2028 Rankings Update: The Small Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Rankings</em>&nbsp;coverage continues today with a look at some of the&nbsp;<em>Class of 2028's</em>&nbsp;notable&nbsp;<em>Small Forwards</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2028","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"77247","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"77239","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6797a22f8f11b"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll continue with a look at ten&nbsp;<em>Small Forwards</em>&nbsp;to watch from the&nbsp;<em>Class of 2028</em>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2569681' first='Ernesto' last='Ballesteros']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ballesteros, a 6'5" wing out of <em>Kingswood-Oxford</em>, is a versatile prospect that has good size for the position and the ability to impact a game in a variety of ways. He's capable of scoring as a straight line driver, runs the floor hard in transition, and can make an impact on the glass on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2689518' first='Isaac' last='Olaniba']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olaniba, a 6'8" wing from <em>Mount Saint Charles</em>, is a big time athlete with impressive instincts on the defensive end of the floor. He can guard up and down a lineup, supplies plenty of rim protection, and runs the floor incredibly well in transition. He's a talented isolation scorer that can get a basket at all three levels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2716988' first='Jacob' last='Lofstrom']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lofstrom, a 6'2" wing at <em>Silver Lake</em>, is a lanky lefty with deep range on his jumper and the ability to get it off in catch and shoot situations or off the bounce. He make shots in bunches, has good size for the position, and can create with the ball in his hands, getting to the rim as a finisher or finding shooters on the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2530303' first='Klei' last='Alimadhi']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alimadhi, a 6'2" wing from <em>Lexington</em>, is a good athlete that plays with a nice pace on both ends of the floor. He's capable of handling the ball in transition, can knock down shots from behind the arc in catch and shoot situations, and is a heady defender that generates plenty of steals and delfections in passing lanes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2569697' first='Luke' last='Everitt']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everitt, a 6'5" wing out of <em>Avon Old Farms</em>, is a long lefty that makes shots from behind the arc and serves as a multi-positional defender. He does a nice job of running to the corners in transition, consistently gets shot ready before the catch, and has begun to leverage his shooting to operate as a driver.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2717022' first='Matthew' last='Benson']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Benson, a 6'2" wing from <em>Hopkinton</em>, is a gifted paint scorer that gets to his spots off the bounce and has the strength to finish through contact by the rim. He's capable of scoring with either hand, has some shiftiness to his game off the bounce, and has a quick first step that lets him get by the initial defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2502951' first='Miles' last='Reynolds']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reynolds, a 6'1" wing at <em>Southeastern Vocational</em>, is a combo forward that does a nice job of finding the soft spots in a defense as a scorer. He has good hands, moves well for his size, and shows soft touch inside of 10 feet. He's a strong rebounder and does a nice job of walling up in the paint to prevent easy baskets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2571889' first='RJ' last='Knox']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Knox, a 6'4" wing from <em>Bishop Hendricken</em>, plays with great instincts on both ends of the floor, allowing him to impact a game in a variety of ways. He has good positional size, plus length, and is already an impressive athlete. He's a disruptive defender that can quickly turn defense into easy offense in transition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2717044' first='Robert' last='Gianfresco']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gianfresco, a 6'2" wing out of <em>Mount Saint Charles</em>, is a versatile offensive performer that can operate with the ball in his hands or in the paint as a scorer. He does a good job of playing off of his pivot foot, shows the ability to score off a variety of moves in the post, and can make good decisions as a passer on the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2594613' first='Derek' last='Swartz']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Swartz, a 6'4" wing from <em>Portsmouth</em>, plays with a ton of effort and energy, allowing him to impact the game around the rim on both ends of the floor. He's a capable perimeter shooter that does a nice job of creating space with jab steps and shot fakes, rebounds at a high rate in space, and uses defense to create easy offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keep an eye out for our next rankings update positional breakdown, a look at 2028's&nbsp;<em>power forwards</em>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->