Updated 2029 Rankings: Stock-Risers

Our 2029 player rankings were updated yesterday as we continue to evaluate a talented crop of freshmen navigating their first year of high school basketball. Some at the junior varsity level and others on the varsity, the list of names have left impressions on us and give us reason to monitor their development moving forward. As we typically do after updates, breaking down the list with stock-risers and new names will be coming at you for the next day or two.   For this article, I'll take a look at five names who saw a boost in their placement.    I've documented this one for the last few weeks now, but Whitaker received a well-deserved boost into the top-20 as he's become one of the most productive freshmen at the varsity level in the area. He's a foundational piece to the youth movement at Boys' Latin and has shown great promise as a combo guard who can impact both on or off the ball. It takes all freshmen time to adjust to the physicality and speed that the varsity level brings, especially in the Catholic League. Whitaker didn't take long to find his footing and leave his imprint as a scorer and tough-nosed defender next to [player_tooltip player_id='2621950' first='Noah' last='Sulaiman'] in the backcourt, another underclassmen guard in Dom Milburn's stable who performed as a freshman and only improved as a sophomore. The signs that Whitaker has shown thus far lead you to believe that a similar jump is coming his way.     Tchoubfong offers a lot of promise with the blend of size, skill and physical frame that he's shown so far as a freshman. He plays on the wing and has been an impact playing off the catch attacking closeouts where he can get to the paint and play off two with patience. There have been instances where he leads in grab-and-go situations or in quick isolation opportunities that allows him to show off some skill and wiggle as well. He brings a competitive motor, versatile tools defensively and judging by the success of his older brother, Izzy, has a pathway to have a productive career at Good Counsel.     Another standout freshman on the Lakers who deserved a bump is Pitts. Nearing 6-foot-2, Pitts boasts a wiry frame with fluid shooting mechanics that he can use to convert in volume from three. He's able to use that strength of spacing the floor and play off the gravity he demands to make life easier for others. Whether that's maintaining spacing in the half court to create driving lanes, making split-second decision off the catch as defenders rotate or getting to spots in the paint where he's flashed a soft-touch floater, Pitts has the feel that we'd like to see with a spot-up shooter in his grade. High likelihood of Pitts sprouting another 3-5 inches by the time he wraps up his high school career, which would only add to the long-term trajectory.     Branch is one of the JV standouts in the Baltimore area who cannot be overlooked. The size, shooting and frame are all foundational pillars that you see in players who eventually blossom valuable rotational guys on the varsity level. He's been dominant in spurts on both ends not only scoring, but also protecting the rim a high rate for a guard/wing. It's shown not only the competitive motor that he brings, but the instincts and timing as a weakside defender who can see his man and ball at all times. It's always good to see players take advantage of the confidence and development at the JV level before diving into the deep end that the varsity level in the BCL offers. I'd bet on Branch being one that benefits off this path pretty significantly when all is said and done.

Our 2029 player rankings were updated yesterday as we continue to evaluate a talented crop of freshmen navigating their first year of high school basketball. Some at the junior varsity level and others on the varsity, the list of names have left impressions on us and give us reason to monitor their development moving forward. As we typically do after updates, breaking down the list with stock-risers and new names will be coming at you for the next day or two.