Making The Case: Top Prospect in 2022 Class

<p>With the Prep Hoops new rankings coming out in the next few months, it’s time to take a look at the top players in the class of 2022 and see how each is performing this season. Could there be some shakeup at the top? Who is making their case for the top player in the class? Here is a breakdown of some of the potential candidates for the class.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="769653" first="Jalen" last="Washington"] (Gary West; PF)</p> <p><strong>Current Ranking: 1</strong></p> <p>The current top-ranked player in the 2022 class, Washington still has a lot of room for growth. </p> <p>The 6-foot-9 forward is finally healthy after back-to-back season ending injuries (shoulder, knee) to begin his high school career. He is still getting his conditioning and mobility back, but you can see the flashes of greatness. </p> <p>He is a stretch forward who has a really good stroke from deep and continues to shoot it with confidence, connecting on 37 percent from deep. He still needs to build more of a post game, but that will come with time as he gets back to taking contact around the basket. </p> <p>This season he is averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds per game.</p> <p>Washington is extremely skilled and is one of the top players in the country. As long as he can stay healthy, he will be a very tough player to dethrone from the top spot.</p> <p><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/vincent-iwuchukwu/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="889557" first="Vincent" last="Iwuchukwu"]</span></a> (La Lumiere; C)</p> <p><strong>Current Ranking: 2</strong></p> <p><span class="name-pointer">Iwuchukwu</span> is new to the state of Indiana, transferring into La Lumiere this season, but has already made a name for himself. </p> <p>At this stage, he isn't someone with a ton of skill on the offensive end. He is still relatively raw, but continues to develop more post moves. His range, however, has seen a very welcomed development as he is a threat from three. Still trying to become more consistent in that area, it is a part of his game that the defense has to respect.</p> <p>His main impact comes on the glass and defensively as a shot blocker. </p> <p><span class="name-pointer">Iwuchukwu</span> is a name to keep an eye on as his offensive game opens up. He is currently averaging around 13 points and 7 rebounds per game.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="769654" first="D’Ante" last="Davis"] (Warren Central; SF)</p> <p><strong>Current Ranking: 3</strong></p> <p>Davis, who played behind his brother [player_tooltip player_id="567849" first="D’Andre" last="Davis"] last year, followed his dad to Warren Central for his junior season and has taken on a larger role. </p> <p>The Louisville commit is averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds per game and is a versatile forward who can play a few different perimeter positions.</p> <p>He still has to develop a consistent jumper but his slashing ability is extremely effective and difficult to defended with his size and length. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="870213" first="Chris" last="Gunn"] (Lawrence North; SG)</p> <p><strong>Current Ranking: 4</strong></p> <p>The Lawrence North guard has been one of the biggest risers in the 2022 class since the end of last season. After playing more of a reserve role as a sophomore, Gunn has emerged as one of the top players for one of the best teams in the state. </p> <p>Averaging around 14 points per game, Gunn is starting to play his best basketball near the end of the season and has started taking on the role of taking the big shot near the end of the game. He is playing alongside Butler-signee [player_tooltip player_id="830575" first="DJ" last="Hughes"] and one of the more underrated point guards in the 2021 class in [player_tooltip player_id="783180" first="Shamar" last="Avance"], so Gunn isn’t always getting a ton of shots. Lawrence North also runs a much slower offensive pace than others. </p> <p>What makes Gunn special is his ability to be a very good two-way player. His length and athleticism on the defensive end has him emerging as a lockdown defender. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1063961" first="Fletcher" last="Loyer"] (Homestead; SG)</p> <p><strong>Current Ranking: 7</strong></p> <p>Loyer has emerged as one of the top players in the class of 2022 in Indiana despite being in the state for just one season. </p> <p>The Purdue commit is averaging 24.7 points per game - 16th in the state - to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game for an undefeated Homestead squad. His best performance this season was a 50-point outing against Marion. </p> <p>Loyer is playing alongside Illinois-signee [player_tooltip player_id="529568" first="Luke" last="Goode"] so at times he isn’t even the featured player on the roster. </p> <p>After the season that Loyer is having, he is definitely raising his stock and should see a bump in the rankings and could be a dark horse for a top-3 spot in the rankings.</p>