2025 Rankings: Talking about Upside
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Upside is one of the toughest aspects to capture in prospects, here’s a look at prospects with promising size and athletic profiles. The production might not be there yet, but the building blocks are strong. Jax Kerr OK #10 PF…
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Continue ReadingUpside is one of the toughest aspects to capture in prospects, here’s a look at prospects with promising size and athletic profiles. The production might not be there yet, but the building blocks are strong.
A newcomer to Owasso, the still growing forward prospect has adjusted well to life at the 6A level and become a more well rounded player. While he can still hit the occasional three pointer, he has embraced his height more this year and worked harder in the paint. The biggest benefit of his improved motor and mindset has happened on the defensive end where his verticality and size makes him a quality rim protector. He’s also starting to add more to his back to the basket game, and has quality touch around the rim. Size can’t taught and with Kerr embracing his height advantage, he’s one of the better bets the current junior class to become an impact college player.
Hancuff is a tough prospect to get a handle on, as it requires merging the different roles he has in high school and on the grassroots circuit. A few thing do stay the same in both settings, he’s athletic and high motor prospect, who shines on the defensive end. During grassroots viewing last spring and summer, it looked like he was putting together the building blocks of a perimeter game. As he had flashes of some creative vision as passer, but needed to tighten his handle and continue to work on decision making. This high school season has seen him transition to more of an interior prospect, who’s offensive production is tied to transition opportunities and off the ball movements. Tracking how his perimeter game continues to develop over the next 6 months will likely dictate his collegiate level. But overall it’s easy to see how a rangy athlete with a high motor playing style can find a fit at the next level.
High motor and understanding his role, Ransome has shined this sophomore season for one of the best teams in the state. With seemingly ever game, he’s becoming more athletic and confident. Right now his game is that of an undersized frontcourt player, who lives off his energy plays. But there’s enough flashes of a face up game and his overall movement profile that there’s potential for him to grow into more of a wing prospect. As long as he maintains his blue collar rebounding mentality while working on upgrading his wing skills, he’ll remain one of the most impactful to winning players in this class.
Highlights
Going off pure “eye test”, Adams is a top 5 raw talent in the class and he’s probably not 5. It’s rare to have a player of his size and movement in Oklahoma. When he’s at his best, there’s Power 5 potential to his game, the way he helped closed out Metro Christian in December was a great example of that. He would go coast to coast, block shots, powerful dunks. The upside is crazy.
At some point, production and consistency has to matter, and Hale based on raw talent was projected to be one of the top teams in Class 4A. Instead they’re finishing the year around .500, with some double digit margins in losses that are head scratching. A potential factor in his team’s struggles, is that Adams has had a stop and start to his season due to issues with technicals. Working on his maturity and keeping his cool is part of the puzzle for the junior prospect. But even in games that he has been available, they have had some struggles in losses.
The gifted forward should dominant the paint in most games, but he’s prone to floating along the perimeter. Which yes he has some perimeter skills but it should be an add on to his game, not the defining feature. Embracing natural strengths and building from there is a key part of a player’s development, and with Adams that would start with being a player who builds momentum inside, then steps outside.
Hopefully this ranking and assessment prove to be wrong longterm, because that means Adams has figured it out and would be on his way to a potentially successfully college career.
Brown makes some of the biggest “wow” plays in the class. He’s quick off his feet, with an effortless looking bounce that makes it look he’s floating. This allows him to block shots at the rim, and have some “how did he finish that” moves on the offensive end. When his game is on, he can look unstoppable with his smooth gathers on pull ups and the way he can glide to the basket. But there’s been something missing to his production this year, as Putnam City North has struggled this season. It’s difficult to weigh a player’s individual upside with team success and the talent is there for Brown to be one of the most unique scorers and defenders in the class.