Class of 2014: Top 60

Rank #	Player	HT/WT	POS	High School	College
1	Jahlil Okafor	6-9/255	C	Whitney Young (IL)
2	Tyus Jones	6-0/175	PG	Apple Valley (MN)
3	Rashad Vaughn	6-5/180	SG	Robbinsdale Cooper (MN)
4	Emmanuel Mudiay	6-3/180	PG	Prime Prep (TX)
5	Karl Towns	6-10/225	C	St. Joseph (NJ)	Kentucky
6	Cliff Alexander	6-9/230	C	Curie (IL)
7	Chris McCullough	6-9/205	PF	Brewster Academy (NH)	Syracuse
8	Trey Lyles	6-9/210	PF	Arsenal Tech (IN)
9	Justise Winslow	6-6/210	SF	St. John's (TX)
10	Kevon Looney	6-8/195	PF	Hamilton (WI)
11	Joel Berry	6-1/185	PG	Lake Highland Prep (FL)	North Carolina
12	Justin Jackson	6-6/175	SF	HCYA (TX)	North Carolina
13	Theo Pinson	6-5/170	SF	Wesleyan Christian (NC)
14	Jaquan Lyle	6-4/170	PG	Bosse (IN)
15	D'Angelo Russell	6-4/180	SG	Montverde Academy (FL)
16	Stanley Johnson	6-5/190	SF	Mater Dei (CA)
17	Shaqquan Aaron	6-8/170	SF	Rainier Beach (WA)	Louisville
18	Dante Exum	6-4/180	PG	Australian Institute of Sport
19	Leron Black	6-7/195	PF	White Station (TN)	Baylor
20	Jalen Lindsey	6-6/180	SF	Christ Presbyterian Academy
21	Malik Pope	6-7/183	SF	Laguna Creek (CA)
22	Dwayne Morgan	6-7/205	SF	St. Frances (MD)	UNLV
23	Craig Victor	6-7/215	PF	St. Augustine (LA)
24	Jordan McLaughlin	6-0/170	PG	Etiwanda (CA)
25	Ahmed Hill	6-4/180	SG	Aquinas (GA)
26	Devin Booker	6-4/175	SG	Moss Point (MS)
27	Reid Travis	6-7/215	SF	De La Salle (MN)
28	Quentin Snider	6-1/150	PG	Ballard (KY)	Louisville
29	Parker Jackson-Cartwright	5-8/145	PG	Loyola (CA)
30	Kameron Chatman	6-6/175	SF	Long Beach Poly (CA)
31	Daniel Hamilton	6-7/175	SF	St. John Bosco (CA)
32	Keita Bates-Diop	6-7/185	PF	University (IL)	Ohio State
33	Trayvon Reed	7-0/215	C	Shiloh (GA)
34	Shelton Mitchell	6-3/175	PG	Cutherberson (NC)	Wake Forest
35	Jared Terrell	6-3/205	SG	Brewster Academy (NH)
36	Payton Dastrup	6-10/230	C	Mountain View (AZ)
37	Grayson Allen	6-3/180	SG	Providence School (FL)
38	Isaiah Whitehead	6-4/195	SG	Lincoln (NY)
39	Josh Perkins	6-3/185	PG	Regis Jesuit (CO)
40	L.J. Peak	6-4/183	SG	Whitney Young (IL)
41	Kelly Oubre	6-6/195	SF	Bush (TX)
42	Paul White	6-8/210	PF	Whitney Young (IL)
43	Isaac Copeland	6-7/185	PF	The Miller School (VA)
44	Trevon Bluiett	6-5/185	SF	Park Tudor School (IN)
45	Cody Martin	6-6/175	SF	Davie County (NC)	NC State
46	Caleb Martin	6-6/175	SF	Davie County (NC)	NC State
47	JaQuan Newton	6-1/165	SG	Neumann-Goretti (PA)
48	Jakeenan Gant	6-8/200	PF	Effingham County (GA)
49	T.J. Haws	6-3/170	PG	Lone Peak (UT)	BYU
50	Larry Austin	6-1/165	PG	Lanphier (IL)
51	Romelo Trimble	6-2/170	SG	Bishop O'Connell (VA)	Maryland
52	B.J. Stith	6-5/175	SF	Brunswick (VA)	Virginia
53	Dominique Collier	6-1/160	PG	Denver East (CO)
54	Jared Terrell	6-3/205	SG	Brewster Academy (NH)
55	Phil Booth	6-4/180	SG	Mount Saint Joseph (MD)
56	Khadeem Lattin	6-9/190	C	Westbury Christian (TX)
57	Adonys Henriquez	6-5/190	SG	Orlando Christian Prep (FL)	Miami
58	Anton Beard	5-9/185	PG	Parkview (AR)	Missouri
59	Goodluck Okonoboh	6-9/205	C	Wilbraham & Monson (MA)
60	Jordan Barnett	6-7/180	SF	Christian Brothers College

