Rivals Roundtable: Discussing the upcoming rankings updates
With the Rivals150 for both 2022 and 2023 set to refresh later this week, we preview the shakeup with a rankings roundtable. Below, analysts Rob Cassidy and Dan McDonald discuss three topics related to the impending rankings update
*****
More Roundtable: Transfer portal, stock boosters, Overtime Elite
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
*****
1. WHICH PLAYER DID YOU PUSH UP THE RANKINGS THAT YOU THINK WILL MAKE YOU LOOK SMART?
Cassidy: I’ve been a fan of Shaedon Sharpe’s game for some time now. I was the force behind shooting him from No. 20 to 11 in the last update and now his play has convinced everyone else at Rivals to be a believer as well. Another jump is coming for the 6-foot-4 guard, as he impressed everyone that saw him this summer.
McDonald: Yohan Traore is going to make a lot of money playing basketball and has quickly become one of the most highly sought after prospects in the 2022 class. At 6-foot-10, he’s a really bouncy athlete that has shown the willingness to be an enforcer in the paint while also able to show some skill away from the basket. Not only does he have the option to choose pretty much any school he wants, but the France native will have professional options as well. He’s gone from unranked at the start of the travel season to now being ranked among the top prospects in the class. That’s an unheard of rise over the course of four or five months.
*****
2. WHICH NEWCOMER TO THE RIVALS150 DO YOU THINK COULD SEE HIS STOCK RISE EVEN FURTHER BEFORE THINGS ALL IS SAID AND DONE.
Cassidy: Going with a 2023 prospect here is a bit of a cop out, but I’ll take the easy way out anyway. Both Jamie Shaw and myself were impressed by Pryce Sandfort in a short viewing at the adidas 3SSB event in Birmingham last month. Sandfort, whose older brother signed with Iowa last in the class of 2021, flashed a well-rounded skill set during our one-game viewing. We’ll start him off conservatively based on sample size, but I have the feeling the 6-foot-6 forward could rise well above where we’ve tentatively placed him.
McDonald: I’m a big fan of Brice Sensabaugh and think he could continue to rise in the rankings throughout his senior season. His combination of size, strength, athleticism and skill is pretty rare for a high school prospect. He was dominant in June with his high school team during the live periods and continued to perform at a high level for Each 1 Teach 1 this summer in the Nike EYBL. Expect him to make a healthy move into this Rivals150 and don’t be surprised if he creeps higher over the next eight months.
*****
3. WHICH PROSPECT DO YOU THINK WE STILL HAVE TOO LOW?
Cassidy: Utah-based guard Collin Chandler is in the middle of a steady rise, and I think he’ll climb even higher than where we’ve placed him this time around by the time all is said and done. Chandler shined against top-flight competition at the NBPA Top 100 camp last month and is starting to feel like a player that finds his way into an All-American game of some sort after the season. He’s set to get yet another healthy bump in this next update, but I kind of wonder if we could have gone even higher.
McDonald: It’s entirely possible that I’m way off base in my assessment of Jayden Epps, but I really think he’s one of the more skilled guards in the class and has a really bright future ahead of him at Illinois. The fact Brad Underwood chose to prioritize him only strengthens my feelings on him because he certainly has had pretty good success evaluating and recruiting guards lately. The Fighting Illini fans should be really excited about having him in their 2022 class.