Summer Retrospect: What We Learned About The 2018 Class
First and foremost, subscribers to the Prep Hoops Network know that you can always depend on consistency throughout the Prep Hoops nation within the content we provide to you the viewer. We’ve gotta give a shout-out to Indiana contributor Eric Gardner on this one. You can see his piece on Indiana’s 2018 class, “What Did We Learn: 2018 Class” here.
Talk about a class that exploded throughout summer ’17. This time last year, guys like Adam Kunkel, Andrew Taylor, Mickey Pearson were thought of as D-1 talents – but the proof wasn’t completely in the offers just yet. All had at least one offer at the time. Fast-forward to the end of July 2017 and the list for each one just goes on and on. Along with the above mentioned, we expect close to 25 or more Kentucky kids to end up on a D-1 roster after graduation.
C.J. Fredrick still sits atop the rest. The sharpshooting guard from Covington Catholic is (at the moment) the only prospect with “power five” conference offers. But Andrew Taylor flat out made a name for himself this summer, with coaches from across the country taking notice of his all-around ability at the guard position. A number of coaches think Taylor could have the most successful college career of any prospect in the 2018 class, one specific reason being that the schools recruiting him – fit his skill and ability to make a huge impact. With offers from powerhouse mid-majors such as Belmont and Davidson (among 20+ other schools), Taylor will bring his 29.5 points and 12 rebounds per game with him.
Adam Kunkel and Mickey Pearson made the right decision in teaming up with Indiana superstar Romeo Langford this summer, competing with Twenty Two Vision on the Adidas Gold circuit. Both proved their worth and had coaches making offers to them almost daily in July. Mercer County’s Trevon Faulkner also picked it up competing with Twenty Two Vision after a stellar junior season. Western Kentucky seems to be a favorite in landing a potential Mr. Basketball candidate.
Steven Fitzgerald continued being Steven Fitzgerald. The Pulaski County guard knocks down a ton of shots and has now had two summers playing with one of the country’s elite AAU programs in the Louisville Magic.
Jake Walter is without a doubt the most sought after big man in the 2018 class, with offers from over 15 different D-1 programs. Zach Kelch, a power forward from Simon Kenton picked up offers from military academies West Point and Navy.
The end of July saw a number of kids who we labeled as “dark horses” before this past weekend either pick up D-1 interest, or receive offers – just like 6’7 forward Carter Hendrickson (North Florida University). Justin Mitchell, Cobe Penny, Clint Wickliffe, Eric Boone, Terrance Murphy-Clayton, Alex Payne, and Solomon Mathis are all guys capable of landing at that level.
The 2018 class is also full of guys who can have a huge impact at the small college level. Darius Harding (Elizabethtown), Jared Coomer (Barren County), Brennan Hall (Newport Central Catholic), Pierce Kiesler (St. Xavier), Jarius Key (Bowling Green), Dalton Perkins (Mason County), Eric Powell (Lafayette), and many others are all strong candidates to play at the D-2 and NAIA levels. Pulaski’s strong point guard Danny Butt has already committed to Cumberlands. Other top NAIA and D-3 prospects include Max Sparkman (Lexington Catholic), Hunter Stevens (Pulaski Southwestern), Luke Ezell (Bullitt East), Ryan Anders (South Laurel), Brendan Young (Graves County), and a host of others.
You can see our most up-to-date 2018 prospect rankings here.