Boys' basketball recruiting: New faces, risers, sleepers across classes

Paul Biancardi, Basketball RecruitingSep 7, 2024, 03:00 AM
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- National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
- 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
- Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State
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ESPN's big board of high school basketball player rankings has a new look.

After a full summer of travel, evaluation and film study, the highly competitive window between travel basketball and camps saw movement in both directions.

In evaluating the best players in the country, a litany of factors are considered.

Talent, production and potential are important -- as is a player's future NBA draft prospect -- but they're not the only criteria.

We aim to dive beyond just counting stats, so we consider athletic ability, basketball IQ, ball skills, passing, ball handling, footwork, overall fundamentals, defense and the overall complete nature of a player's game.

Does a player help his team win?

Does he impact the outcome of a game?

Winning is a major factor, and valuing winning is a process within the evaluation, too.

By way of intel, we dig into the habits and traits of as many prospects as possible. Often, players with strong character and work habits will elevate their game and improve. The result is new faces in the rankings, but also those who made a jump up, and some we feel still don't get enough recognition.

NEW FACES

Matt Able

Only a few players manage to burst onto the big board each spring and summer. Able is part of this year's small group, first gaining attention in June at the NBPA Top 100 camp.

He's a confident shooter with a sizable frame, developing strength and plenty more room for growth. He looks to shoot on the catch and is very consistent behind the arc, using a hard dribble to find his pull-up mid-range jumper if needed, and his drive game is underrated.

The next step for Able is to lock in as a defender both on and off the ball.

Jamarion Batemon

Batemon was one of the premier shot-makers in the 2025 class earlier this summer. He's an offensive juggernaut, despite a non-traditional shooting stroke, and his makes are high-level. He has a tight frame and pound-for-pound strength.

Batemon's mentality is clearly defined to score and be a difference-maker shooting the ball. And it shows: Over the past two years, he's improved on his 3-point shooting, going from 37% last year to 42% this summer while averaging over nine attempts from deep per game.

Ryder Frost

Sensing a theme? Frost is another addition with strong shot-making ability. He also has a sturdy frame, good fundamentals and is productive.

"He's a big reason why [his AAU team, the Middlesex Magic] win," USA Basketball director Don Showalter said.

The wing shoots a high volume of 3s but made 44% of them with his feet set and 56% off running screens, a skill coveted by college coaches. He has a quick release, good mechanics and is always dialed into the next possession, showing a mindfulness on the court.

Frost visited Iowa this past weekend and plans to visit Michigan, Wisconsin and Notre Dame. He has already visited Syracuse, Penn State and Virginia Tech.

Miles Sadler

Sadler is one of the quickest guards in the class with the smarts to know when to change his pace to beat defenders and get them off balance. He's a true paint-toucher with a floater and a low, tight handle.

Sadler played well in the FIBA U17 World Championships, finishing with 14 points and four assists per game. The highlight: an efficient 30 points against Egypt.

Darius Ratliff

Long-framed and fluid, Ratliff plays both in the paint and on the perimeter. He's a great rim protector. Offensively, Ratliff is a notable jump-shooter and finisher with a lot of potential.

His father, Theo Ratliff, was an NBA All-Star and two-time All-Defensive second team player.

RISERS

Nate Ament

Rising in the rankings to crack the top five is a big jump. Ament continues to utilize both his size and finesse, and his shot-making, scoring and game instincts on all platforms were evident this summer. He was the best prospect from Team Loaded in 3SSB, the MVP of the Slam Classic and impressed at Elite 24 and Nike Skills camp.

His future screams versatile wing who specializes in scoring. He plays fast, thinks slow -- he's rarely sped up -- and is competitive. He's now firmly on the NBA's radar.

Shelton Henderson

Henderson is one of the more dependable prospects in this class. He's a 6-5 guard with a 6-10 wingspan who is a great driver, but can also move the ball (2.5 assists per game).

His production comes by way of opportunity. He makes defenders pay in transition, finishes his cuts and converts putbacks. Henderson knows his jumper is a work in progress, but college coaches see immense value in his overall game.

After a Louisville visit Aug. 23, Henderson has visits planned to Texas Tech (Sept. 13), Houston (Sept. 20), Texas (Sept. 27), Duke (Oct. 3) and LSU (Oct. 11).

