2027 Fall Update: Rankings Risers

The '27 class saw a lot of attrition over the summer. And yet guys are stepped up and new names are emerging. Here are a few Stock-Risers to keep track of:    After carrying his team through a tough sophomore season and going through some growing pains over the summer, Riley is as intriguing as ever. 6'5 and still getting taller, the young wing can dribble, pass and shoot. Riley has experience as a primary ball-handler. So, when he's not catching-and-shooting from three, he can attack closeouts then get to the rim and find the open man. Riley's steal and block numbers are just as impressive. He impacts the defensive end whether he's on-ball or off.     [player_tooltip player_id='2375230' first='Chris' last='Thomas'] Thomas is a bouncy wing-forward who is beginning to stretch out as well. His ground coverage on defense is fun to watch. He can rotate from the opposite block to pin a shot on the backboard or get out the perimeter to block a three. Thomas accesses that physical ability as an off-ball mover on offense too. He's a threat cutting backdoor for dunks, which is even more dangerous now that he's added touch from three.     As an off-ball guard, Spencer is a complimentary scorer who shows hints of eventually being able to scale up. Without the ball, he chips in as a solid team defender and rebounder. He also has a knack for slipping behind the defense for fastbreak opportunities. His best skill is his three-point shooting. Spencer knocks down jumpers off the catch, either on movement or by drifting into openings in the defense. He has the chance to really balance lineups and raise the floor of others around him with the spacing he adds.     With his inside-outside games, Neurell runs his team's offense, while at other times lets the offense run through him. He brings the ball up if need be and initiates the offense. And he's especially potent when he's at high post. From there, Neurell generates advantages which he uses to get others involved or get a bucket - middy or lay. Despite being so skilled, Neurell isn't afraid to throw his weight around to clean the glass to play with his back to the basket.     After slow-cooking on JV as a sophomore, Watson started to pop out mid summer and is carrying that into the fall. In one sense, he's a classic rim-running defender. He makes splash plays rolling to the rim for dunks, getting putbacks, and blocking shots. But there's more to him than that, particularly on defense. When he's doubling the ball-handler or brought into ball-screens, Watson gets super active with his hands. He regularly creates havoc with deflections or outright steals the ball and takes it coast-to-coast.     Coming over from Howard where he was a decent rotation player, Simmons has what it takes to fit right into what the Colonials want to do on both ends. He's an athletic shooting guard who can defensively match up with different players. His strength and feet allow him to make life harder for on-ball scorers and his strength allows him to clog the lane as a help defender. His offensive ability to play off of others could be pivotal. He can hit spot-up threes and has enough handle to get to his spots inside the arc when that isn't there.

The '27 class saw a lot of attrition over the summer. And yet guys are stepped up and new names are emerging. Here are a few Stock-Risers to keep track of: