Rankings Update: Wing Movement in the 2019 Class
The 2019 class ranking were updated this past week with tons of movement. There were debates about who should go where, new players added and one of the best developments – players that were high in the rankings that put…
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Continue ReadingThe 2019 class ranking were updated this past week with tons of movement. There were debates about who should go where, new players added and one of the best developments – players that were high in the rankings that put in the work and are now a lot higher. Here are five wings that made the most movement heading into the 2018-19 season.
Matthew Ragsdale – Lewis Palmer
Matthew had the biggest jump out of any player in the entire state as he now the No. 8 player in the class. He is coming off of one of the most impressive summer of any player in the state in which he put up huge numbers. Matthew is a big-time scorer and one of the state’s best shooters and it is going to be very hard to beat this Lewis Palmer team as they are my early picks to win it all. He is a player that opens things up from beyond the arc but is capable of getting into the paint and causing havoc. He is a team player that gets others involved and can generate offense even when his shot is not falling. Matthew is very deserving as one of the best players in the class and will have to prove that he is big time this upcoming season.
Josh Rogers – Arvada West
Josh is as complete as they come. He finishes at the rim, he brings the ball up the court and creates off of the dribble, he gets others involved but what he does best is let it fly. Rogers can really shoot the ball from deep and that spaces the floor for others. His ability to create for himself and shoot essentially any shot really makes it easy for him to score and he used that size and shot to move all the way up to the No.9 player in the class with a solid last season and an even better offseason. Josh was A-West’ best player last year and leading scorer at 16 points a game and will try and increase those numbers. He rebounds well as well as defends the opposing team’s best player and is a player that I believe will be a dark-horse Mr. Basketball pick this year. He only gets better, this should be his best year yet.
Tyler Unger – Grandview
Not many players in the state can alter the outcome of the game in a matter of a few possessions but Unger is a microwave. He generates offense the moment that he touches the court and is one of the state’s best shooters from deep. He has great size and with that can shoot it over smaller defenders but he also has a quick first step that gets the defender off balance and he is able to hit his shot. Unger is a player that is great off ball as he has smart movement and a coach can put in for situational basketball. He is a player that can fit in seamlessly with any team in the state as he takes high I.Q shots and doesn’t turn the ball over much. Unger was the X-factor for Grandview in their state title run last season and is a player that must be accounted for at all times and heading into senior season will have. A bigger role and be asked to be the go-to scorer that gets the Wolves going. He is my pick for leading scorer on the team this upcoming year and should light up the Centennial league from deep. He is the No. 16 player in the class and has made huge improvements in his game this offseason as well.
Dalton Knecht – Prairie View
Dalton is the No. 18 player in the class and is a player that will probably rise with team success. Dalton has great length and is a versatile wing that can put it on the ground as well as light up scoreboards with his unique scoring abilities. He can score from all three levels on the court and pushes the tempo. The Thunder hawks will be a very young bunch and will go without their leading scorer from last season catapulting Dalton as the alpha dog out of the bunch. Teams will game plan for him specifically and it will be up to him to get the team out of a bind and most likely each win. I can’t name a player in the state that will be asked to do as much as him but he has put in the time and showed that he could be relied on to carry the team. This senior year he should be able to lead Prairie View in every single category and will be a stat stuffer, with team success he will stand-out as one of the most important players in the state. Big season coming for him.
Darien Myers – Palmer
Darien comes in at No. 36 but will easily be a player that plays beyond his ranking. He should probably be in the top 30 and I fully expect him to come into the season with. A chip on his shoulder and prove that he belongs. He is a player that does it all and had top 10 in the class stats last season it was just that Palmer had an underwhelming year finishing 7-16. If Darien creates more wins for Palmer and has the same type of year where he put up 16.5 points, 8.6 rebounds a game I expect him to enter the top 20 by mid-season and maybe push for even further. Darien is a big-time player that can shoot, defend, rebound and score in bunches and will have to duplicate that kind of production with wins as well to be taken seriously.