2023 player rankings: 5 final takeaways

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the final installment of the Tennessee player rankings. It's been fun to watch this class in a four-year span.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thanks to action in last week's TSSAA Division 1 Boys' State Tournaments, a lot of newcomers enter the rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 5 takeaways from the final 2023 player rankings:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Frison</strong><strong>&nbsp;back inside the top 6</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Memphis Overton's <strong>Jordan</strong> <strong>Frison</strong> jumped four spots to No. 6. After leading the Wolverines to the TSSAA Division 1 Class 4A state title, there's no denying he's one of the best guards in this class. For the entire season, the 6-foot point guard has been playing well for Memphis Overton and did so in a season where the state title was up for grabs. Frison put the team on his back all the way to Murfreesboro and did it with style.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Frison joins <strong>Isaiah</strong> <strong>West</strong> (two TSSAA Division 2 Class AA state titles) and <strong>Jaylen</strong> <strong>Jones</strong> (TSSAA Division 1 Class AA state title) as the only three prospects inside the top 10 to finish their high school basketball careers with a state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Johnson enters the top 35</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Douglass senior forward&nbsp;<strong>Tyler</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Johnson</strong>&nbsp;was the Red Devils' best player outside of sophomore guard&nbsp;<strong>Taquez</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Butler</strong>. Johnson moved up five spots to No. 31. His presence on the glass played a huge part in Douglass reaching the TSSAA Division 1 Class 2A state title game. Johnson did a solid job all season of getting&nbsp;putbacks&nbsp;and finishing strong in transition. His ability to set solid screens shouldn't be overlooked, either. Johnson didn't do anything flashy. He just did his job as&nbsp;the important senior on the roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Buckles makes a solid debut</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season's TSSAA Division 1 Class&nbsp;A&nbsp;Mr. Basketball award finalist, <strong>Cadon</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Buckles</strong>,&nbsp;landed at No. 60 in the final rankings. Buckles was efficient all the way through the Hampton Bulldogs' Class A title run. In the championship win over Middleton, the 6-0 guard went 7 for 12 from the field to finish the day with 18 points. Buckles is one of the guards in this class that doesn't need a lot of shots to score in double figures. He can be very conservative on offense, which isn't a bad thing. All this season, no defender has been able to force Buckles into bad shots. He simply just gets to his spots and score. It's easy for him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1864076' first='Thaddeus' last='Johnson'] belongs in the top 75</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hillsboro's [player_tooltip player_id='1864076' first='Thaddeus' last='Johnson'] entered at No. 75. Johnson is solid basketball player that can score when his team needs buckets. He likes to play physical and isn't afraid of a challenge. Johnson was impressive in Murfreesboro, Tennessee last week as he displayed his sharp shooting touch from the perimeter. The Burros may not have won a Class 4A state title, but Johnson displayed his competitiveness, which was more-than-enough to put Hillsboro in position to play on the next-to-last day of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alexander enters top 80</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Memphis Overton's&nbsp;<strong>Xavier</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Alexander</strong>&nbsp;comes in at No. 77 and was a knockdown shooter for the Wolverines all season long. His shot making ability took a lot of attention off Jordan&nbsp;Frison. The 6-2 shooting guard was well-respected in the TSSAA 4A District 16, because of his jump shot. Alexander can easily get into rhythm and stay in it&nbsp;as long as he wants to. He always shot with confidence. Alexander was a nice complimentary piece to&nbsp;Frsion&nbsp;as both were able to jell well to win a championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->