I did this back in mid-July last year for the first time -- in order in 2015, I had Monk, Gafford, Vanover, Smith, and Curry -- but this year, I'm going to get this on the board a month earlier. I reserve the right to change my mind, but right now this is how I have it ...
tie 1. Daniel Gafford, 6-9 / 6-10, PF / C, El Dorado, Class of 2017, composite national ranking of No. 38, 4-star ... Hog commit ... plus-athlete and agile with a 7-2 wing span -- constantly on a pogo stick to gobble up rebounds, block shots, and dunk everything he can ... has a frame that should add weight / strength without compromising quickness, agility, flexibility, or athleticism ... has seen a dip in offensive production in AAU play, but Daniel had a good if inconsistent showing at the pretigious NBPA Top 100 camp in mid-June, and was invited to the Nike Basketball Academy in LA in late July ... his biggest weakness is offense, but he's got all the tools to be a good, adequate offensive player ... for one, he does a nice job of keeping the ball high and elevates quickly while getting into his shot, and secondly, when he does attempt a shot, he's got a nice touch and form ... has a FT% around 70%, so more evidence that he's not a stone-handed big ... still needs work being a more-aggressive post presence to demand the ball, needs to take more mid-range face-up looks to make defenses respect him ... Style-wise, reminds me some of Rasheed Wallace ... I've noticed a drop-off this year when compared to last year in terms of him playing with some "mean" in his game -- he's got a high motor and is active/aggressive, but the "edge" he played with last year is not quite the same ... prior to committing to the Hogs last year, Gafford had received offers from Kansas, Virginia, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech, among others.
tie 1. Justice Hill, 5-10 / 5-11, PG, LR Christian, projected to be a Top 150 4-star, Class of 2019 ... Hog commit ... here's the deal: I could easily make the argument for this kid at No. 1 all by himself, but it's too early to go there. Still, he's too good right now to play second fiddle to anyone in this state -- so he's a co-No.1 with DG. Hill is aggressive, athletic (not elite, but plus-athlete for his size), strong, and very smart with the basketball. He can score at the basket and with an array of impressive mid-range shots, and has a confident, efficient trigger behind the 3-point line. Explosive but in control while running the show, and reminds me a little of Lee Mayberry in the way he sets up his mid-range pull-up jumper. Not as smooth as Lee, but quick and decisive with nice lift going from dribble to pull-up jumper. Does not force his offense, knows when to pass and when to shoot. Moves well without the ball. Tenacious on-ball defender who anticipates where the dribbler is going next. Quick hands to poke the ball away. Great footwork to stay with his man. This kid is the goods. He is a winner. Was drawing interest from Stanford, Virginia, UConn, and Oklahoma State before committing to the Hogs a few months ago.
3. Khalil Garland, 6-4, combo guard, LR Parkview, Class of 2017, composite national ranking of No. 123, 4-star ... Hog commit ... recently de-committed from Memphis ... probably the best compliment I can give Khalil is that he plays with his hair on fire at both ends of the floor, always seems to be in the middle of the action, and that speaks to his high BBall IQ and determination as a player ... jack-of-all-trades, and a guy who I think can be a combo guard because his handles and ability to facilitate for others looks to be approaching what we saw with Ky Madden ... plus-athleticism, slasher who scores getting to the paint and rim, and though he has not developed a mid-range or deep-range shot yet, he's no one-trick pony in the backcourt for reasons already mentioned ... has had a very productive AAU run in 2016 on a loaded Team Penny team, and in June was invited to the Nike Basketball Academy as well as re-entered the Rivals Top 150 at No. 137 ... visited the Hogs unofficially in June ... had offers from Oregon, Pitt, Baylor, Texas A&M, Florida, Memphis, LSU, Cal, Bama, Georgia Tech, MudState, UALR and Creighton.
