2027 Rankings: New To The List

<!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">We had quite a few new additions to the 2027 rankings, and here are a few…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">[player_tooltip player_id='2844860' first='Tahj' last='Phillips'] (6'2/SG/'27/Madison Academy)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Ranking: #27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Tahj is a listed shooting guard but can easily be considered a combo guard with his ability to facilitate and score at a high level. He understood his role on the team last year, but look for him to show more of his skillset during the grassroots season and step into a bigger role next school year. He has displayed flashes of reading defenses well, the ability to get teammates involved, and a smooth perimeter jump shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2844861' first='Brayden' last='Walker']</strong></strong> (5'10/PG/'27/Athens)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Ranking: #28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Brayden is a small lead guard who is really good at scoring from behind the arc. He has range from behind the three and is a really good catch-and-shoot threat. Whether wide open or with a defender's hand in his face, he has shown his ability to produce, keeping defenses honest and the floor spaced. He will have to get stronger as he enters his junior season and takes on a bigger role at the lead guard spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2844364' first='Landon' last='Henderson']</strong></strong> (6'0/CG/'27/West Morgan)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Ranking:&nbsp; #31</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Landon is a really good playmaker with good scoring instincts and the versatility to thrive on or off the ball. He has a really good offensive arsenal off the bounce and can score from multiple levels. He is at his best when creating off the bounce and using his ball-handling skills to create offense. He brings a fierce competitiveness to every game on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2844366' first='Tyde' last='Traffanstedt']</strong></strong> (5'11/PG/'27/Sand Rock)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Ranking: #34</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Tyde is a true lead guard, and despite being a small point guard, he has a good feel for the game. He is one of the best ball-screen practitioners in this class, as he does a really good job making reads coming off screens and picking apart defenses. He has a crafty game, which is seen in his ball-handling, when finishing in the paint, and at the cup. He has court vision, court awareness, and passing skills to make on-time and on-target passes to teammates. He has a budding PG IQ and toughness to go along with it.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2330460' first='Kane' last='Rushing']</strong></strong> (6'0/SG/'27/Hubbertville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Ranking: #40</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Kane is a backcourt talent with a lot of shiftiness in his game, which makes him a really tough guard to contain off the bounce. The strength of his game is his ability to be a really good penetrator, as he makes a living getting into the heart of the defense and making plays in tight windows. He can attack going either direction and thrives off quick changes of direction and shifty changes of pace. He is really good at controlling the pace of the game, breaking down defenses, scoring from all levels, and navigating the offense with ease.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Blaize Wakefield</strong> (6'0/CG/'27/Hubbertville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Ranking: #66</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"has-medium-font-size"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Blaize helped his team make it to the final four, but they came up short. However, his Hubbertville team should not be counted out as a team to make it back to Birmingham next year, and Blaize is a reason why the expectations surrounding his squad will be high. Blaize is an absolute beast when it comes to penetrating off the bounce. Not too many defenders found success keeping him out of the paint. He is aggressive and plays with tenacity, making him a player that opponents must be mentally ready to compete against. He is a really good playmaker off the bounce, and he puts constant pressure on opposing teams on both ends of the floor.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->