Class of 2018 Breakdown
Louisiana’s Class of 2018 is much like the class of 2017 in not only top end talent but the death of the class, level of athletes (multi-sport and basketball), and the players who everyone has an eye on as they…
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Continue ReadingLouisiana’s Class of 2018 is much like the class of 2017 in not only top end talent but the death of the class, level of athletes (multi-sport and basketball), and the players who everyone has an eye on as they step into bigger roles this coming season. There aren’t as many developed bigs in the class but that’s to be expected at this age.
At the top of the rankings is Team USA alum Javonte Smart (6’4 PG, Scotlandville) who continues to prove his top 5 ranking. There are two other nationally recognized prospects that also play up to 17u in the UA Association but with LA Elite, Joshua Leblanc (6’6 F, Madison Prep) who filled the stat sheet all season before missing the last session and Greg Williams (6’3 G, Lafayette Christian) who is another stat stuffer who often does all the little things for a team but is on the cusp of breaking out big time.
Jared Butler (6’1 G, Riverside) is next in line at 4 but has missed most of the summer with injuries. His role with Riverside will take a huge jump in what his coach says will look like the offense former Louisiana Prep star Tweety Carter ran. After Butler is the trio that has taken the 16u Louisiana Elite to a great season thus far. At 5 is Jharon Whitfield (6’0 SG, Madison Prep) as a knockdown shooter and his teammate Kobe Julien (6’5 F, Madison Prep) at 7 is an extremely skilled and versatile offensive player as well. Between them is lefty point guard Tyrece Radford (6’o, McKinley) who makes his living in the lane off the bounce.
Afterwards you have a mix of athletic forwards, scoring guards, and players much more likely to play football than basketball. One of the lone bigs who is basketball dominant is Jaden Edward (6’8 C, Lafayette) who is beginning to scratch the surface of his offensive potential and athleticism.
There are of course sleepers and guys who have risen lately and we’ll get to those in the coming weeks. For now, get to local gyms for summer leagues and team camps to see how these rising juniors begin to take control of their new roles for their respective high schools.