Final Rankings for MN 2011 Players

The final 2011 rankings are out for all the big services here how the Minnesota class of 2011 did along with others who appeared locally.

Rivals
Joe Coleman #121

Others who appeared locally
Brad Beal (#4) - Florida
Cody Zeller (#15) - Indiana
Adonis Thomas (#17) - Memphis
Branden Dawson (#20) - Michigan St
BJ Young (#25) - Arkansas
Myck Kabongo (#26) - Texas
Ky Madden (#32) - Arkansas
Quinn Cook (#38) - Duke
Mychael Henry (#39) - Illinois
Julien Lewis (#57) - Texas
Marshall Plumlee (#79) - Duke
Hunter Mickleson (#100) - Arkansas
Jerome Seagears (#101) - Rutgers
Andre Hollins (#110) - Minnesota
TaShawn Thomas (#113) - Houston
Jarion Henry (#119) - New Mexico
Josh Oglesby (#122) - Iowa
Paul Jesperson (#136) - Virginia
Aaron Ross (#143) - Arkansas
Cedrick McAfee (#145) - Auburn
Spencer Dinwiddie (#146) - Colorado
Jarrod Uthoff (#149) - Wisconsin

Scout
No Minnesota players ranked

ESPN
Joe Coleman #93 behind Paul Jesperson #87

Hardwood Elite
Joe Coleman #80 behind Paul Jesperson #69
Ross Travis #91

Add #61 Todd Mayo (Marquette) to the list of others who appeared locally.
Andre Hollins #46

For the record, I think Coleman and Jesperson will have nice college careers.  I don't think either is quite to the top 100 level.  Coleman consistently dominated his higher level competition both in the winter and the spring.  He averaged 22 PPG while sitting major minutes as Hopkins destroyed people.  Jesperson's team was 11-11 this year in the regular season against inferior competition.  If not for Onalaska's top 2 bigs blowing out knees, Jesperson's Merrill team doesn't get out of section play.  He averaged 22.6 PPG playing big minutes.  While he had 45 in a game here last spring, in the spring games that I saw Jesperson play against our top teams he generally struggled against more physical play.   Coleman also did all of this with a loaded roster where Jesperson's team didn't have nearly that kind of talent.  The general recruiting rule is that you can teach skills but not athleticism.  Schools recruit bigger, stronger and faster because they have to.  So put all of that together and even though I'm clearly no expert on player evaluation, based on the facts above, it really shocks me that at least 2 of the rankings put Jesperson ahead of Coleman.  It proves my complaint with rankings.  Anybody who says they can see kids enough to do an intelligent ranking at a state or national level is full of it.  I spend as much time in the gym as anybody and I know first hand that you can't see a significant amount of any large number of players.  Especially when many of the writers focus mostly on Nike events (but don't get me started on that).  That's why kids like a Gordon Hayward or even Alec Brown fall through the cracks.

Chambers drops in new Rivals 150

Rivals just released their post summer 2010 top 100 for the class of 2012.   Hopkins point guard Siyani Chambers drops to #96 from #81.

Here are others who have appeared locally.
#17 Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell 
#20 William "Shaq" Goodwin (up from #60)
#21 Rasheed Sulaimon
#26 Torian Graham (up from #83)
#28 L.J. Rose (down from #23)
#37 Marcus Paige (down from #29)
#42 J-Mychal Reese (up from #43)
#49 Damien Wilson (up from #68)
#55 Jordan Adams
#73 Cameron Biedscheid (down from #59)
#89 Phillip Nolan (up from #92)
#108 Wesley Staten (down from #90)
#109 Cinmeon Bowers (down from #91)
#112 Arroyo Edwards (down from #97)
#145 Demarquise Johnson

Read the entire rankings here.

End of summer rankings out for class of 2011

Rivals.com and Scout.com released their end of summer rankings for the class of 2011 today.  Joe Coleman once again left out of the Scout rankings with Paul Jesperson in.   How Jesperson can be ranked far higher when Coleman consistently dominates far better competition in the summer and winter is totally beyond me.

In the Rivals rankings, Joe Coleman drops from #111 to #116 in this round of the rankings.  Here are others who have appeared locally.

