Updated 2022 Rankings: Bigs Rankings (25-16)

<p>One of the coolest things about the new Prep Hoops rankings is that it automatically ranks players by position, allowing you to see the rankings among PGs, CGs, SGs, SFs, PFs and Cs. However, new school guys like me who believe in relatively positionless basketball, as the game trends that way, believes that you can simplify the game to just three positions in guards, wings and bigs.</p> <p>So, I took the time to breakdown the rankings into the three positions, and have ranked the top 25 in each position. Here’s a look at some of the top power forwards and centers, looking at numbers 25-16 in the new rankings.</p> <p><strong>25) [player_tooltip player_id="1107843" first="Cade" last="McCullough"] | 6’7” | West Point (#68)</strong></p> <p>McCullough is a guy who the more I see the more I like, and he could shoot up the rankings and get on more division one radars in the next few years. As part of a West Point team that is young and very talented, McCullough is a walking mismatch as he’s a big and mobile guy that can protect the paint and he’s skilled enough to step out and make shots and put it on the deck on the perimeter as well.</p> <p><strong>24) [player_tooltip player_id="1107839" first="Reiss" last="Whitaker"] | 6’7” | Highland School (#65 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Whitaker is a guy who transferred and reclassed to the ’22 class and that’s got some coaches looking at his potential moving forward. He’s a highly skilled stretch four that can shoot it from deep, face up and go by guys and he has a good motor and rebounds well on both ends.</p> <p><strong>23) [player_tooltip player_id="962798" first="Zach" last="Bolgert"] | 6’7” | Fairfax Christian (#64 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Bolgert is another stretch four that is part of a very talented Fairfax Christian team and he opens up lanes for their guards to be able to get to the basket and make plays for others. He’s long with a good frame and good mobility, he has good touch and can score from multiple levels and he’s a capable and willing passer at his size as well.</p> <p><strong>22) [player_tooltip player_id="1107837" first="Ben" last="Hall"] | 6’7” | Loudoun Valley (#60 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Hall is a name not many people outside of Loudoun County know about, but he’s an intriguing prospect at his size that will start to get the attention he deserves here soon enough. The 6’7” center is a monster in the paint as he takes up a lot of space and protects the paint as a very good shot blocker, he’s a good rebounder and outlet passer and he’s a blue collar guy who can score in the paint without a lot of plays being ran for him.</p> <p><strong>21) [player_tooltip player_id="1107836" first="Roman" last="Barshow"] | 6’6” | Highland School (#58 Overall)</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Barshow-Roman.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1075132" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Barshow-Roman-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Barshow is part of a Highland front court that features a lot of versatility as they have multiple guys 6’6” and up that can make shots on the perimeter and play in the post as well, and he is one of them. He has good length and a frame that should fill out, he has soft touch out to the three-point line and can face up and take guys off the bounce and he may not look like it but he’s a high flying and explosive athlete that can play way above the rim.</p> <p><strong>20) [player_tooltip player_id="815591" first="Wendell" last="Tomlin"] | 6’6” | Church Hill Academy (#51 Overall)</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/Tomlin-Wendell-2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1048041" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/09/Tomlin-Wendell-2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Tomlin is a guy who has shown a lot of potential as a young prospect, and with more opportunities at Church Hill Academy this year he could be a breakout guy this year and moving forward. “Tank,” as he’s known by teammates and coaches, is a stretch four man that is long and can make shots over top of guys, he rebounds well and he has good versatility defensively as he can switch and guard on the perimeter as well.</p> <p><strong>19) [player_tooltip player_id="962790" first="James" last="Bell III"] | 6’7” | Collegiate (#49 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Bell was a standout at Goochland High School the past few years and decided to transfer to Collegiate to further both his basketball and academic abilities at one of the top private schools in the Richmond area. A high academic and high character kid, Bell is a smart player who is a good athlete and very mobile for his size, he has soft touch and can stretch the floor out to the three-point line and he plays with a great motor and rebounds well on both ends.</p> <p><strong>18) [player_tooltip player_id="962788" first="Christian" last="Carden"] | 6’5” | Varina (#48 Overall)</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Carden-Christian.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1094460" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Carden-Christian-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>Carden was breakout guy in Richmond last year as he was very vital to the success of a young Varina team that shocked a lot of people and made a run to the state tournament, and while he isn’t the biggest prospect on the team he’s possibly their most important guy. Carden is a hybrid forward that has a different style of game as he can handle it and create space, he can shoot the ball from the midrange and from deep, he’s an excellent passer for his position and he can guard multiple positions while he’s on the floor.</p> <p><strong>17) [player_tooltip player_id="1107831" first="Ja’Mais" last="Wertz"] | 6’7” | LCA (#47 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Wertz has mentioned the possibly of prepping or going out in the 2021 class after announcing he’d reclassify, but either way the rate that he has improved is very intriguing for coaches moving forward. He has a good frame that has sprouted up over the last few years and should fill out nicely, he is a stretch four that can make shots from deep consistently especially from the corners and he’s a guy who can play in transition with his guards as well.</p> <p><strong>16) [player_tooltip player_id="815605" first="Obinna" last="Okafor"] | 6’6” | Bethel (#45 Overall)</strong></p> <p>Okafor is a guy who is very intriguing to watch develop and get better, as you saw the potential with his size as a freshman but he looks like a totally different kind of player now. A defensive specialist that is a big time rim protector, Okafor mans the paint at just 6’6” and is a guy who can meet high flyers at the rim with no fear, he rebounds the ball well on both ends and he’s shown good hands and touch in the paint on dump ins and jump hooks as well.</p>