2028 Initial Rankings: The Storylines

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The race for #1 is on</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Solid arguments could be made for any of the top three in this initial set of rankings - Cedar Rapids Washington wing [player_tooltip player_id='2523901' first='Halbert' last='Jackson'], North Scott wing [player_tooltip player_id='2595605' first='MarQwan' last='Morgan'], and Waukee wing [player_tooltip player_id='2594655' first='Pete' last='Craig'] - to be the #1 player in this initial ranking. We sided with Jackson, a potentially special two-way wing who makes everything on the hardwood look easy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside of those three, there are several other players who look good now and could develop nicely over the next three years. Madrid big [player_tooltip player_id='2439640' first='Jevyn' last='Severson'] has been incredibly productive and pairs physicality with grace and finesse, scoring inside and out. Waverly-Shell Rock guard [player_tooltip player_id='2523910' first='Jayden' last='Stephens'] has been a key contributor off the bench for the Go-Hawks and is a special guard who plays with pace, has a great feel, and is a really good athlete. [player_tooltip player_id='2523886' first='Ben' last='Wade'], a big from Regina, is blessed with tremendous size early in his development and is a rim-running shot blocker who may still have a few inches of growth coming. [player_tooltip player_id='2523925' first='Trae' last='Fields'], another Washington player, is one of the most talented young guards I've seen in terms of ball-handling, vision, and shot creation; the thing holding him back right now is his 5-5 height. A growth spurt could really change things for him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>A ton of wing talent, again</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just like in the 2027 class, the top-tier talent in the 2028 class appears to be on the wing. [player_tooltip player_id='2523901' first='Halbert' last='Jackson'] (pictured), [player_tooltip player_id='2595605' first='MarQwan' last='Morgan'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2594655' first='Pete' last='Craig'] lead the way, but eight of the top 15 to open would be considered wings by us at this point in their development. Modern basketball continues to place more and more emphasis on the long, athletic wing who can defend multiple positions and do a little bit of everything offensively, and this class falls right in line with that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>North Scott, Cedar Rapids Washington classes are LOADED</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two 4A schools have absolutely loaded 2028 classes, with North Scott currently having three of the top 11 players in the class, and Cedar Rapids Washington placing five players in these initial rankings, including two of the top seven. This class in general is one that I'm very excited to watch develop and I think it has a chance to be a really special one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Be patient!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are currently 80 players ranked in this class, but if you don't see your name on this initial list, don't panic! Additionally, 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 on this list. Over the course of your high school career, these rankings will be updated at least three times a year, expand to a minimum of 250 players, and there is plenty of time to be seen, make your name known to us, those around the state, and to college coaches, and make major jumps up the rankings. These rankings, especially this early in the process, are extremely fluid and there will be major movement with each update. There is no reason that you can't go from an unranked player in this initial 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 -->