#7 Brad Beal - Florida (down from #6)
#13 Branden Dawson - Michigan State (up from #25)
#15 Adonis Thomas
#18 BJ Young
#20 Cody Zeller
#24 Myck Kabongo - Texas (down from #11)
#27 Ky Madden
#28 Quinn Cook (down from #23)
#74 Cedric McAfee
#82 Marshall Plumlee - Duke
#96 Julien Lewis - Texas
#98 Hunter Mickelson - Arkansas
#99 Jerome Seagears
#118 Josh Oglesby
#123 Jeremiah Davis
#126 Andre Hollins
#129 Paul Jesperson (up from #140)
#147 Aaron Ross - Arkansas
#150 Jarrod Uthoff - Wisconsin

Read the entire Rivals.com rankings here.

Read the entire Scout.com rankings here.

Chambers joins Rivals top 100

Rivals just released their pre summer 2010 top 100 for the class of 2012.   Hopkins adds another player to the national rankings as point guard Siyani Chambers joins the rankings at #81.

Here are others who have appeared locally.
#23 L.J. Rose
#29 Marcus Paige
#43 J-Mychal Reese
#59 Cameron Biedscheid
#90 Wesley Staten
#91 Cinmeon Bowers
#92 Phillip Nolan
#97 Arroyo Edwards

Read the entire rankings here.

Coleman drops in Rivals latest top 150

Rivals just released their pre summer 2010 top 100 for the class of 2011.   Joe Coleman remains the only Minnesotan in the list as he drops from #104 to #111.

Here are others who have appeared locally.
#6 Brad Beal (down from #5, Florida)
#11 Myck Kabongo (up from #14, Texas)
#23 Quinn Cook (down from #20)
#25 Branden Dawson (up from #30)
 #140 Paul Jesperson (drops from #132)

Read the entire rankings here.

Minnesota Swap in new Rivals 2011 Top 150

Rivals released their spring 2010 top 100 for the class of 2011.   A swap of Minnesota players is notable as Ross Travis drops out from #133 and Joe Coleman jumps in at #104.  That's despite missing a big chunk of time with an injured ankle/foot.

Here are others who have appeared locally.
#5 Brad Beal (up from #7, Florida)
#14 Myck Kabongo (up from #24, Texas)
#20 Quinn Cook (no change)
#30 Branden Dawson (down from #16)
 #132 Paul Jesperson (new)

Read the entire rankings here.

MN shutout in final Rivals 2010 Top 150

Rivals released their final 2010 rankings today.  Kevin Noreen and Jacob Thomas both miss out on that final ranking.  

Here are the players from the list who made a local appearance.

#1 Josh Selby
#2 Harrison Barnes
#18 Joe Jackson
#24 Vander Blue
#25 Dwight Powell
#84 Crandall Head
#85 Tobi Oyedeji
#90 Trevor Releford
#101 Anthony Johnson
#116 Alex Kirk
#129 Brandon Peters
#139 Brandon Spearman
#143 Ahmad Starks

Chaska star makes Rivals Top 150

Rivals released their post summer 2009 top 100 for the class of 2011. Chaska's Ross Travis makes the list after a big summer with 43 Hoops Carr. He comes in at #133. Rivals analyst Jerry Meyer was impressed with him in Vegas.

Here are others who have appeared locally.

#7 Bradley Beal
#16 Branden Dawson
#20 Quinn Cook
#24 Myck Kabongo - Committed to Texas
#116 Darell Longstreet

Read the entire rankings here.
Read Jerry Meyer's comments on Ross Travis in Vegas here (scroll to the end)

Two MN Players in Bob Gibbons Top 175

Bob Gibbons (one of the nation's longest running recruiting analysts) just released his post summer 2009 top 175 (more like 200) for the class of 2010. Jacob Thomas comes in at 143 and Kevin Noreen comes in at 172. Other players who have appeared locally

#2 Harrison Barnes
#13 Joe Jackson
#14 Josh Selby
#34 Tobi Oyedeji
#65 Evan Anderson
#76 Trevor Releford
#93 Alex Kirk
#100 Brandon Spearman
#101 Vander Blue
#103 Cody Larson
#104 Dwight Powell
#120 Ahmad Starks
#124 Anthony Johnson
#150 Zach McCabe
#175 Jesse Berry

Read the entire rankings here

Rivals.com also came out with their post summer 2009 top 150 for the class of 2010 today. No Minnesota players in the list. Here's the list of those who have appeared locally and the comparison to where they were ranked at the start of July.

