2022 Rankings: a View from the Top

<p>It’s rare that Kansas produces the kind of talent found at the top of the 2022 rankings. Three nationally-ranked, highly coveted DI prospects top the list.</p> <p>With rare movement at the top of the rankings, and with the top two players playing at a prep program, the top players on the list haven’t gotten much ink on the Prep Hoops site.</p> <p>Let’s fix that. Here’s a quick look at the players atop the 2022 list:</p> <p>#1 [player_tooltip player_id="787626" first="Mark" last="Mitchell"], 6-foot-8 forward, Sunrise:</p> <p>#8 nationally by Prep Hoops, committed to Duke</p> <p>Mitchell was recently selected to play in the 2022 McDonalds All-American game. His Sunrise team won first in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), which features eight of the top prep teams in the country. Sunrise is currently ranked #1 in the ESPN Next 25. In NIBC play, Mitchll averaged 17.8 points and 7.4 boards per game. His coach recently called Mitchell ‘position-less,’ in this sense a compliment meaning Mitchell can handle any spot on the floor.</p> <p>#2 [player_tooltip player_id="787613" first="Gradey" last="Dick"], 6-foot-7 forward, Sunrise:</p> <p>#21 nationally by Prep Hoops, committed to Kansas</p> <p>Also selected to play in the 2022 McDonalds All-American game, Dick is a Naismith HS Player of the Year finalist. He is Sunrise’s leading scorer, having led the NIBC with 18.8 points per game. His coach said Dick’s shooting opens the floor for his teammates. Despite his busy schedule Dick is frequently seen at Jayhawk games.</p> <p>#3 [player_tooltip player_id="891898" first="Aidan" last="Shaw"], 6-foot-7 forward, Blue Valley (pictured):</p> <p>#40 nationally by Prep Hoops, committed to Missouri</p> <p>Shaw recently topped the 1,000 point total at Blue Valley. His Tigers have struggled to stay above .500, but Shaw continues to thrill with his high-flying antics.</p> <p>The Free State Trio:</p> <p>Could one team have any more talent in its backcourt? The Firebirds run out the fourth, fifth and tenth-ranked players in the 2022 rankings in [player_tooltip player_id="891899" first="Mozae" last="Downing-Rivers"], [player_tooltip player_id="952433" first="Jordan" last="Brown"] and [player_tooltip player_id="891903" first="Cooper" last="Jackson"]. No wonder the team is firmly entrenched atop the 6A rankings. Free State has rarely been challenged. Most notably were overtime wins over Hays and McPherson.</p> <p>#6 [player_tooltip player_id="891909" first="Christian" last="Bowen-Webb"], 6-foot-2 guard, 2022, Miege:</p> <p>Ranked first in 4A in the most recent poll, the Stags have suffered a couple of rare losses recently. But Bowen-Webb remains one of the most talented big guards in the state. The Stags lost some of their top talent from that powerhouse that won state a year ago, making Bowen-Webb’s production all the more important. He recently topped the 1,000 point mark from his career. He’s a top rebounder from the guard spot. Making matters interesting is that the senior decided to play football this year, and showed some college potential at the receiver position.</p> <p>#7 [player_tooltip player_id="891906" first="Trey" last="Moala"], 6-foot-7 forward, 2022, Paola:</p> <p>Moala has led his team to the fifth spot in the 4A rankings, scoring about 19 points and grabbing about 9 boards per game. His high-flying ability and well-rounded skills have him receiving offers from a lot of junior colleges at the moment.</p> <p>#14 [player_tooltip player_id="891900" first="Fontaine" last="Williams"], 6-foot-1 guard, 2022, Next Level Prep:</p> <p>The all-AVCTL star transferred mid season from Derby to Next Level Prep, where he’s now listed as a 2023 graduate. Due to the missed games and lack of stats available, we dropped Williams from #9 to #14 on the rankings. But that’s no criticism of his talent. He’s a master of the one-on-one attack on defenders. Next Level Pep reported that Williams scored 17 points and dished out 11 assists in his recent debut.</p>