VISAA Rankings: Big Men 10-6 (All Classes)
With our updated class rankings coming out soon for the 2017-2019 classes, we thought it would be fun to try something different for a change. We broke our rankings up into public schools in the VHSL and private schools that play…
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Continue ReadingWith our updated class rankings coming out soon for the 2017-2019 classes, we thought it would be fun to try something different for a change. We broke our rankings up into public schools in the VHSL and private schools that play in the VISAA (sorry Oak Hill), and broke them down into three positions: Point guards, wings and big men. We took all of the players that we ranked in our three classes in each position, and came up with a top 10 for each position regardless of the class. While breaking them up into classes is great for recruiting purposes, it’s also cool to take a look at who the best in the state is regardless of year.
It wasn’t easy to make cuts because of all the great players, but we did our best to compare the over 300 ranked kids in the state to come up with our list. Here, we take a look at the top of our list for the best big men in the VISAA, again regardless of classification or age. Here’s numbers 10-6 for the best posts in all of the private schools in Virginia. Stay tuned for more rankings previews, and our fully updated prospect rankings coming soon! Let the debate begin!
10) Dimitri Georgiadis | Benedictine | 2018
He has all of the tools to be a successful division one prospect, but in the past he hasn’t been a consistent producer in the time he’s played. This summer, he split time playing for River City Reign and the Romanian National Team, and he again showed flashes that this could be his year. The 6’8” Georgiadis is a solid rebounder, can score in face up or back to the basket situations and is a good free throw shooter when teams decide to put him on the line. If he can be assertive and engaged throughout the season for Benedictine he could see his stock pick up big time.
9) Ameer Bennett | St. Chris | 2017
This will be a vital year for Bennett, who took a big jump at the end of last season for the Saints. With the departure of Virginia all time leading scorer Nic Sherod to the University of Richmond, he’ll have to produce in the paint on both ends and help keep the pressure off of Lafayette commit Alex Petrie. The bright side is that he seems ready, as Bennett has improved as much as anyone in the state over the past two seasons. He’s got a lot stronger, allowing him to secure rebounds, and at 6’8” he can protect the rim, finish in the paint and has developed a solid midrange jumper. If he can turn that improvement into production, he’ll likely see more division one schools in need of a big man in the Saint Chris gym this year.
8) Zach Pfaffenberger | Episcopal | 2018
He provided size and toughness in the paint for Episcopal on their way to a state championship last season, and he’ll have to do that plus some more if they’re going to see the same type of success this year. Pfaffenberger is pushing 6’8”, which allows him to contest shots in the paint and clean up the glass on the offensive end. He has a solid array of moves with his back to the basket, and he gets to the line a fair amount where he shoots pretty well for a big man. If he can stay out of foul trouble while doing the dirty work for them as well, he’ll be an important part of their team again this year.
7) Admir Besovich | VES | 2017
Talk about improvement, Besovich looked night and day this summer with Spectrum from when he came to VES from Bosnia last year. He was supposed to be a backup and role player at the beginning of the year, but injuries forced him into the starting lineup, and his size and ability to rebound helped them win a VISAA Division Two State Championship. While he’s still a little stiff, he showed improved mobility this summer where he ran the floor well and finished in transition. He’s massive at a legit 7’0″, and he can score in the half court on the offensive glass and with his back to the basket. He’s still a project, but you won’t find anyone in the state with better size than him.
6) Qudus Wahab | VA Academy | 2019
Big men typically take a good amount of time to develop, however Wahab has come along faster than many people thought he would. A legit 6’11” with freakish length, he’s always been a presence defensively by blocking and altering shots when he stays out of foul trouble. Offensively, he’s really worked on using his athleticism to his advantage as he gets a lot of points by running the floor and cleaning up misses in transition. At the BooPlex Jamboree earlier this month, he showed improvement in the half court where he worked well out of the face up and battled in the paint with some of the best. He’ll still likely get overshadowed by teammate and Vanderbilt commit Ejike Obinna, but the twin towers are vital if VA Academy wants to make a run at another state championship.