The Best Junior Small Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: [player_tooltip player_id='1400891' first='Kristopher' last='Carroll']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The @PrepHoopsTN rankings are fresh for the junior class, <a href="https://prephoops.com/tennessee/rankings/2025-rankings/">2025 class rankings</a>.  In addition to featuring the <a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/02/reason-for-the-ranking-top-140/">Top </a><font color="#0073aa"><u>140</u></font>,<a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/02/reason-for-the-ranking-top-135/"> Top 135</a>,<a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/02/reason-for-the-ranking-top-130-2/"> Top 130</a> players, we are now showcasing the players by position. Behold the<strong> Best Junior Small Forwards.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1318564' first='Christian' last='Brown'] | Franklin</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Current Ranking: #2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The #1 prospect in Tennessee remains [player_tooltip player_id='1211987' first='Cade' last='Capps'], but Christian climbed to his current peak of #2 with an incredible December and January. In fact, I picked him for 4A Mr. Basketball mid-January, partially because Franklin was unbeaten in district at that point. In his final regular season game Christian put up 19 points and 18 rebounds and the team still lost by 10! Still, FHS finished the regular season second in a shark tank of a district. Brown is an explosive forward with absurd muscular development. Holds offers from: Cumberland (TN), Morehead State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1259393' first='Jayden' last='Jones'] | Goodpasture</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Current Ranking: #5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Electric, high-flying wing smoothly transitioning from a lifetime spent under the rim to a future Division 1 three-point arc. "I think he is going to continue to progress from a ball-handling and a shooting standpoint for sure, so some of this is new to him, but he has done everything we have asked him at high level," said Goodpasture Head Coach Duston Patton. "He is playing great. He is averaging over 20 ppg and 10 rpg from the perimeter. He has done everything we asked of him."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones played some for Goodpasture even as an eighth grader. He helped win the 2021 and 2023 State Championships. He can defend five positions in high school, and probably ultimately guards three in college (2-4).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I coached him in sixth grade," said Coach Patton. "He was the most dominant player in the area, at least against the teams we played in sixth grade. He has been kind of a post player his whole life, so moving him to the perimeter is new for him."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1400891' first='Kristopher' last='Carroll'] | FACS</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Current Ranking: #9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kristopher dressed for FACS when they won the 2022 State Championship. He was already 6-foot-4 as a strong-shouldered high school freshman. After watching Carroll play the last two weeks, he looks more likely to play shooting guard than small forward in college. Carroll does very, very little slashing or offensive rebounding for FACS. He is an elite left-handed, outside shooter, not an aggressive slasher. Good strength.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1663729' first='Jaiden' last='Claybrook'] | Antioch | 18.9 ppg<strong> | </strong>9.3 rpg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Current Ranking: #16</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seasoned starter [player_tooltip player_id='1663729' first='Jaiden' last='Claybrook'] played more of a power forward his first two years of high school, and still does a lot in the lane, including rebound. With 9.3 rpg, Claybrook leads the Antioch Bears. Long-term the three-point shooting percentage (12-41, 29.3% 3's) needs to go up. Claybrook can be a D2+-D1 wing with the right development. Perfect mindset for a volume scorer. He will hit you with a personal 4-0 run and then want another bucket. High motor. Hungry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1578683' first='Clay' last='Payne'] | University School-Nashville | 16.0 ppg</strong> <strong>| 10.7 rpg</strong> <strong>| 2.3 bpg</strong> <strong>| 65%. FG</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Current Ranking: #31</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clay won the Defensive MVP at the @PrepHoopsTN Combine in October 2023. Long-limbed. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1719195' first='Kennedy' last='Okpara'] | Silverdale Baptist</strong> <strong> | 15.4 ppg<strong> |</strong> 9.7 rpg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Current Ranking: #33</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elite rebounder. Active. Good endurance. Bouncy forward [player_tooltip player_id='1719195' first='Kennedy' last='Okpara'] probably winds up a power forward in college, upon reflection. His rebounding and post defense is too good to pull him out to 15' and defend. If it happens, which many college programs try to do with shooting bigs, it happens. But, Kennedy is clearly most comfortable around the lane at both ends. Made 20 three-pointers this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1519804' first='Juice' last='Eleam'] | Knoxville Catholic | 11.1 ppg</strong> <strong> | 4.3 rpg</strong> <strong> | 21-50 3's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Current Ranking: #39</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Juice made a lot of strides as a shooter in the last year+. He can now hit from deep, but he does not force it, as evidenced by his 2.6 attempts per game. Eleam was clearly a high-level athlete at the 15u level way back when with BMaze 15u. Adding some range to his game makes him more attractive at the college level. Further, Eleam holds all of the physical attributes to be a better than average on-ball defender in college. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->