2021 Rankings: Five Questions For July

<p>With the AAU travel season set to tip-off across the country next weekend, here's a look at five questions we have for the month of July...</p> <p><strong>Who’s No. 3-5?</strong></p> <p>I think [player_tooltip player_id="804893" first="David" last="Joplin"] is pretty secure in the No. 2 spot behind [player_tooltip player_id="544570" first="Patrick" last="Baldwin Jr."], but I’m not taking [player_tooltip player_id="804897" first="James" last="Graham"], [player_tooltip player_id="701965" first="Cade" last="Meyer"], or [player_tooltip player_id="804895" first="Tyrese" last="Hunter"] out of the discussion. </p> <p>Both Graham and Hunter have been racking up offers this spring. In fact, Graham might be the hottest prospect in the country right now. That high major offer has eluded Meyer  to this point, but at the end of last summer, he was certainly playing to that level.</p> <p>I am going to hold off updating the 2021 rankings. As much as eyes open when you see Graham and Hunter start to reel in the offers they have, I’ve never been one to over-react to offers that occur in non-evaluation periods. The fact of the matter is, all of these offers across the state are going to have to be re-earned anyway  -- assuming we get a live period or two. The rankings should follow suit and the kids will get that chance to earn their spot and climb the ladder here soon.</p> <p>Currently, [player_tooltip player_id="830582" first="Cameron" last="Palesse"]  sits at the No. 5 spot. Although he may drop, it's not on him, because he’s done nothing to fall in these rankings. In fact, Palesse is arguably the most consistent prospect in this class. The Waukesha West standout never seems to have a bad game or an off-night.  I see him being another Marcus Domask or [player_tooltip player_id="544501" first="Dalton" last="Banks"] -- a kid that’s going to walk into a mid-major, play right away, and have a big impact for four years.</p> <p><strong>Could a new name jump into the top five?</strong></p> <p>There are some other prospects who are hot right now across the country. [player_tooltip player_id="929231" first="Kobe" last="Johnson"], [player_tooltip player_id="879982" first="Logan" last="Landers"], and [player_tooltip player_id="804898" first="Brandin" last="Podziemski"] have all picked up high major offers in the spring/summer.</p> <p>Could any of these three end up in the top five? </p> <p>It would take a big summer, but it’s certainly possible. With the Nike EYBL canceled, I’m not sure how many chances we’ll get to see these three, but I think all bring something intriguing to the table.</p> <p>Johnson has terrific positional size at 6-foot-5 and sees the floor as well as any prospect in the state. Podziemski is a deadly shooter and a better athlete than people think. Landers has mismatch nightmare written all over him and plays with a huge chip on his shoulder.</p> <p><strong>Who else could earn Division 1 offers?</strong></p> <p>As of today, there are  15 Wisconsin prospects who hold an offer from a Division 1 program.  Will some new names emerge this summer and get an opportunity to play at the highest level?</p> <p>There are three names I think that are best positioned to land their first D1 offer -- JaKobe Thompson, [player_tooltip player_id="804899" first="Zac" last="Johnson"], and I’ll throw a name a little bit off the radar, [player_tooltip player_id="701973" first="Grant" last="Asman"]. </p> <p>From what I’m hearing, Asman has been getting some pretty positive feedback from mid-major schools. Programs will reach on big men  -- not that Asman would be a reach -- but he hasn’t been seen a ton yet and was somewhat hidden by playing for a loaded Kimberly squad. He’s also a 6-foot-9 power forward that’s mobile, can handle and shoot the ball, protect the rim, and moves quite well laterally on the perimeter. </p> <p>Thompson has the skills and scoring ability. He’s just an offensive machine, able to get to the rack and find his way through tight areas if needed. I think the biggest questions for him -- can he get bigger, can he develop into more of a pure point guard, and can he defend at the D1 level? </p> <p>As for Johnson. He shoots it  at a high major level.  We know that. I think he’s a better athlete than he gets credit for, but might be knocked because of a stocky body type.  There’s always going to be a demand for players that can light it up on the catch-and-shoot or off the bounce. I think that will keep Johnson on a lot of mid-major radars throughout the summer.</p> <p><strong>Who will be the  biggest risers in July/August?</strong></p> <p>There are about five prospects right now that if you look at their ranking, you could make a very good argument for them shooting up the list by the end of the summer. Those five are [player_tooltip player_id="879995" first="Brock" last="Heffner"], Jevan Boynton, [player_tooltip player_id="880003" first="Victor" last="Desmond"], [player_tooltip player_id="935490" first="Jalen" last="Keago"], [player_tooltip player_id="880034" first="Selle" last="Dime"].</p> <p>Heffner has already secured a spot in the top 30. I just need to see him live to make sure  the film matches up with how he performs live. </p> <p>Boynton is an interesting prospect who has a terrific frame and ideal position size for the wing spot.  As a junior, he showed some big flashes for Madison East  and could be a guy that jumps onto the scene this summer.</p> <p>Both Keago and Desmond are similar in that way as well. Two athletically intriguing wings with some budding perimeter skills, but also guys who can play above the rim and do some exciting things there.</p> <p>Dime has some of the best upside in this class, if not the best upside. The 6-foot-8 wing/forward is a ball of clay just ready to be molded. </p> <p><strong>Who will commit with no live period on the books?</strong></p> <p>The NCAA announced on Thursday that there will be no live period all the way through August. September is still a possibility, but  this could play be a huge advantage for numerous mid-major schools.</p> <p>Without a live period, there's going to be a ton of guesswork involved and offers are already flying around across the country -- with many schools pulling the trigger on prospects they've never personally seen. But this gives a huge opportunity for the mid-major programs to keep their top targets a secret  and potentially reel in commitments earlier than expected now that players won't be able to compete for those high-major offers on the AAU circuit for at least  two more months...if at all.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>