Harrison Barnes #2 (no change)
Josh Selby #4 (up from #7)
Joe Jackson #12 (up from #18)
Vander Blue #22 (up from #31)
Dwight Powell #23 (up from around #50 if I recall correctly)
Tobi Oyedeji #81 (up from #108)
Trevor Releford #97 (up from #150)
Anthony Johnson #99 (down from #88)
Alex Kirk #108 (down from #106)
Brandon Spearman #115 (down from #100)
Brandon Peters #118 (new)
Ahmad Starks #131 (new)

Read the new Rivals rankings here

New Rivals 150 doesn't include Thomas

Rivals released their going into the open period rankings for the class of 2010. It was widely believed that after ESPN put Jacob Thomas at 75 in their last ranking, that the other services would follow. That's due to the big summer he's had for Howard Pulley. However, that didn't happen with the new Rivals rankings and their 2010 and 2011 rankings both have no Minnesota players (I'll make a prediction that that won't be the case in 2012 or 2013). Here are some kids that have played locally.

Harrison Barnes #2
Josh Selby #7
Joe Jackson #18
Vander Blue #31
Anthony Johnson #88
Brandon Spearman #100
Alex Kirk #106
Tobi Oyedeji #108
Evan Anderson #149
Trevor Releford #150

Add in Flavien Davis at #141 and there's 3 Wisconsin players. Iowa down to 1 player as Jordan Dykstra drops out. Cody Larson has been out of the rankings and doesn't make it in this cut either from South Dakota.

Rivals releases final 2009 rankings

Rivals.com released their final class of 2009 rankings today. Read the entire rankings here. Here are the changes to Minnesota players (and others of note) from the last period (August 19, 2008).

Minnesota Players

• Royce White #19, Minnesota (no change)
  
• Trent Lockett #80, Arizona State (down from #73)
  
• Rodney Williams Jr #100, Minnesota (down from #95)
• Sam Dower #116, Gonzaga (up from #119)
• Mike Bruesewitz #118, Wisconsin (up from #124)

Wisconsin Players

• Jeronne Maymon #47, Marquette (down from #46)
• Jamil Wilson #94, Oregon (down from #93)
• Johnny Lacy #143, Providence (down from #110)
  

Other players who have appeared locally

• DeMarcus Cousins #2, Kentucky (no change)
  
• DJ Richardson #38, Illinois (up from #57)
• Darius Smith #71, Connecticut (up from #113)
• Naji Hibbert #97, Texas A&M (down from #88)
• Joseph Bertrand #128, Illinois (down from #116)
• Diamond Taylor #129, Wisconsin (down from #118)
• Michael Dixon #136, Missouri (down from #130)

Why Rodney Williams Ranking Fell

In my last post, I noted that Rodney Williams had a drastic drop in his ranking. I asked Rivals.com what their logic was behind dropping Rodney Williams from #28 to #95 in their latest rankings. Their head scouting guru Jerry Meyer responded with this answer.

"We were giving Williams a big benefit of the doubt with the #28 ranking based on his athletic ability and potential. Unfortunately, we just haven't seen progress. He looked very out of place at the Nike Global Challenge and was just okay at Lebron Skills Camp. Can really jump, but don't know if he'll get the feel for the game and skill level for that athleticism to really translate."

Read the entire thread where my question was posted here.

Williams drops behind Trent Lockett for the #2 spot in the Minnesota Class of 2009.

Rivals releases end of summer top 150

Rivals.com released their end of the summer recruiting period updates today. Read the entire rankings here. Here are the changes to Minnesota players (and others of note) from the last period (July 1, 2008).

