Scout.com recently released its updated Top 100 list for all upcoming seniors in the class of 2013. There were not many changes in the rankings at the very top with Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Andrew Harrison, and Andrew Gordon all staying put at #1-4. Florida point guard Kasey Hill jumped into the top 5 after some impressive spring performances and James Young basically flip flopped with former top 7 player Troy Williams. Young has been one of the most consistent scorers throughout his four spring AAU tournaments. While the top players in the country remained consistent, there was a lot of movement below in the ranks. We’ll take a look at some of the players that had their rankings change the most, for the good and bad.
The Good:
#1 – Jermaine Lawrence – Lawrence went from unranked to a top 15 player in a matter of months (for comparison purposes Rivals.com currently has Lawrence ranked #64). Lawrence first began making headlines as a sophomore at Cardozo High (NY) and received offers from various Big East and A-10 programs such as Louisville. Lawrence transferred out of Cardozo to Pope John XXIII in Sparta, NJ in the middle of his junior year to focus on academics. The SF/PF combo blew up in the two Hoop Group jam fests of the spring and now has added offers from schools such as Kansas and Florida.
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| Jujuan Johnson |
#2 – Jajuan Johnson – Johnson first blew up at the Hampton EYBL and continued his impressive play recently at the Dallas EYBL. The 6’4 sinewy shooting guard has scored at a high level over the past month and picked up interest and offers from SEC and Big East schools while going from an unranked prospect to the #29 prospect in the country. Johnson teams up with another top wing in Nick King and they will try to improve their teams’ 6-8 performance in the final EYBL event in Oakland in order to be eligible for the prestigious Peach Jam.
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| Marcus Lee |
#3 – Marcus Lee – The California power forward has been one of the most talked about players during the spring period. Lee’s rise began at the first EYBL event in Minneapolis and has continued over the past few weeks. Lee’s length and athleticism initially drew the attention of all the major west coast schools, but with his play on the Nike circuit schools from all over the country have taken notice, including Duke, who recently offered Lee a scholarship. Lee recently struggled in Dallas and got into early foul trouble in his much anticipated match-up with 2014 big man, Dakari Johnson. Despite these struggles, Lee’s shot blocking and versatility vaulted him from an un-ranked big man to the #44 player in the country.
The Bad:
#1 – Austin Colbert – The Jersey PF dropped 64 spots. Colbert was previously ranked #34 and he dropped all the way down to #98. Colbert is playing on a talented Team Final AAU team. While teammate Rondae Jefferson has impressed with his play, Colbert has not made as strong of an impact averaging 7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Colbert is still receiving strong attention from all sorts of Big East schools and still has two more Nike AAU events to pick up his game along with other opportunities throughout the summer.
#2 – Derek Willis – The Kentucky recruit dropped 61 spots. Willis went from a top 30 player to the #91 prospect. After initially committing to Purdue, Willis switched is commitment to the Wildcats in January. Willis has been quite on the spring AAU circuit before playing well in the Kentucky state AAU tourney this past weekend. Despite the drop, there is obviously a reason that Calipari went after Willis hard upon his de-commitment from Purdue.
#3 – Jarquez Smith – Smith went from a top 50 prospect (#47) to the #89 prospect in the latest rankings. During the first two EYBL events, Smith was averaging approximately 12 points and 5 rebounds per game. Smith had a rough trip to Dallas and did not break double digits in any of his five games. Smith still possesses a high skill level and a nice shooting ability for a guy that is 6’9 and will need to show that off in Oakland over Memorial Day weekend. Smith is currently looking at local Georgia schools along with Louisville and South Carolina.
#4 – Stephen Domingo – Domingo dropped 31 spots despite being one of the top shooters in the country. Domingo who stands at 6’7 recently dropped from the #55 prospect to the #86 prospect; however that drop did not stop him from committing to Georgetown on Monday morning. The Hoyas had been pursuing the shooter for a long time and nabbed their first West Coast recruit in a few years. Domingo, who runs with Dream Vision stands as the number 29 prospect per rivals and should see his ranking rise back up once the Adidas events heat up in July.
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