Updated 2023 Rankings: New Faces (Part 3)

We have officially updated our class of 2023 rankings in the class of Virginia, and expanding to 100 prospects has brought a lot of new faces to the table! With over 45 new names in the class, it will take a few articles for us to highlight every new prospect in the rankings, but we are determined to do so! Here’s a look at part three! Check out the full rankings <a href="https://prephoops.com/virginia/rankings/2023-rankings/">here</a>. #55 [player_tooltip player_id="1107851" first="Owen" last="Gray"] | 6’8” C | Steward School Gray is a prospect who could work his way up this list and become one of the top bigs in the Richmond area if he continues to develop and become more consistent with his game. The 6’8” center is super-singly mobile and can run the floor, he gets off his feet quickly and can play above the rim on both ends and he has good touch out to 15 feet and beyond. #56 [player_tooltip player_id="1241881" first="Brett" last="Dent"] | 6’8” C | LC Bird Dent is the mystery guy on this list as he plays on a talented and deep Bird team with older guys at his position, but from the improvement he has shown over the past few years there’s a chance we will look back and wonder why we had him so low. Every time I watch him he’s becoming more fluid and coordinated, he has good touch around the rim and he has a knack for being around the ball on both ends to make plays. #57 [player_tooltip player_id="1241882" first="Dante" last="Kearse"] | 6’4” SF | Manchester <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/dantekearse-crop-1639x1076-1627090865.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1244327" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/dantekearse-crop-1639x1076-1627090865-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Kearse is an underrated forward that had a breakout year on a surprise team in Manchester last year that almost made the state tournament, and he’s the type of guy you can see is just scratching the surface with how good he can be moving forward. He’s strong and athletic and plays extremely hard, he can guard multiple positions and use his physicality to his advantage and he’s good handling and creating in both isolation and transition situations. #60 [player_tooltip player_id="1107884" first="Stylz" last="Gardner"] | 5’11” PG | Peninsula Catholic <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Garnder-Stylz.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1082850" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Garnder-Stylz-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Gardner announced he was reclassifying to the 2023 class and he’s been playing his best basketball since about midway through last season and looks like one of the top scoring guards in the 757 right now. At 5’11” he isn’t the biggest or most athletic guy but he’s smooth off the bounce and can create space, he’s a dead eye shooter from deep and he plays with a chip and toughness you maybe wouldn’t expect because he’s so quiet. #62 [player_tooltip player_id="1241883" first="Xavier" last="Walton"] | 6’5” SF | Greensville County Walton comes from a very athletic family and looks like the latest in a long line of talented basketball players out of the Emporia area. He’s a natural athlete with good size on the wing at 6’5”, he’s a skilled shot maker and can create shots off the bounce and he has the ability to play and guard multiple positions, making him productive and valuable in a number of ways. #63 [player_tooltip player_id="1241884" first="Elijah" last="Mitchell"] | 6’5” PF | William Fleming <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Elijah-Mitchell17.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1208930" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Elijah-Mitchell17-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Mitchell is more of a positionless player than a true power forward but his mix of strength and explosion coupled with a solid skill set and toughness makes him very productive in a number of ways. The 6’’5” forward is a menace in transition that can get downhill and finish through contact, he works on the boards and on the defensive end and he can knock down shots from deep when he’s set and open. #64 [player_tooltip player_id="1241885" first="Adrian" last="Myers"] | 6’5” SF | Sherando Myers is a very intriguing prospect out of Winchester that could shoot up this list as I see him more, but his play with VA Playmakerz this spring and summer has been very stellar and has me thinking long term he could be very good. At 6’5” he has good size and length on the wing, he’s a good athlete that’s fluid and plays hard on both ends and he can put it on the deck and get to spots to make shots as well. #66 [player_tooltip player_id="1241924" first="Xavier" last="Glass"] | 6’3” SG | Landstown Glass was a surprise this year at Landstown who made it to the state tournament and was an excellent second option to Donald Hand Jr., and he’ll only continue to improve and get better over the next few years. He has good size and a strong frame that allows him to get downhill and makes him a good defender, he’s skilled both off the bounce and can make shots off the catch and he still has tons of room to get better. #67 [player_tooltip player_id="1241902" first="Joe" last="Baldwin"] | 6’5” SF | Fairfax Christian Baldwin is part of an upstart program at Fairfax Christian that will be very good this year in the VISAA D3 classification, and while he may not be their best player now he arguably has the most upside moving forward. At 6’5” on the wing he has prototypical size, he can handle it in transition and finish through traffic and as he continues to improve his outside shooting he’ll turn heads with college coaches moving forward.