4. Ethan Henderson, 6-7 / 6-8, PF, LR Parkview, Class of 2018, composite national ranking of No. 97, 3-star ... has a Hog offer and reportedly a Hog lean ... the composite might be a little skewed given the various national propsect rankings are all over the map regarding Ethan, but he remains a 4-star prospect nonetheless ... Ethan recently participated in the Adidas Nations camp in Miami as one of 30 invitees, and he followed that up with an invition to the prestigious NBPA Top 100 camp where his production was not great, but he continued to learn and compete against the best of the best ... what you need to know about Ethan first and foremost is that he has excellent length / wingspan, big hands, can jump out of the gym, and he's quick and light off his feet ... huge upside, but where he has struggled as a young prospect is with strength and consistently playing aggressively inside, and he has limited face-up skill / lacks consistent mid-range shot to fit into that stretch-4 mold that we so often see these days. Still, this kid is versatile: Bill Ingram recently said that Ethan was the only player who guarded all 5 positions at the Adidas Nations camp in Miami. And international basketball prospect developer/mentor John Lucas recently said of Ethan: "When he figures it out that you need to play hard all the time to be special -- watch out!" What I saw back in April told me Ethan had made significant strides as an interior player because he was handling the physical business of post play so much better than he showed back in November ... reportedly has offers from Notre Dame, LSU, Indiana, Texas, Arizona State, and Southern Cal, and has drawn recruiting interest from Stanford and Ole Miss.
5. Darious Hall, 6-5 / 6-6, SF / wing, LR Mills, Class of 2017, composite national ranking of No. 233, 3-star ... Hog commit ... Darious has had a productive summer in AAU play and continues to remind me of Michael Qualls ... elite athleticism, lanky but strong frame, long arms, loves to put the ball on the floor and drive to the paint, plays with a non-stop/fearless slash-and-crash assault on the glass and rim ... handles are still a question mark for me -- some reports have him adept as a handler to get where he wants -- but when I've watched him a few times in person, he can be awkward (think Qualls again)... struggles with perimeter and FT shooting, definitely areas he needs to improve ... has all the tools to be a beast at both ends of the floor matching up against other SFs and wings ... should offer plus-interior-production for a SF / wing ... was recently invited to participate in the first annual Powerade Top 80 camp ... had an offer from UALR, but was also receiving recruiting interest from Memphis, Bama, and others when he committed to the Hogs early.
Top 10 Honorable Mention regardless of class: Connor Vanover, 7-2, PF / C, LRBaptist, Class of 2018, composite national ranking of No. 114, 3-star, offers from Hogs, Bama, Ole Miss, and Vandy; Exavian Christon, 6-4, SG / wing, Hot Springs HS, Class of 2017, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest and offers from LaTech, UAB, Southern Miss, Austin Peay, and UALR; S.K. Shittu, 6-9, PF / C, Rogers Providence, Class of 2017, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest and reported offers from Tulsa, Illinois State, UT-San Antonio, LSU and OU; Caleb Stokes, 6-7 / 6-8, PF, LRParkview, Class of 2018, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest, as well as Bama and LaTech; Kalin Bennett, 6-9, PF / C, LRChristian, Class of 2018, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog, Arizona, and SMU interest, and UALR offer; Desi Sills, 6-1, CG, Jonesboro HS, Class of 2018, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest, as well as Utah and Illinois; Isaiah Joe, 6-1 CG, FS Northside, Class of 2018, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest, as well as an offer from UALR; Javon Franklin, 6-6, SF / PF, LRParkview, Class of 2017, no national rankings found, 3-star, claims offers from Arkansas and UALR; Kris Bankston, 6-6 PF, LRFair, Class of 2017, no national rankings found, 3-star, UALR offer; Casey Benton, 6-3 CG, Clarksville, Class of 2017, no national rankings, 3-star.
Edit / update on 07/16/16: updated Khalil Garland's status to committed to Arkansas, also updated composite national rankings and offer lists.
tie 1. Daniel Gafford, 6-9 / 6-10, PF / C, El Dorado, Class of 2017, composite national ranking of No. 38, 4-star ... Hog commit ... plus-athlete and agile with a 7-2 wing span -- constantly on a pogo stick to gobble up rebounds, block shots, and dunk everything he can ... has a frame that should add weight / strength without compromising quickness, agility, flexibility, or athleticism ... has seen a dip in offensive production in AAU play, but Daniel had a good if inconsistent showing at the pretigious NBPA Top 100 camp in mid-June, and was invited to the Nike Basketball Academy in LA in late July ... his biggest weakness is offense, but he's got all the tools to be a good, adequate offensive player ... for one, he does a nice job of keeping the ball high and elevates quickly while getting into his shot, and secondly, when he does attempt a shot, he's got a nice touch and form ... has a FT% around 70%, so more evidence that he's not a stone-handed big ... still needs work being a more-aggressive post presence to demand the ball, needs to take more mid-range face-up looks to make defenses respect him ... Style-wise, reminds me some of Rasheed Wallace ... I've noticed a drop-off this year when compared to last year in terms of him playing with some "mean" in his game -- he's got a high motor and is active/aggressive, but the "edge" he played with last year is not quite the same ... prior to committing to the Hogs last year, Gafford had received offers from Kansas, Virginia, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech, among others.
