TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: Rivals has a few interesting things to know

This is topic Rivals has a few interesting things to know in forum UK / NCAA Basketball at TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://www.thecatsdomain.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=033762

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 09-03-2015, 09:28 AM:

Below is a couple of things that are interesting but if you hit the "Link" you can read the whole article.

Sorry, Thon

So where does Thon Maker fit in and why isn't he ranked in the Rivals150? A legit top five talent in the class, 2016's former No. 1 player is still a five-star prospect. However, with the influx of international players and having to decide which ones to rank and whom to just assign stars, Rivals has decided that only players attending school in the United States will be included in the ranking process.

Getting the point

The power at the point guard position is one of the most exciting things about this class. Seventeen of the top 60 players in the class play point guard and it's quite possible that combo guards such as No. 6 Malik Monk, No. 13 Markelle Fultz and No. 39 Andrew Jones are going to get every opportunity to play the point in college and possibly beyond.

Fours and fives

Because this class is so strong, we have gone a bit further out with four- and five-star prospects than usual. For now, the five-stars extend all the way to No. 27 Udoka Azubuike (making a total of 28 five-stars counting Maker), while the four-star prospects go all the way to No. 116 where Miami commitment Rodney Miller sits.

Elite status

Counting Azubuike, there are a total of three new five-star prospects. Smooth and skilled big man Sacha Killeya-Jones earned a fifth star moving from No. 51 to No. 26 thanks to a strong summer. Making the biggest leap to five-star status is power forward Wenyen Gabriel, whose dominance on the adidas circuit during July allowed him to move from No. 84 to No. 17 overall.

The only player to move down from five- to four-star status was Seventh Woods. An extreme athlete and big-time defender, the point guard from South Carolina slid down to No. 36 from No. 25 overall. If he can show development on the offensive end as a senior he could earn back that fifth star.

Fox vs. Smith

Another ranking debate that is going to play out during the 2015-16 season looks to be De'Aaron Fox and incumbent Dennis Smith as the top point guard. A long and lean 6-foot-3 floor general from Houston, Fox has come on strong to claim the No. 5 spot in the rankings while Smith had a tremendous summer. But, Smith also suffered a knee injury that will cost him his senior season. We don't want to drop somebody because of injury, but as hard as Fox - and others - are charging it's something that will eventually have to be sorted out.

Link

Posted by WHO?UK (Member # 2286) on 09-03-2015, 03:34 PM:

Good read... Thanks CMD