2013 Rankings: Top 100

TOP 100	CLASS OF 2013
Rank #	Player	POS	HT/WT	High School	College	School List
1	Andrew Wiggins	SF	6-8/195	Huntington Prep (WV)	N/A	KY, FSU, UNC, KU, OSU
2	Julius Randle	PF	6-8/215	Prestonwood Christian (TX)	N/A	KY, UF, UT, NCSU, KU, OU
3	Jabari Parker	SF	6-7/215	Simeon (IL)	Duke
4	Aaron Gordon	PF	6-8/215	Archbishop Mitty (CA)	N/A	UW, AZ, KY
5	Andrew Harrison	PG	6-5/205	Travis (TX)	Kentucky
6	Aaron Harrison	SG	6-5/205	Travis (TX)	Kentucky
7	James Young	SF	6-6/190	Rochester (MI)	Kentucky
8	Kasey Hill	PG	6-0/160	Montverde Academy (FL)	Florida
9	Noah Vonleh	PF	6-8/210	New Hampton School (NH)	Indiana
10	Chris Walker	PF	6-10/205	Holmes County (FL)	Florida
11	Dakari Johnson	C	6-10/240	Montverde Academy (FL)	Kentucky
12	Jarell Martin	PF	6-8/215	Madison Prep (LA)	LSU
13	Rondae Jefferson	SF	6-6/185	Chester (PA)	Arizona
14	Jermaine Lawrence	PF	6-9/205	Pope John XXIII (NJ)	Cincy
15	Isaiah Hicks	PF	6-8/210	Webb (NC)	North Carolina
16	Keith Frazier	SG	6-6/192	Kimball (TX)	N/A	UT, SMU, TAMU
17	Wayne Selden	SF	6-5/230	Tilton School (NH)	Kansas
18	Jabari Bird	SF	6-5/190	Salesian (CA)	California
19	Johnathan Williams	PF	6-8/190	Southwind (TN)	Missouri
20	Marcus Lee	C	6-9/220	Deer Valley (CA)	Kentucky
21	Terry Rozier	PG	6-1/170	Hargrave Military Academy (VA)	Louisville
22	Demetrius Jackson	PG	6-1/185	Marian (IN)	Notre Dame
23	Robert Hubbs	SG	6-4/170	Dyer County (TN)	Tennessee
24	Tyler Ennis	PG	6-2/175	St. Benedict's Prep (NJ)	Syracuse
25	Matt Jones	SG	6-4/190	DeSoto (TX)	Duke
26	Nick King	SF	6-6/210	East (TN)	Memphis
27	Matt Thomas	SG	6-4/175	Onalaska (WI)	Iowa State
28	JaJuan Johnson	SG	6-5/180	Southwind (TN)	Marquette
29	Bobby Portis	PF	6-8/200	Hall (AR)	Arkansas
30	Anthony Barber	PG	6-1/165	Hampton (VA)	NC State
31	Kuran Iverson	PF	6-8/190	Fishburne Military (VA)	Memphis
32	Semi Ojeleye	SF	6-6/205	Ottawa (KS)	Duke
33	Isaac Hamilton	SG	6-4/175	St. John's Bosco (CA)	UTEP
34	Dominic Woodson	C	6-9/240	Huntington Prep (WV)	Baylor
35	Austin Nichols	PF	6-9/205	Briarcrest Christian (TN)	Memphis
36	Christian Wood	SF	6-8/175	Findlay Prep (NV)	UNLV
37	Derrick Walton	PG	6-0/175	Chandler Park (MI)	Michigan
38	Jordan Mickey	PF	6-7/190	Prime Prep (TX)	LSU
39	Kendrick Nunn	SG	6-1/165	Simeon (IL)	Illinois
40	Nigel Williams-Goss	PG	6-3/180	Findlay Prep (NV)	Washington
41	Anton Gill	SG	6-4/180	Hargrave Military (VA)	Louisville
42	Xavier Rathan-Mayes	SG	6-4/190	Huntington Prep (WV)	Florida State
43	Zach LaVine	SG	6-3/170	Bothell (WA)	UCLA
44	Sindarius Thornwell	SG	6-4/175	Oak Hill Academy (VA)	South Carolina
45	Brannen Greene	SF	6-6/185	Tift County (GA)	Kansas
46	Conner Frankamp	PG	6-1/165	Wichita North (KS)	Kansas
47	Duane Wilson	PG	6-2/175	Dominican (WI)	Marquette
48	Kennedy Meeks	C	6-8/290	West Charlotte (NC)	North Carolina
49	Deonte Burton	SF	6-4/215	Vincent (WI)	Marquette
