2022 Rankings Update: Stock-Risers who turned heads

<p>Before we close the door on the 2022 class, want to give attention to players that we have seen make the jump from their junior to senior year. These players are leaving a legacy at their school and went out with a bang. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="618880" first="Jordan" last="Reed"] -- Manual </strong></p> <p>Reed is a player that was up and down in his HS career but restored order in his Senior season. Reed shocked the state when he was named the Gatorade player of the year, an award you do not necessarily see from a 3A player. But when looking at the stats, it is difficult to argue against it -- Reed showed up. Reed finishes his career in the Top 25 as he entered the 1,000 points scored club. In his Senior year, he averaged an impressive 29.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists a game. Reed took over at times as he finished with five 40+ point outings and even erupted with a 53 point, 9 rebounds, and 7 assist monster showing that put him on the state’s radar. He’s a smooth lefty that has range, gets to where he wants on the court and sees the floor well. I do wish we got to see him against 5A &amp; 4A competition a bit more throughout his career as I see it as the only setback of his career and making it difficult to rank him higher but Reed is a player that can compete at the next level and should get an opportunity to build. Helluva career. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1160721" first="Braden" last="Korpela"] -- Aspen </strong></p> <p>Aspen ran the Western Slope League with an 8-0 record and it was on the back of their best players and twins, Braden and [player_tooltip player_id="1417650" first="Shae" last="Korpela"]. Braden is a player that made one of the biggest jumps in the state as far as rankings he enters into the Top 30 and it is not based on skill that has him ranked where he is but more-so off of not getting the opportunity to see him as much as the other players in the class. On opportunities that we did get to see Aspen play, they cruised and he feasted. Braden is a three-level scorer that uses his long and slender body to get finesse lay-ups, scores over smaller defenders and cannot be denied. He improved as a shooter this season and while he could’ve scored easier, made unselfish plays and did what was best for the team. Korpela put up 13.1 points a game as a senior and led his team to wins. He just recently committed to play at Washington State University and that is a player to keep a tab on. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1306022" first="Syris" last="Williams"] -- Pueblo Central </strong></p> <p>Williams is a player that stood out last summer and put himself as a player to watch this upcoming season and really elevated his game during his senior year. WIlliams and [player_tooltip player_id="969431" first="Kadyn" last="Betts"] proved to be one of the best 1-2 punches in the state this season and they had a really successful season despite coming up a bit short. Williams has good size for a guard, plays under control and knows when to score and when to facilitate. Williams put up a balanced stat line of 17.5 points and also dished out 6.9 assists (tops in the conference) and 6.1 rebounds a game. Having a dangerous guard/big man helped the Wildcats pick up win after win. They went 23-4 on the season and Syris was able to show the progression throughout the year. He comes in at No. 37 in the class and makes a massive jump and is a player that can and will compete at the next level. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="918935" first="Mike" last="Karnisovas"] -- ThunderRidge </strong></p> <p>Karnisovas is a player that got to learn and grow during his tenure and picked up two state championships along the way. When he got in, he competed and played hard but being on a state championship team, it comes with some sacrifice. He showcases his athleticism at times when the ball is in his hands, dunks with ease, and has great size. He is a player that plays well off of the ball and can shoot it to keep the defense honest. During the grassroots season, we get to see the type of player he is and those glimpses during the season but he is a spark plug at every opportunity that puts his head down and goes to work each time out. He makes a jump and I believe the plan is for him to go to Prep,  where he will continue to get better and grow before helping a school at the next level. He makes a massive jump in these rankings. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="965813" first="Will" last="Yebio"] -- Machbeuf </strong></p> <p>There were not many players in the state that scored the way that Yebio did. In fact, there was one ([player_tooltip player_id="618880" first="Jordan" last="Reed"] --mentioned above) that scored as many as Yebio did. And their battle against each other was a classic as it had both finishing with 40+ points apiece. Yebio is a bucket and the wild part about it is he did it without just shooting 3’s the entire time. He hunted defenders that could not guard him, scored in ISO situations and also kept defenses honest with his ability to get others involved. This was his best season and he did it in ways that led to wins. He is a spark that is dangerous with the ball in his hands and gets after it every play. He makes a jump on our rankings and is a player that we feel can help a school at the JuCo level. Solid career.</p>