Class of 2023 Rankings: New Top 5
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The first full Class of 2023 rankings have been updated and it was certainly a challenge to put it all together. It certainly has been a tough off-season as we really haven’t gotten a chance to see many guys who…
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Continue ReadingThe first full Class of 2023 rankings have been updated and it was certainly a challenge to put it all together. It certainly has been a tough off-season as we really haven’t gotten a chance to see many guys who really didn’t play much varsity in 2019-20. But one thing that wasn’t hard to do was determine the top five, as all of whom were starters for their respective schools as freshmen. Here’s a look at these players going into the start of the 2021 season.
#1 – Marquis Cook Marquis Cook 6'6" | SF AZ Compass Prep | 2023 State #6 Nation AZ (2023 Jefferson)
Key stats: 13.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.1 bpg, .549 fg%
Cook remains number one and also has the status of being one of the top players in the entire country in the Class of 2023. It’s hard to argue with what he has to work with – he’s long athletic, and skilled for his 6-foot-7 size and his ceiling is extremely high. Throughout last season and even through this summer and fall, he seems to prefer to defer to older teammates but when called upon to step up, he is capable of delivering. Cook has already caught the eye of Oregon head coach Dana Altman and holds an offer from the Ducks, one of the few in-state players in the past decade to have earned one so early on in his high school career.
#2 – Jackson Shelstad Jackson Shelstad 6'0" | PG West Linn | 2023 State #55 Nation OR (2023 West Linn)
Key stats: 14.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 4.0 spg, .345 3pt%
Shelstad remains steady at #2 and had a heck of a freshman campaign, living up to much of the hype and comparisons to Payton Pritchard before he even set foot on the floor at West Linn. The 5-foot-11 and still growing point guard immediately showed that he could play at the varsity level offensively and was a real ball hawk in the passing lanes, leading 6A in steals per game. Shelstad continues to develop with his floor leadership and decision making as well as his on-the-ball defense, and continues to grow physically. He’s already picked up enough Division I scholarship offers where he needs both hands to count them.
#3 – Adrian Mosley Adrian Mosley 6'2" | SF West Linn | 2023 State #269 Nation OR (2023 Grant)
Key stats: 12.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 bpg, 1.9 spg, .549 fg%
The do-it-all Mosley quickly became a mainstay in the Grant starting lineup as a freshman and as his statistics read, did a little bit of everything on the basketball floor. At 6-foot-2 he was capable of playing every position on the floor on both ends and has some real old school flavor with the way he handles and passes the ball. Mosley ran with a number of different teams this summer and fall in the limited AAU scene and is a consistent jump shot away from really causing some havoc on the offensive end.
#4 – Kavon Bradford Kavon Bradford 6'2" | CG Benson | 2023 State OR (2023 Benson)
Key stats: 15.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg
Probably one of the least hyped guys from the class going into the season, Bradford quietly and at the same time loudly put up some of the best numbers in the state as a freshman. Now at 6-foot-2, he’s a wiry athlete who can really finish at the rim with a very quick leap, which also helps him become a real factor on the glass. Bradford showed he was near unstoppable getting to the basket but can get hot from the perimeter as well.
#5 – Esyah Pippa-White Esyah Pippa-White 6'2" | PG Gresham | 2023 State OR (2023 Gresham)
Key stats: 10.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.3 spg
A real case for Pippa-White could be made to be higher, as other than Cook and Shelstad, he’s currently the only other member of the Class of 2023 to hold a Division I offer as he has one from Jackson State. The 5-foot-11 point guard was one of the top assist men in all of 6A and as the season progressed, he improved with his court vision and consistency with his shooting. Pippa-White has added some strength this off-season and should be primed for a big year.