50	Nick Emery	SG	6-2/170	Lone Peak (UT)	BYU
51	Dakarai Allen	SF	6-6/165	Sheldon (CA)	San Diego State
52	Troy Williams	SF	6-6/180	Oak Hill Academy (VA)	Indiana
53	Rysheed Jordan	PG	6-3/175	Vaux Roberts (PA)	N/A	SJU, Temple, UCLA
54	Ishmail Wainright	SF	6-5/195	Montrose Christian (MD)	Baylor
55	Karviar Shepherd	C	6-9/210	Prime Prep (TX)	TCU
56	Brandon Austin	SF	6-6/170	Imhotep Charter (PA)	Providence
57	Tyler Roberson	PF	6-7/190	Roselle Catholic (NJ)	Syracuse
58	Zak Irvin	SF	6-5/175	Hamilton Southeastern (IN)	Michigan
59	Kendall Stephens	SG	6-5/165	St. Charles East (IL)	Purdue
60	Moses Kingsley	C	6-9/225	Huntington Prep (WV)	Arkansas
61	Devin Williams	PF	6-8/225	Montverde Academy (FL)	West Virginia
62	Jordan Bell	PF	6-7/205	Long Beach Poly (CA)	Oregon
63	Reggie Cameron	SF	6-7/215	Hudson Catholic (NJ)	Georgetown
64	Eric Mika	C	6-8/210	Lone Peak (UT)	BYU
65	Marc Loving	PF	6-7/185	St. John's (OH)	Ohio State
66	Derrick Griffin	PF	6-6/195	Terry (TX)	Texas A&M
67	Stanford Robinson	SG	6-3/175	Findlay Prep (NV)	Indiana
68	Roddy Peters	PG	6-4/175	Suitland (MD)	Maryland
69	BeeJay Anya	C	6-8/255	DeMatha Catholic (MD)	NC State
70	Jimmie Taylor	C	6-9/215	Greensboro (AL)	Alabama
71	Bronson Koenig	PG	6-3/170	Aquinas (WI)	Wisconsin
72	Nate Britt	PG	6-0/155	Oak Hill Academy (VA)	North Carolina
73	Aquille Carr	PG	5-8/150	Arlington Country Day (FL)	Seton Hall
74	Kameron Williams	SG	6-2/165	Mount Saint Joseph (MD)	Ohio State
75	Roschon Prince	SF	6-5/190	Long Beach Poly (CA)	USC
76	Tim Quarterman	SF	6-5/185	Johnson (GA)	LSU
77	Kris Jenkins	PF	6-5/235	Gonzaga (DC)	Villanova
78	John Egbunu	C	6-11/215	Fort Walton Beach (FL)	South Florida
79	Allerik Freeman	SG	6-4/205	Findlay Prep (NV)	UCLA
80	Devon Hall	SG	6-4/180	Cape Henry (VA)	Virginia
81	V.J. Beachem	SF	6-6/165	New Haven (IN)	Notre Dame
82	Akoy Agau	PF	6-8/230	Omaha Central (NE)	Louisville
83	Vince Hunter	SF	6-8/190	Consortium (MI)	UTEP
84	E.C. Matthews	SG	6-3/175	Romulus (MI)	Rhode Island
85	Shannon Hale	PF	6-7/205	Christ School (NC)	Alabama
86	Stevie Clark	PG	5-9/160	Douglass (OK)	Okahoma St.
87	Kyle Washington	C	6-9/200	Brewster Academy (NH)	NC State
88	Wesley Clark	PG	6-0/175	Romulus (MI)	Iowa State
89	RaShawn Powell	PG	6-0/170	Dr. Phillips (FL)	Memphis
90	Malcolm Hill	SG	6-5/165	Belleville East (IL)	Illinois
91	Monte Morris	PG	6-1/150	Flint Beecher (MI)	Iowa State
92	Josh Hart	SF	6-5/180	Sidwell Friends (DC)	Villanova
93	Jordan Mathews	SG	6-3/195	Santa Monica (CA)	California
94	Kentan Facey	PF	6-9/200	Long Island Lutheran (NY)	Connecticut
95	London Perrantes	PG	6-0/170	Crespi (CA)	Virginia
96	Billy Garrett	PG	6-4/175	Morgan Park (IL)	DePaul
97	Mike Young	PF	6-8/210	St. Benedict's Prep (NJ)	Pittsburgh
98	Damian James	PF	6-9/220	Scotlandville Magnet (LA)	Vanderbilt
99	Luke Fischer	PF	6-10/205	Germantown (WI)	Indiana
100	Riley Dearring	SG	6-4/170	Minnetonka (MN)	Wisconsin