Cornelius Ingram Jr.

Like his father -- Cornelius Ingram Sr., who arrived at Florida as a quarterback before transitioning to tight end and seeing three seasons in the NFL -- Ingram Jr. was at one time slated to be a high-major quarterback before switching focuses to basketball.

Making a big jump with his ball skills this summer, Ingram Jr. is a multi-positional player who scores, defends and handles the ball when needed. One of the better and more productive two-way players in the class.

Miikka Muurinen

Originally from Finland, Muurinen has great mobility with the size of a center, shooting accuracy and inside touch. He stood out on a big stage at Peach Jam (61% shooting, 50% from behind the arc, 90% on free throws) and led Bradley Beal Elite to a 16U championship.

He'll produce even more as he runs with greater effort. High-majors are pursuing Muurinen on the strength of his overall offensive skill level, shot-blocking, touch and agile size.

"I've taken unofficial visits to Cincinnati, Indiana and Minnesota," he told ESPN. "I'm going on official visits to Utah (Sept. 6-8), Duke (Sept. 27-29) and I will be rescheduling my Kentucky visit. I'm also looking at North Carolina, UConn and Michigan."

Christian Collins

Collins is slowly turning his potential into an impressive skill set. He can play either forward position and is strongly considered one of the better long-term prospects in the 2026 class.

From his drive game all the way to the arc, Collins is hard to guard. He gets low and has the long strides and length to finish. His pull-up jumper is taking shape, and he'll sprinkle in a 3-point shot.

Collins earned five-star status and breaks into the top 10 in this update.

SLEEPERS

Acaden Lewis

One of the better guards in the country at playing out of the pick-and-roll and making reads, Lewis plays a balanced game, scoring as much as he passes efficiently. His float game is effective in tight spaces -- he makes 42% of those shots according to Synergy Sports -- and will only become more important as the competition gets stronger.

In a small sample, Lewis has shown he can keep defenses honest by making 46% of his catch-and-shoot 3s. Most of his long-distance shots come off the dribble, but he converted on just 24% of those attempts. His 5.7 assists per game are certainly attractive.

His final eight schools are Tennessee, UConn, Kentucky, Syracuse, Michigan, North Carolina, Duke and Auburn.

Derek Dixon

Despite not receiving much fanfare, Dixon always gets the job done. His complete game stands out and his open 3-point shooting is impressive. Dixon exudes confidence during games.

"He's calm under pressure and can adjust his game throughout the game," Gonzaga College High School coach Steve Turner said. "He's known as a shooter and scorer, but now he can facilitate as well."

Dixon told ESPN he has visited Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Vanderbilt, with additional visits planned to North Carolina (Sept. 6-8) and Arizona (Sept. 13-15). He hopes to make a decision on or by his birthday, which is Sept. 27.

Dante Allen

It's easy to get overshadowed by the excellent Boozer twins when you're on the same team. Still, Allen is the anchor of a Nightrydas team that won Peach Jam this summer. He scores and is always in the right place at the right time defensively. Allen has a durable frame, above-average 3-point shooting and is a high-level decision-maker with the passing vision to make the assist.

His dad, Malik Allen, was a valuable player at Villanova who etched out an 11-year NBA career despite going undrafted and is now an assistant coach with the Miami Heat.

Villanova, Notre Dame, Georgia and Tennessee are Allen's final choices.

Xavion Staton

A late-blooming prospect, Staton recently entered the rankings as he develops into a more consistent player and high-level prospect. He's at his best when he keeps it simple as a standout rim protector defensively and finisher on the offensive end. He has the self-awareness to play to his strengths and stay in the paint on both ends to make an impact.

Staton will only get stronger as he plays more and stays lower in his stance. His increased productivity will be fun to watch.

Staton's final four schools are BYU, Stanford, Michigan and UNLV.

Anthony Thompson

The combination of Thompson's 7-1 wingspan with his advanced skill level and soft shooting touch from different spots on the floor is intriguing. He makes the game look easy at times.

Strength and conditioning is a must heading into his junior season to pack more mass onto his light frame. His current ranking stems from his potential -- adding more consistency is his next step.