Class of 2023: Top Stock Riser Predictions

<p>With the high school basketball season set to start in December, these juniors have two more seasons to prove themselves worthy of the next level. Today we will be talking about a handful of players who could up their rankings within their class this upcoming season. Here are five players in the class of 2023 who will climb the rankings in the 2021/2022 high school season.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Cade-Gedeon.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-1179709" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Cade-Gedeon-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="153" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="969440" first="Cade" last="Gedeon"] | 6’2" Combo Guard | Steamboat Springs High School | Current Rank: 27</p> <table style="height: 21px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ff5b19;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">8.6 PPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">4.5 RPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">6.4 APG</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">2.6 SPG</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>One of the rare players who prove that you don’t need to score 20+ a game to lead your team to a 16-1 record. His ability to score with little to no dribbles indicates he can score if need be, but he excels at staying patient and making smart plays that benefit his team more than himself. His lack of selfishness often translates to wins and he confuses opposing teams with his diverse skillset every time he steps on the court. Whether it’s his lockdown defense, ability to score, facilitation, or controlling the glass, Cade is always finding ways to help his team secure the win. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1048509" first="Nathan" last="Davies"] | 6’5" PF | Colorado Springs Christian High School | Current Rank: 45</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center;">14.5 PPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center;">7.7 RPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center;">1.3 SPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center;">1.1 BPG</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Already having improved drastically from his first year, Nathan is looking to have yet another breakout season entering his junior year. Increasing his points per game by 8.7 from his freshman year to his sophomore year, Davies could very well surpass his 14.5 PPG average this upcoming season. In 15 games as a sophomore, he scored 217 points compared to his freshmen year when he scored 140 points in 24 games. Averaging nearly 2 offensive boards a game, he is either under the rim or flying in to crash the boards trying to ensure his team does not come up empty-handed on offense. Don’t let his skill of putting the ball through the net distract you from the fact that he could potentially average 2 steals and 2 blocks a game with his overwhelming length. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="969439" first="Tucker" last="Mills"] | 6’6" SG/SF | Lyons High School | Current Rank: 31</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 13px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 13px;"> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center; height: 13px;">23.1 PPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center; height: 13px;">4.5 RPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 13px; text-align: center;">3.3 APG</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 13px; text-align: center;">2.5 SPG</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>6’6" and moves like a 6’0 guard. Tucker impresses through playing exceptional defense on the perimeter and being able to create space for himself on offense. Being able to gather well-off stepbacks combined with his silk smooth jumper makes him almost unguardable at the high school level. Most of his steals come from behind the three-point line and he continues to shine when he goes coast to coast finishing in style with either hand. Although he is found around the three-point line majority of the time, he has a quick first step and release which allows him to score in many different ways. Asking for him to top his  23.1 PPG sophomore campaign shouldn’t come with too much trouble. You can expect him to continually grow as a player, especially in his playmaking since most defenses will be focusing on him in the upcoming years. </p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem;">[player_tooltip player_id="1150504" first="Brendan" last="Kooeinga"] | 6’0" Combo Guard | Lutheran High School | Current Rank: 52</span></p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center;">12.5 PPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center;">1.5 RPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center;">1.5 SPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center;">3P%: 40</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>A player we did not get to see a whole bunch last year, Brendan appeared in only two games for Lutheran High last year but showed promise. Lutheran is a 3A school that could compete with 4A/5A schools if necessary. With a dominant team last year, you wonder how much better it could’ve been with Brendan. Averaging 12.5 PPG in two games may not seem noteworthy unless you mention that Lutheran was the 4th ranked basketball team in Colorado according to <a href="https://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/lutheran-lions-(parker,co)/basketball-winter-20-21/rankings.htm">MaxPreps</a>. We can presume he is a natural at scoring since he was part of the 50-40-90 club. With that being said, [player_tooltip player_id="1150504" first="Brendan" last="Kooeinga"] could quite possibly be the real deal and if he can play the entire season he will undoubtedly climb the rankings. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/88-Luke-Wagstaff.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-1281587" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/88-Luke-Wagstaff-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="153" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="1284464" first="Luke" last="Wagstaff"] | 6’6" SF | Fort Collins High School | Current Rank: 59</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 21px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 25%; text-align: center; height: 21px;">10.4 PPG</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">3.9 RPG </td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">0.9 APG</td> <td style="width: 25%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">3P%: 48</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Being one of the most improved players in Colorado, Luke is a remarkable talent with a remarkable jump shot. Struggling as a freshman at Fort Collins High School, Luke bounced back his freshman year and went from averaging 0.7 PPG to 10.4 PPG. What stands out about Luke is his high shooting percentage from behind the arc (48%) all while shooting about 3 threes a game. His height and high shooting percentage grant him the ability to spread the floor and play inside and on the perimeter. As the game has evolved before us, and more threes are being taken than ever before, having a big being able to shoot that efficiently gives coaches more options on how to run their offense. Look out for Luke because he in all likelihood will be the go-to scorer this season. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>