2029 Initial Rankings: The Storylines

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>A clear cut #1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After averaging 26.4 points on 53-43-80 shooting splits at the 4A level, [player_tooltip player_id='3353853' first='Roman' last='Henry'] is a pretty clear top-ranked player in the 2029 class in these initial rankings. A highly skilled 6-4 guard who can fill it up from all three levels, he shoots it at a high clip off both the dribble and the catch, is a talented playmaker, and has the requisite combination of size, talent, and athleticism that college coaches will salivate over in the coming years. After putting up huge numbers at Sioux City West, he has transferred across town to Sioux City East for his sophomore year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>...for now!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Henry is sensational, there are a number of really talented players in this class who will give him a run for the top spot in the rankings in the coming years. His teammate at East, [player_tooltip player_id='2839170' first='Liam' last='Noll'], is a skilled combo forward with elite size and length at 6-9 who can score inside and out as well as defend one through five. Wahlert Catholic big man [player_tooltip player_id='2881215' first='Alexander' last='Tanny'] is another 6-9 big man who has a bit more of a traditional back-to-the-basket skill set, but he's really talented and if he can stay healthy, he's oozing with two-way potential. And there are a number of really talented young guards in the '29 class - [player_tooltip player_id='2918369' first='Kaden' last='Gomez'], [player_tooltip player_id='3670043' first='Drew' last='McKowen'], [player_tooltip player_id='2921064' first='Jacobi' last='Cofield'], [player_tooltip player_id='2919953' first='Lane' last='Livingston'], [player_tooltip player_id='3667407' first='Sentrell' last='Gray']. And let's not count out [player_tooltip player_id='3693081' first='Jeremiah' last='Harrington'], either. The younger brother of North Scott star and Iowa State commit [player_tooltip player_id='2309944' first='Josiah' last='Harrington'] isn't as advanced physically or in terms of skill set as Josiah was at this stage, but he has huge upside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The 2029 classes at Sioux City East, Cedar Rapids Kennedy are loaded</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East features the aforementioned Henry and Noll, the current top two players in the class, while Kennedy features the players ranked 4th and 5th, as well as the 21st, 28th, and 62nd. Both schools have tons of talent in the pipeline, and after a few down years by their standards, East could be back on the rise with Henry and Noll leading the charge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Be patient!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are 80 players in this initial ranking, and frankly, with a four-month old little boy at home and all that comes with that, I'm a little bit behind on the evaluations of this class. I will get caught back up in the coming years, and I think for an initial ranking of this class, it'll turn out to be pretty accurate, but if you don't see your name on this initial list, DO NOT PANIC! Trevin Jirak wasn't included in the first publishing of his class rankings, and he went on to become a three-time state champion, Mr. Basketball winner, and will now be a huge part of Iowa's rotation as a sophomore. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you think you're too low on this list, use it as motivation! Rankings are a nature of the beast, but the fact of the matter is that there is a lot more evaluation to be done on all of the players in this ranking. Of the course of your high school career, these rankings are going to expand to a minimum of 250 players, and there is plenty of time still to be seen, make your name known around the state and to college coaches. These rankings, especially this early in the process, are extremely fluid and there will be huge moves every time they are updated. There is no reason you can't go from an unranked player in this first ranking to a top-5 player in the class by the time you graduate. Keep working, develop your game, body, and mind, and trust the process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->