2025 Final Rankings Update: Small Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The Class of 2025 just concluded their senior seasons, so it's time to put together the final rankings for this class, which has been a joy to cover over the last four years. In this article, we take a look at all of the ranked small forwards in the class, with a look at some of the small forwards who raised their stock in the final rankings update and a look at the players who made their rankings debut in the final installment.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/position-ranking-table {"name":"acf/position-ranking-table","data":{"class":"2025","_class":"field_65cfb7374abb9","position":"77247","_position":"field_65cfbfcb19ad6","national_rankings":"0","_national_rankings":"field_660c1d73c0e49","state":"96","_state":"field_65cfb88a603fe"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e41b5458dcd"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Stock Risers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1951821' first='Manny' last='Lueth'] (Ames, #82 to #47): </strong>Lueth cam off the bench to provide some real scoring for the Little Cyclones, averaging 9.9 points on 48-43-67 shooting splits. A long, athletic wing who can shoot it at a high clip off the catch, he's a late bloomer who could become a better college player than he was a high schooler.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1759943' first='Braylon' last='Thomsen'] (Assumption, #107 to #75): </strong>Thomsen led the Knights in scoring, averaging 14.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game on 50-42-73 shooting. He has good size, is a tough wing who finishes through contact, and he shoots it at a high level off the catch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2511468' first='Isiah' last='Rose'] (Assumption, #125 to #77): </strong>Rose is another late bloomer whose best basketball is still ahead of him. He has great size at 6-7/6-8, can step out and stretch the floor a bit, and he's a versatile defender with his combination of size, length, and athleticism. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2398038' first='Ethan' last='Stecker'] (Spirit Lake, #208 to #115):</strong> Stecker is a long, bouncy wing who will play college football at Iowa State. He averaged 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Indians during his senior year, providing them with some versatility, toughness, and athleticism on both ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2721643' first='Derek' last='Paulsen'] (South O'Brien, #298 to #157): </strong>Paulsen is another really good athlete who looks to dunk everything around the rim, and he put together a great senior season for the Wolverines, averaging 21.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.9 steals per game on 54-37-80 shooting splits. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2721688' first='Finnegan' last='Cline'] (Louisa-Muscatine, #225 to #181): </strong>A strong, versatile forward who can score inside and out, Cline is a matchup problem with his ability to take bigger defenders off the dribble, or dominate smaller defenders in the paint. He averaged 23.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 59.2% shooting as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2397997' first='Quincy' last='Collins'] (West Burlington, #222 to #182): </strong>Collins is a phenomenal athlete who will play college football, but had he decided to go the basketball route, he could've helped a small school with his toughness, physicality, and freakish athleticism. Despite being just 5-11, he played center for the Falcons. He was great on the glass, averaging 7.1 rebounds, and is an extremely efficient finisher around the rim, averaging 16.9 points on 65.7% shooting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>New Additions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(146) [player_tooltip player_id='2820092' first='Isaiah' last='Knight'] (Ames): </strong>An athletic wing with length, Knight can create shots for himself and his teammates off the dribble, averaging 7.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in his senior year. He's at his best when he's playing downhill and attacking the rim, using his long strides to get to the bucket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(288) [player_tooltip player_id='2820148' first='Ryker' last='Thoren'] (Grundy Center): </strong>A tough, physical wing who was fantastic in the mid-range for the Spartans, Thoren averaged 9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per game on 53.5% shooting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>(324) [player_tooltip player_id='2811942' first='Koby' last='Higginbotham'] (Knoxville): </strong>Higginbotham is a tough, athletic 6-2 wing who can defend a number of different spots on the floor. He's strong, physical, and bouncy. He averaged 6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game as a senior for the Panthers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->