2023 Bigs Rankings (5-1)

<p>As we look at the first class of 2023 rankings in the state of VA, we will break down the positional rankings by guards, wings and big men. While we label prospects by six positions as far as point guards, combo guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers, I like to put some of them together to simplify things and do rankings based on the three main positions.</p> <p>Today, we take a look at part two of the bigs rankings, looking at some of the top five power forwards and centers in the first class of 2023 rankings.</p> <p><strong>5) [player_tooltip player_id="999635" first="Josh" last="Sime"] | 6’7” | Western Albemarle (#27 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Sime is another in a long line of impressive big men that have come through Western Albemarle and has already started his sophomore year strong and could end up being the best one they’ve had. At 6’7” he has extremely long arms and is a good athlete, and he has terrific timing as a shot blocker and rim protector and cleans the glass on both ends of the floor. He’s a guy who can score with his back to the basket, he can face up and take guys off the bounce and he can stretch the floor out to 18 feet as well.</p> <p><strong>4) [player_tooltip player_id="1117680" first="Josh" last="Hughes"] | 6’6” | John Marshall (#22 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Hughes is a new name in the Richmond area that started to come on strong in the fall and has improved immensely over the past few months. He’s a young big with a good body that should still be growing, and he has a great base skillset to continue to build upon and improve with time and hard work. He’s very mobile for his size and runs the floor hard, he has good hands and feet and good touch out past the elbows and he plays with a good motor and works hard on his game which bolds well for him moving forward.</p> <p><strong>3) [player_tooltip player_id="999623" first="Luke" last="Smith"] | 6’8” | Collegiate (#15 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Smith is coming off of a very impressive summer and fall with Team Richmond, and heading to Collegiate School to play for a coach that utilizes his big men should give him the right opportunity to show what he can do. A highly skilled and cerebral big man that is comfortable in the paint and on the perimeter, Smith can stretch the defense by shooting the rock and he can also handle and pass it with confidence on the perimeter as well. He has terrific touch and playmaking ability, he can rebound on both ends and he has great hands and feet in the paint as well.</p> <p><strong>2) [player_tooltip player_id="999617" first="Carter" last="Lang"] | 6’9” | St. Anne’s Belfield (#10 Overall)</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Lang-Carter-CBG.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1067928" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Lang-Carter-CBG-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Lang was arguably the most productive and impressive freshman big last year at STAB, and he’s continued to show improvement in his production rate and confidence every time that I watch him. He’s a big kid who has continued to grow and he plays the game with a great passion and energy on both ends of the floor. He has great touch and has improved his range out to the three-point line, he has good feet in the paint and he’s a terrific rebounder that pursues the ball on both ends and is a solid shot blocker on the defensive end too. He’s a walking double-double that is capable of putting up big numbers against the best of the best, and college coaches are starting to take notice.</p> <p><strong>1) [player_tooltip player_id="892134" first="Justin" last="McBride"] | 6’7” | Oak Hill Academy (#5 Overall)</strong></p> <p>McBride is a new name to keep an eye on in the 2023 class after transferring from South Garland, Texas to Oak Hill and has already shown a lot of promise in the minutes he’s played. A stretch big man that has a blend of size, skill and athleticism, McBride has big time potential as a new age four man that can shoot it from deep and protect the rim on the defensive end as well. He has a great frame and is likely still growing, he’s extremely mobile and can play in transition with guards and he has a sniper from deep with good size that allows him to make shots over top of guys.</p>