Battle of Chicago: Simeon Still the King

As Omar Little from The Wire proclaimed “You come at the King, you best not miss.” Whitney Young came at Simeon, the King of Chicago on Saturday night, but Whitney Young didn’t take their best shot and now Chicago and the state of Illinois still belong to Simeon until proven otherwise. Despite coming in to Saturday night’s showdown with Whitney Young as the lower ranked team, Simeon won their 44^th consecutive game in Illinois with a 44-41 victory. In a game where Simeon’s top player, Jabari Parker struggled, it was the two future fighting Illini guards in Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate that stepped up.

Parker and Okafor struggled throughout

 Coming into the match-up, junior center Jahlil Okafor was dominating the high school scene on both the national and local level. While no one player or team had slowed him down this season, Simeon and their zone defense did the trick. Last year, Simeon kept Okafor from touching the ball and held him nine points in a playoff showdown. This year, Simeon once again eliminated Okafor’s touches and held him to eight points, with six of those coming in the first quarter. 

Simeon controlled the first half jumping out to a 23-14 halftime lead as Whitney Young failed to find quality shots against the zone defense. On the offensive side of the ball, Tate was breaking down his defenders and getting to the basket for lay-ups while Nunn was busy catching alley-oops.

Despite the early halftime deficit, junior guard L.J. Peak led a furious third quarter comeback from Whitney Young which resulted in a short lived lead at 34-32. Peak started his scoring spree with a two-hand dunk at the 5:15 mark and then mixed in some deep three’s and jump shots to score 14 points in the quarter. 

After giving up their halftime lead, Simeon quickly answered back with a Parker jump shot to take a 36-34 lead which was then pushed out to a 42-36 lead soon thereafter. Whitney Young once again cut into that lead and got to within one point at 42-41 after an Ausar Madison three-pointer; however Tate quickly answered back by slicing to the basket for a lay-up giving Simeon a 44-41 lead. Simeon then forced Whitney Young until several contested three point attempts before the final buzzer sounded.

Tate led the way for Simeon with 12 points, while Nunn added 10 and Parker chipped in with 7. LJ Peak led the way for Whitney Young with 20 points while both Okafor and junior Paul White scored 8 apiece.

Overall:

No one could have predicted that both the number two ranked senior and number two ranked junior in the country would score in single digits. As both Parker and Okafor struggled throughout the game, it was Simeon’s other starters that stepped up to get the win while only Peak brought his A game for Whitney Young. Coming into this game Whitney Young had the confidence and swagger needed to knock off the three time defending state champs; however they were not able to get over the hump and will now be at a severe mental disadvantage when facing off with Simeon later in the season. Despite having its coach suspended, Simeon’s zone flustered Whitney Young and Simeon’s guards made just enough key plays to extend their city win streak and “top dog” persona.

