to Duke and Kentucky while Allen is down to Houston, Kansas and Texas.