2021 Prospect Rankings: Top 10 Breakdown
After a full year of high school ball, and a full spring and summer of grassroots evaluations, we’be finally released out initial 2021 rankings. It’s still very early in these guys’ careers, but it’s shaping up to be a pretty…
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Continue ReadingAfter a full year of high school ball, and a full spring and summer of grassroots evaluations, we’be finally released out initial 2021 rankings. It’s still very early in these guys’ careers, but it’s shaping up to be a pretty strong class. We’ll know a lot more about these guys 12 months from now; this initial top 10 could look very different by then, but for now, we’ve identified these guys as the best of the best in Iowa’s Class of 2021. Below, we’ll take a closer look at these 10 guys.
1 Chase Courbat (Cedar Falls)
The reason we have this Cedar Falls big-man in the top slot, is because we believe with his mixture of height, length, fluidity and skill that he’ll end his career with more Division I college offers than anyone else in this class. At 6-foot-9, Courbat is currently the tallest guy in the 2021 rankings, but he moves much better than most guys his size, and is working to develop into a stretch-four. This time next year, we could be talking about the offers that the talented big-man picked up over his 16U summer.
2 Karson Sharar (Iowa Falls-Alden)
After earning our Freshman of the Year honors last season, Sharar was always going to be a guy that would be ranked high in these initial rankings. Then he became the first player in the class of 2021 to receive a D1 offer, that coming from Drake. At 6-foot, Sharar doesn’t possess the quintessential height of a D1 guard, but he certainly possesses the scoring ability and skill. We expect the elite scoring guard to pick up several more offers before his career at Iowa Falls-Alden is all said and done.
3 Payton Sandfort (Waukee)
There’s a lot to like about this this Waukee sophomore. He’s 6-foot-5 with room to grow, and has one of the better outside shots in the state. At Waukee, he got some run as a freshman, albeit minimal, but we expect his role to increase dramatically this season. The Kingdom Hoops standout will have a lot of eyes on him next spring and summer.
4 Angelo Winkel (Bishop Garrigan)
After a very strong freshman season at Bishop Garrigan, Winkel spent his spring and summer as one of the better players on All Iowa Attack’s outstanding 15U squad. Winkel is quite possibly the best natural rebounder in this class, and he’s also 6-foot-8 with some decent athleticism.
5 Reid Grant (Johnston)
Another representative from what was a superb Kingdom Hoops Elite 15U squad, Johnson reportedly averaged 20 points per game for that team, and was exceptional in each of our viewings of him this spring and summer. A 6-foot-3 guard, Grant is a slasher who Ds up and can shoot it, too. He got some run with the Johnston varsity last season as a freshman, and could develop into a star as soon as this winter.
6 Michael Duax (Hempstead)
We knew about his older brothers, and also knew that Michael would be another good one; what we did not anticipate is just how good he would be. Not only did he shoot up to 6-foot-3 by the spring of his 15U season, but it was very evident that his game was a cut above the rest. He was dominant this spring during several viewings of him, and was oftentimes the best player on a very good Martin Brothers squad.
7 Caleb Schlaak (Kennedy)
Here’s a guy that we think has a very good chance to stay and possibly continue to ascend in the top 10. Schlaak has some serious upside; he’s a 6-foot-7 combo forward, who is continuing to develop into a true wing. He’s got some serious length on him, and flourished last season when he was moved up with the Cougars varsity later in the year. There’s a lot to be excited about with Schlaak.
8 Marcus Morgan (Barnstormers)
Yet another elite Iowa City West prospect coming through the ranks. Every single year it’s somebody, whether it be Connor McCaffery, Devontae Lane, Seybian Sims, Patrick McCaffery or Even Brauns, the Trojans have enjoyed a wealth of Division I talent in recent years, it appears that Marcus (the younger brother of former UNI standout Jeremy Morgan), will be another.
9 Manny Austin (Hoover)
Hoover’s always got really good guards, but none of them have been able to make their way into the top 10 of their respective classes. It appears that this young scoring guard could be the best in a strong line of Huskies guards that has come through the program in the last five years. He’s grown to 6-foot-1 and has ball-handling and scoring abilities that make him one of the better offensive threats in this class. And he’s a Hoover guy, so you know he’ll be ahead of the curve defensively.
10 Jadin Johnson (Council Bluffs Lincoln)
As a freshman, this 6-foot-3 Council Bluffs Lincoln guard made a big impact with a 12-win Lynx squad. He spent his spring and summer excelling with Martin Brothers 15U, and has generated some early Division I interest as a result. His size and ability are intriguing, and he has as good of a chance to breakout this winter as anyone in this class.