The Battle of Chicago: Whitney Young vs. Simeon

On Saturday night, ESPN will showcase the Battle of Chicago featuring the most anticipated regular season match-up in recent memory. Simeon and Whitney Young will face off at Chicago State University for city and state bragging rights (at least until playoffs). Fresh off a pair of impressive wins in the Hoop Hall Classic, Whitney Young enters the contest ranked #1 in the state of Illinois and #4 in the country while Simeon is #2 in the state of Illinois and #11 in the country. Both teams are led by their superstars. Duke bound Jabari Parker is aiming for his 4^th consecutive Illinois state title for Simeon (#2 – 2013), while Whitney Young’s junior big man Jahlil Okafor (#2-2013) looks to add some hardware to his collection. Both teams are surrounded by a plethora of high major D-1 talent that should light up the frigid Chicago night.

Past Match-Ups:

Last year Simeon went 2-0 against Whitney Young. The first victory came in December 2011 when Simeon won 62-55 before an estimated crowd of 6,000 at UIC Pavilion. Kendrick Nunn led the way with 19 points while Parker contributed 15 points and 9 rebounds. Okafor led the way in a losing effort with 20 points and nine rebounds as Whitney Young cut the lead to three points in the final minute. 

The re-match came during March 2012 in a class 4A semi-final. Simeon dispatched Young with a 12-0 third quarter run which turned into a 52-42 win under the watchful eye of Mike Kryzewski and Tom Izzo. Parker led the way for Simeon with 18 points and six rebounds while Okafor was held to nine points and seven rebounds while not scoring in the second half.

Current Season Comparison:

WHITNEY YOUNG:

Jahlil Okafor looks to end Simeon's reign

Whitney Young finished 16-10 last year, but so far the team has made remarkable strides despite facing an extremely tough national schedule. Three months into the season, Young is 8-0 against Chicago teams with an average winning margin of 40 points per game. They are also 9-1 against teams outside the state of Illinois with their lone loss coming to one of the top teams in the country, Montverde in overtime. Here is a look at the who’s who of Young opponents:

12/1 – Dematha (W 72-58)

12/20 – Montverde (L 63-68 OT)

12/21 – Omaha Central (W 60-57)

12/22 – Chester (W 67-56)

12/31 – Bishop O’Connell (W 58-37)

1/19 – Long Beach Poly (W 85-52)

Junior Jahlil Okafor has been a monster this year routinely putting up 30 point performances and monster double doubles while staking his claim as the top prospect in the class of 2014. Alongside Okafor, is junior Paul White (#55 – 2014). Similar to Okafor, White started as a freshman and is now currently a 6’8” small-forward drawing strong looks from the majority of Big 10 schools. Last year White was forced to act as a primary ball-handler due to Young’s lack of guards, but this year has been freed up to play more naturally on the wing or in the post when guarded by a smaller defender. While Young returned their top two players from last year, they also gained another top junior over the summer with the transfer of 6’5” junior guard L.J. Peak (#53 – 2014) from South Carolina. Peak brought with him a package of shooting, ball-handling, and athleticism that Young desperately needed and has made an immediate impact. While the big three of Okafor, Young, and Peak receive the majority of attention from scouts and coaches, it is the arrival of senior point guard Ausar Madison and the emergence of junior guard Miles Reynolds that’s propelled Young into title contention. Madison arrived via Worcester Academy and while he is the most over looked starter on the team, he is also one of the most important. Throughout the year, Madison has broken through pressure without turning the ball over and provided the ball to his teammates in positions for them to score. When defenders back off him, as they often do, Madison can hit the open jump shot as he showed during the City of Palm Classic and recently against Long Beach Poly when he sparked a 12-0 first quarter run. Also key, has been the improved play of Reynolds. While he averaged almost 10 points per game last year, Reynolds came into his own during the City of Palms classic and increased the attention being paid to him by college coaches. During this tournament Reynolds averaged almost 17 points while shooting 79% from the field and 72% from deep. With the emergence of Reynolds and the additions of Peak and Madison, Whitney Young now has one of the strongest starting line-ups in the country.