Minnesota Players

• Royce White #19, Minnesota (down from #18)
• Trent Lockett #73, Arizona State (down from #53)
  
• Rodney Williams Jr #95 (down from #28)
• Sam Dower #119 (up from #130)
• Mike Bruesewitz #124, Wisconsin (up from #125)

Wisconsin Players

• Jeronne Maymon #46, Marquette (down from #42)
• Jamil Wilson #93 (down from #60)
• Johnny Lacy #110, Prep School (down from #97)
  

Other players who appeared locally this year

• DeMarcus Cousins #2, UAB
  
• DJ Richardson #57, Illinois (up from #74)
• Naji Hibbert #88, Texas A&M (up from #142)
• Darius Smith #113 (down from #80)
• Joseph Bertrand #116, Illinois (down from #81)
• Diamond Taylor #118, Wisconsin (down from #86)
• Michael Dixon #130, Missouri (down from #100)

U of M targets Eric Bledsoe and Matt Vogrich come in at #67 and #131 respectively.

The drop of Rodney Williams is totally shocking (read why here). Sam Dower was the only Wisconsin or Minnesota player to make a noteworthy move upward.

Rivals releases updates to 2009 rankings

Rivals.com has made another tweak to their 2009 top 150 before the July recruiting period (read it here). Here are players that caught my attention.

Minnesota
Royce White (#18, no change)
Rodney Williams Jr (#28, no change)
Trent Lockett (#53, big jump from #98)
Mike Bruesewitz (#125, up from #144)
Sam Dower (#130, up from #130)

Wisconsin
Jeronne Maymon (#42, moves up from #60)
Jamil Wilson (#60, drops from #58)
Johnny Lacy (#97, up from #99)

Others who appeared locally or will be playing at the Twin Cities Summer Classic
DJ Richardson (#74)
Darius Smith (#80)
Joseph Bertrand (#81)
Diamond Taylor (#86)
Michael Dixon (#100)
Nik Garcia (#109)
Jack Cooley (#147)

Rivals releases 1st 2010 Top 100

Rivals released their 1st top 100 for the 2010 class today (read it here). No Minnesota players included but some players that did appear locally or I saw are on the list.

#5: Josh Selby who played for DeMatha against Hopkins in the TWolves Shootout last season
#6: Harrison Barnes who played here in the Sabes Invitational with the All Iowa Attack (here's what I saw then) in May and may be back in the Twin Cities Summer Classic in a couple of weeks (I see conflicting schedules on that right now)
#10: Joe Jackson who had 29 for Memphis White Station in their blowout of Cass Lake-Bena in the TWolves Shootout (here's what I saw then)
#11: Crandall Head who may be here in the Twin Cities Summer Classic in a couple of weeks playing for the Mac Irvin Fire. That's also true of #32 Jereme Richmond (Joy of the Game Rising Stars) and #29 Vander Blue (assuming he comes with the Madison Spartans). Blue was also here and impressive in the Sabes Invitational with the Madison Spartans 16U team, but he usually plays with the 17s.
#35 Anthony Johnson was here with the Illinois Warriors at the Sabes Invitational playing with the 16U team.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the other Wisconsin players in the list. I saw both of these kids play last December.
#21 Evan Anderson of Eau Claire North
#95 Flavien Davis. of Wisconsin Lutheran

Scout has only the top 15 ranked right now. They got Richmond #7, Anderson #10, Barnes #11 and Head #12

ESPN has Richmond #9, Jackson #10, Davis #22, Selby #23, Head #25, Johnson #55 in their super 60 for 2010.

MN and WI stars move up in new Rivals 150

Rivals.com released their new top 150 today. I wrote previously that Royce White dropped out of the Scout.com top 100, but not the case with Rivals. Royce White moves up to #18, Rodney Williams to #28, Trent Lockett stays at #98, Sam Dower moves in at #139, Mike Bruesewitz in at #144. Some Wisconsin names of note. Jeronne Maymon continues to move up with a big spring as he comes in at #60 only 2 spots behind Jamil Wilson. Johnny Lacy is the other Wisconsin player in the list at #99. Players from last weekend Sabes Invititational are included as follows. DJ Richardson who played for the champion Illinois Warriors last weekend came in at #57 and teammate Darius Smith is #62. Michael Dixon of KC Pump N Run is #75.

The only Scout.com ranked player in MN is Rodney Williams Jr at #87. Wilson (#9), Maymon(#72) and Lacy (#91) are the Wisconsin ranked players. Richardson and Smith are unranked. Dixon came in at #47.