Class of 2017 Outlook

<p>Like any class, this 2017 group has it&#39;s positives and negatives. Here&#39;s a breakdown on some of the things that make this class unique in addition to some lacking areas.</p><h2>Strengths</h2><h2>Elite Talent</h2><p>Clearly, the class of 2017 has an elite, NBA talent in <strong>DeAndre Ayton</strong>. The 7’1” center is widely considered the top prospect in the country regardless of class. The combination of his frame, athleticism, skill level, and ability to play within himself make him a future lottery pick barring injury.</p> <h2>Top 150 Talent</h2><p>Joining Ayton as potential top 150 national recruits are<strong> Alex Barcello</strong> (last year’s Player of the Year in the state of Arizona) and <strong>Saben Lee</strong>, an athletic point guard that emerged as one of the best players in his class this past spring and summer. After losing Markus Howard and Marcus Shaver due to transfer it&#39;s nice to have another high major caliber recruit surface.</p> <h2>Big Wings</h2><p>At the shooting guard and small forward slots there is some solid size at the top, starting with 6’5” Desert Vista wing <strong>Caleb Simmons</strong>. <strong>Chanell Banks</strong> can run three positions on both ends of the floor and 6’6” <strong>Saikou Gueye</strong> is a raw swingman with tremendous upside. Other wings with size and potential include <strong>Noah Baumann</strong>, <strong>Jaquan Butler</strong>, and <strong>DeShawn Wilson</strong>, among others.</p> <h2>Weaknesses</h2><h2>Interior Offense</h2><p>While DeAndre Ayton is clearly an elite prospect he is not necessarily known for his ability to make plays on the block (though he does have some ability in that area). Looking at the rest of the posts in this class there aren’t many that stand out as go to scorers.<strong> Gabe McGlothan, Jake Hess, Curtis Hodges, </strong>and <strong>Nigel Shadd</strong> (the next four ranked post players) are all specialists, be it defensive or on the glass. Looking up and down the post list, the ability to score with the basket with regularity is scarce.</p> <h2>D2/NAIA D1 Depth</h2><p>While there is a solid group of players that will contribute at the NCAA D2/NAIA D1 levels the depth is not close to the 2016 class. After the top 40 or so guys, the best level for most prospects would be NCAA D3/NAIA D2.</p>