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Introducing our 40 to watch in 2018 class

2018 class
14, Jan 2016

Introducing our 40 to watch in 2018 class

With top 50 rankings for the senior and junior classes nationally, we wanted to shift gears and take a peek at the sophomore class at a national level.

The class of 2018 is deep, talented, and has major star power up top.

While we did not rank this list, we did include those that are worth monitoring heading into the spring. After time on the national circuit in April and May, we we will then establish a ranked list.

The class is led by by one of the best talents in all of high school ball in Marvin Bagley III. The 6-foot-9 big man recently transferred to Sierra Canyon in California. Close behind is Montverde (FL) big man forward Silvio DeSousa, and 6-foot-4 guard Javonte Smart of Baton Rouge.


 

Thirty of the top 40 prospects within the 2018 class can be spotted in the frontcourt. That is a mind-boggling number. Keep in mind it takes a lot longer for big men to develop compared to their smaller counterparts out on the perimeter.

It is pretty astonishing the number of sophomores who possess ideal size for their spot on the floor along with developed ball skills early on.

Prospects like Zion Williamson, Isaiah Mucius, Khavon Moore, Jaedon LeDee, Cam Reddish, and Jairus Hamilton all stand 6-foot-6 and above and are more than comfortable playing on the perimeter as they can facilitate their team’s half-court offense, score it on the hard drive and finish, but also hit long distance attempts with room and time given.

RELATED: We discuss the class of 2018 on The Podcast

While the pride of the class will come in the frontcourt, the backcourt options may bring up some issues. Due to the current lacking depth of star power up top, expect for many of the lead and combo guard types to be pursued early on.

The point guard position seems to always be the most prioritized position early on in any given recruiting class and once coaches begin to understand that depth just isn’t there with this crop, there may be quicker commitments occurring from some of the better guards within the 2018 class.

Lastly, there is only one commitment within our top-40 at this time, that coming from Jontay Porter, a 6-foot-9 big man out of Father Tolton in Missouri, who has already verballed to the University of Washington. However, Rechon Black, a 6-foot-7 guard out of North Carolina, will be making his own commitment on Friday as it seems that UNC has the best shot at landing his talents. 

Player Position City, State High School
Bol Bol PF Roeland Park, KS Bishop Miege
Brandon Johns PF East Lansing, MI East Lansing
Brandon Slater SF Fairfax, VA Paul VI
Cameron Reddish SF Philadelphia, PA Westtown
Carte'Are Gordon PF St. Louis, MO St. John Vianney
Connor Vanover C Little Rock, AR Arkansas Baptist
EJ Montgomery PF Fort Pierce, FL Montverde
Elijah Hardy PG Oakland, CA Bishop O'Dowd
Elijah Weaver PG Cocoa, FL Oldsmar Christian
Ethan Henderson PF Little Rock, AR Parkview
Gerald Liddell SF Cibilo, TX Steele
Immanuel Quickley PG Baltimrore, MD John Carroll
Isaiah Mucius SF Brooklyn, NY St. James School
J'Raan Brooks PF Seattle, WA Garfield
Jaedon LeDee SF Houston, TX Kinkaid School
Jairus Hamilton SF Concord, NC Cannon School
Jalen Smith PF Baltimore, MD Mount St. Joseph
Jamie Lewis PG Atlanta, GA Westlake
JaVonni Bickham PF New Hope, MN Minnehaha Academy
Javonte Smart PG Baton Rouge, LA Scotlandville
Jontay Porter PF Columbia, MO Father Tolton
Jordan Brown PF Roseville, CA Woodcreek
Jordan McCabe PG Kaukauna, WI Kaukauna
Kamaka Hepa PF Barrow, AK Barrow
Keldon Johnson SF South Hill, VA Park View
Kezo Brown PG Chicago, IL Simeon
Khavon Moore SF Macon, GA Westside
KJ Hymes PF Phoenix, AZ St. Mary's
Lou King SF Roselle, NJ Pope John XXIII
Marvin Bagley III PF Phoenix, AZ Sierra Canyon
Miles Norris PF Chula Vista, CA Mater Dei
Nazreon Reid PF Roselle, NJ Roselle Catholic
Noah Locke SG Owings Mills, MD McDonogh School
Rechon Black SG Concord, NC Concord
Robert Woodard SF Columbus, MS Columbus
Romeo Langford SG New Albany, IN New Albany
Shareef O'Neal SF Los Angeles, CA Windward School
Silvio DeSousa PF Angola Montverde
Simi Shittu PF Ontario, CAN Montverde
Tyler Herro SG Greenfield, WI Whitnall
Zion Williamson SF Spartanburg, SC Spartanburg Day

 


Corey Evans has been a member of the HoopSeen family since the summer of 2015. He brings a wealth of experience in scouring the nation in evaluation some of the top prospects from coast-to-coast, and in also finding some of the more under-the-radar prospects from various locales. The managing editor on site, Evans has run a college scouting service, the Roundball Rundown Report, since 2012, as he works with over 100 division-1 college basketball programs from both sides of the nation. Based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Evans is the primary national contributor at HoopSeen which has broadened the scope of information included within the site itself. 

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