SIMEON

Parker tries to stay "top dog" in Chicago

Despite coming off three consecutive state championships and fielding a starting line-up that includes five future D-1 players, Simeon’s aura of invincibility took a hit in the early part of the season. Simeon currently stands 16-2, but it was their two losses on national TV that became a cause for concern. Simeon’s star player Jabari Parker missed action from July – November with a hurt foot and rushed back to play in the season opener against Milton (GA). In this game Parker showed up rusty and out-of-shape. At the same time Simeon welcomed Parker back they were also trying to smoothly incorporate big man transfer Russell Woods as their replacement for Marquette freshman Steve Taylor. While Parker tried to get healthy and shed his excess weight, Simeon struggled in a televised 10 point loss to DeSoto (TX) and then a 29 point loss to Montverde three weeks later. Despite these early season losses, Simeon regained some of their swagger by defeating Oak Hill Academy 81-68 in the Hoop Hall Classic. Analysts and writers noted that this win, to go along with their recent 19 point win over a Chicago public league rival displayed the fact that Simeon is back to where they belong. This might be true; however Simeon is still only one week removed from a two point sluggish victory over Morgan Park, a game in which Parker’s only baskets in the last 24 minutes came on two break-away dunks. 

Parker, the #2 ranked prospect in the country is without a question the star of Simeon and has started to recover from a sluggish start to the season. He scored 28 points against Oak Hill and 21 against Bogan this past week. To go along with Parker is senior shooting guard Kendrick Nunn (#59 – 2013) and point guard Jaylon Tate, both Illinois commits. Nunn hit the most important shot of the game against Morgan Park last week, while Tate can knock down deep three’s and run the team efficiently. Alongside these three is unsung 6’7” senior small forward Kendall Pollard, a Dayton commit and 6’8” big man Russell Woods. Woods transferred to Simeon from Leo, another city public school over the summer. To go along with this starting five, Simeon also features super sophomore DJ Williams who will be next Simeon superstar. Despite early season struggles, Simeon still owns the state having won 43 straight games against Illinois schools. Their last loss you might wonder….Whitney Young on February 16, 2011. 

Keys to the Game:

1)      Can Simeon slow down Jahlil Okafor?

Okafor is one of the most dominant players in high school this year, regardless of class. The season started with a 34 point, nine rebound performance and most recently he put up a 26 point and seven rebound performance. Guarding Okafor straight up does not work, and for the most part either does double teams. He is extremely quick once he catches the ball preferring to dribble left and spin right. He will also catch anything in his vicinity (a la Sean May). Simeon will not be able to stop Okafor by letting Woods go one-one one; however they are the last high school team to have success against him. In their last match-up it was noted above that Okafor did not score in the second half. Last year Simeon’s coach said: “We just kept the ball out of his hands. You can’t stop him, you just have to try and keep him from getting it.” Will Simeon slow down Okafor or will he have his way and record another monstrous double-double?

2)      Mental make-up

Whitney Young has been looking forward to this game all year and they believe it is time for a new champion. On the other side, Parker noted that “they (Whitney Young) are the little brother and we will always be the top dog in Chicago.” Simeon tries to regain their lost swagger while Whitney Young believes it’s time to change roles. Will Whitney Young be able to handle the hype of this game or will Simeon keep their stranglehold on the state of Illinois.

3)      Coaching

Simeon’s coach, Robert Smith was suspended for four games recently and will not coach against Whitney Young. If this game is close at the end look for the edge to go to Tyrone Slaughter and Whitney Young.

4)      The Other Stars

Whose starters will step-up when it counts? Last year it was Kendrick Nunn who stepped up to defeat Whitney Young in their first match-up. Will Nunn do the same this year, or will it be one of the new members of Whitney Young who hit the big shots?

Prediction:

Whitney Young by 5. 

Young’s only loss came against Montverde in overtime. This overtime loss also happened after a hellacious day of travel (Chicago to Tampa flight and then an hour and a half drive to Fort Myers) and an 11pm tip-time. Besides for this game, Young has been a well-oiled machine firing on all cylinders. The four junior starters for Young will look to jump out on Simeon and claim Chicago city bragging rights….at least until these teams match-up again in the Playoffs. Then, it might be a different story.