Throughout the high school season our scouts are out constantly on the road evaluating prospects. During every rankings period Adam Finkelstein, Joel Francisco, Reggie Rankin and John Stovall and I have long conference calls to share what we have seen since the last time we updated the rankings. It’s a group of scouts that combine for over 100 years of experience. Rankings will always be a fluid and subjective process with some heavy debates on players and the topic of where they belong. Here were some of our biggest debates:
Why Harry Giles is still No. 1
Always the most important and biggest conversation, regardless of the year, is who will be No. 1. Complicating things for this round is that No. 1 Harry Giles suffered a season-ending knee injury in November, the second serious knee injury of his career.
Giles had a dominating summer at both the high-profile camps and the elite tournaments. He was impactful throughout the important showcase that was the Peach Jam, and his final impressions up until the time of his injury were that of an elite talent. He was kept in the No. 1 spot because at his best, he has the most potential and has been the most productive player in this class. He is relentless on both backboards and blocks shots from the weak side and on his own man, while defending and scoring. When it comes to scoring, Giles’ jumper is capable from three but it was much more consistent from the elbows on down. His footwork and hands are of all-star quality.
Although Giles suffered the misfortune of getting hurt multiple times, he bounced back strong from his first ACL tear and there is no evidence at this point that he won’t be 100 percent healthy again. Giles continues to project as a game-changer in so many different categories of the game, and when compared to everyone else in the class he projects out on top.
Tatum and Jackson stay put -- but are closing the gap
Last time we did the rankings, the biggest debate was who would fill the Nos. 2 and 3 spots after Giles. This time around it was a different conversation, because through some remarkable performances, consistent production and helping their teams win, both Jayson Tatum and Josh Jackson closed the gap on Giles.
Tatum has added a three-point shot that he can depend on in big moments of games, to go along with his mastery of the mid-range. He creates space with the jab step, shot fake and the dribble so well, and he reads the game and knows how to get his shot off or drive the ball to the rim. Jackson continues to out-hustle and out-work opponents and finishes at the rim with explosiveness. He defends multiple positions, works the glass and protects the rim. With one final ranking set for April, this could be a photo finish in the top three spots.
Difficult class to rank
Every class has is made up of some ratio of stars, starters and role players and every player -- regardless of how talented, athletic or skilled -- must continue to develop.
What makes the 2016 group so tough to rank is that it has star power and star depth throughout the 100. While in some updates there's a need to move a player down who is not performing at the level of their ranking, if a player moves down a spot or two in this class it probably means others are performing consistently well. Every player in the top 10 has a strong body of work with future upside. We spent a good amount of time comparing and contrasting and decided Bam Adebayo who was already in the top 10 at No. 8, deserved a place in the top five. Many players were knocking on the door trying to crack the top 10 but Lonzo Ball (No. 5), T.J. Leaf (No. 9) and Markelle Fultz (No. 10) earned their spots.
Schools do not matter
If you look at our rankings, we never get caught up in where a prospect commits. On our calls we always remind each other that it’s not where a player plans on going to school that is important, it’s about how he performs and who it is against when we see him that matters most. The evidence of this is that 14 players who are not from Power-5 conferences made our top 100, including three from Harvard.