Updated 2021 Rankings: Baltimore Prospects (26-50)
This past Wednesday, our updated rankings for the 2021 class released. There has been significant movement throughout as players capitalized off of strong endings to their respective high school seasons and have been productive so far this summer. For this…
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Continue ReadingThis past Wednesday, our updated rankings for the 2021 class released. There has been significant movement throughout as players capitalized off of strong endings to their respective high school seasons and have been productive so far this summer.
For this set of articles, I’ll break down the prospects from the Baltimore area that landed in the rankings.
Ahmad Harrison | 6’1 | Gerstell/Team Thrill
Ranking: No. 26
Harrison is a 6-foot-1 guard that fills many different roles for Gerstell. Because of their lack of height, Harrison is featured sometimes as the wing or power forward and while he gives up a ton of height at those positions, his toughness and IQ allow him to be effective. It also forces him to be a rebounding presence and from there, Harrison can lead the break where he makes sound decisions. Offensively, Harrison is most effective in isolation situations where he can use his shiftiness with the ball to free himself for an open shot. He’s fearless when it comes to driving to the basket and embraces contact. Harrison holds offers from Virginia Tech, St. John’s and Bryant.
Byron Irleand | 6’2 | St. Frances/Team Melo
Ranking: No. 30
Ireland looks to pick his recruitment up with his decision to transfer for St. Frances. The 6-foot-2 combo guard will be a key piece to the Panthers’ success as they partake in an extremely challenging schedule. Ireland is a guard who can score it in a variety of ways, and in a hurry, too. He’s at his best in transition when he can use his strength and athletics to finish around the rim. He can knock down shots from the mid-range off the dribble and from three off the catch. He plays with a bulldog mentality, which makes him a tough on-ball defender and a good rebounder for his position. Ireland currently holds no offers.
Ausar Crawley | 5’8 | Mt. St. Joe/Team Thrill
Ranking: No. 33
Crawley made a name for himself two seasons ago when he stepped in as a freshman and provided meaningful minutes to a loaded Mt. St. Joe team. In his sophomore season, he was expected to have a much bigger role and be the floor general to help find James Bishop (LSU) in his sweet spots. There were plenty of times though, where Crawley had to take the scoring load into his own hands and he did so successfully. The 5-foot-8 guard brings high IQ, an ability to control the pace of a game and toughness at the point guard position. He plays football as well, so he doesn’t avoid contact especially when heading to the rim for a bucket. Crawley is a deadly mid-range shooter off the bounce when going to his left. He’s become a capable catch-and-shoot guy from three. As a passer, he may not make the home run pass every time, but he makes the pass that sets up an assist, which is even more valuable when you have player that understands that facet. Crawley holds offers from Bryant and Stony Brook.
Jared Billups | 6’6 | McDonogh/Team BBC
Ranking: No. 35
Of this group, Billups seems to have the highest ceiling due to his size and all that he can bring to a team. At 6-foot-6, Billups is not only finally growing into his body, he’s starting to figure out the game and how he can be a dominant impact. He is a hardhat type of player that can fit in any scheme. He doesn’t need the ball to produce, but when he has it, he can take his man off the dribble and finish strong around or over the rim. Billups has the freedom to collect rebounds and push as the ball-handler in transition. With his size, speed and athleticism at 6-foot-6, it allows him to see over the defense and find open teammates. Perhaps where Billups is most valuable is on the defensive side. He’s always called upon by the coaching staff to guard the other teams best player. At the high school level he can guard positions 1-4 effectively. Billups moves well laterally to guard the small, quicker guards and has good strength to be physical with the bigger forwards. He holds offers from Bryant and Loyola (MD).
Malik Missouri | 6’5 | Gilman/Team Thrill
Ranking: No. 36
Missouri had ups and downs last season in terms of production. Although he is a very capable player, it seems like he was battling some confidence issues. This spring and summer he has shown much improvement in terms of confidence and he’ll need to considering he’ll carry a heavy offensive load this season for Gilman. The 6-foot-5 wing/forward is a slim, smooth and finesse type of player who can knock down shots. His sweet spot is the baseline corner from 15 feet and out, but he’s showing glimpses of improved ball-handling and ability to create on his own. As a defender, Missouri uses his length to contest shots on a consistent basis. While he moves well laterally, it’s still an area for him to improve in order to become as versatile as possible. With that being said, he can still guard 2-4 and be very effective doing so. Missouri holds offers from St. John’s, Bryant and Loyola (MD).
Hassan Massenburg | 6’5 | Poly/Team Melo
Ranking: No. 42
Massenburg is a prospect who has improved at a steady rate since transferring to Poly. The 6-foot-5 wing is known as being a do-it-all type of player who can knock down the occasional three. Massenburg is still that guy, but cranked up a notch and has added wrinkles into his game to make it even better. His athleticism now allows him to finish over the rim on a consistent basis and his skill set as a scorer is expanding. As Massenburg keeps that gritty mindset and continues to add on little, but vital technicalities to his game, college programs should start calling.