tie 1. Justice Hill, 5-10 / 5-11, PG, LR Christian, projected to be a Top 150 4-star, Class of 2019 ... Hog commit ... here's the deal: I could easily make the argument for this kid at No. 1 all by himself, but it's too early to go there. Still, he's too good right now to play second fiddle to anyone in this state -- so he's a co-No.1 with DG. Hill is aggressive, athletic (not elite, but plus-athlete for his size), strong, and very smart with the basketball. He can score at the basket and with an array of impressive mid-range shots, and has a confident, efficient trigger behind the 3-point line. Explosive but in control while running the show, and reminds me a little of Lee Mayberry in the way he sets up his mid-range pull-up jumper. Not as smooth as Lee, but quick and decisive with nice lift going from dribble to pull-up jumper. Does not force his offense, knows when to pass and when to shoot. Moves well without the ball. Tenacious on-ball defender who anticipates where the dribbler is going next. Quick hands to poke the ball away. Great footwork to stay with his man. This kid is the goods. He is a winner. Was drawing interest from Stanford, Virginia, UConn, and Oklahoma State before committing to the Hogs a few months ago.
3. Khalil Garland, 6-4, combo guard, LR Parkview, Class of 2017, composite national ranking of No. 123, 4-star ... Hog commit ... recently de-committed from Memphis ... probably the best compliment I can give Khalil is that he plays with his hair on fire at both ends of the floor, always seems to be in the middle of the action, and that speaks to his high BBall IQ and determination as a player ... jack-of-all-trades, and a guy who I think can be a combo guard because his handles and ability to facilitate for others looks to be approaching what we saw with Ky Madden ... plus-athleticism, slasher who scores getting to the paint and rim, and though he has not developed a mid-range or deep-range shot yet, he's no one-trick pony in the backcourt for reasons already mentioned ... has had a very productive AAU run in 2016 on a loaded Team Penny team, and in June was invited to the Nike Basketball Academy as well as re-entered the Rivals Top 150 at No. 137 ... visited the Hogs unofficially in June ... had offers from Oregon, Pitt, Baylor, Texas A&M, Florida, Memphis, LSU, Cal, Bama, Georgia Tech, MudState, UALR and Creighton.
4. Ethan Henderson, 6-7 / 6-8, PF, LR Parkview, Class of 2018, composite national ranking of No. 97, 3-star ... has a Hog offer and reportedly a Hog lean ... the composite might be a little skewed given the various national propsect rankings are all over the map regarding Ethan, but he remains a 4-star prospect nonetheless ... Ethan recently participated in the Adidas Nations camp in Miami as one of 30 invitees, and he followed that up with an invition to the prestigious NBPA Top 100 camp where his production was not great, but he continued to learn and compete against the best of the best ... what you need to know about Ethan first and foremost is that he has excellent length / wingspan, big hands, can jump out of the gym, and he's quick and light off his feet ... huge upside, but where he has struggled as a young prospect is with strength and consistently playing aggressively inside, and he has limited face-up skill / lacks consistent mid-range shot to fit into that stretch-4 mold that we so often see these days. Still, this kid is versatile: Bill Ingram recently said that Ethan was the only player who guarded all 5 positions at the Adidas Nations camp in Miami. And international basketball prospect developer/mentor John Lucas recently said of Ethan: "When he figures it out that you need to play hard all the time to be special -- watch out!" What I saw back in April told me Ethan had made significant strides as an interior player because he was handling the physical business of post play so much better than he showed back in November ... reportedly has offers from Notre Dame, LSU, Indiana, Texas, Arizona State, and Southern Cal, and has drawn recruiting interest from Stanford and Ole Miss.
5. Darious Hall, 6-5 / 6-6, SF / wing, LR Mills, Class of 2017, composite national ranking of No. 233, 3-star ... Hog commit ... Darious has had a productive summer in AAU play and continues to remind me of Michael Qualls ... elite athleticism, lanky but strong frame, long arms, loves to put the ball on the floor and drive to the paint, plays with a non-stop/fearless slash-and-crash assault on the glass and rim ... handles are still a question mark for me -- some reports have him adept as a handler to get where he wants -- but when I've watched him a few times in person, he can be awkward (think Qualls again)... struggles with perimeter and FT shooting, definitely areas he needs to improve ... has all the tools to be a beast at both ends of the floor matching up against other SFs and wings ... should offer plus-interior-production for a SF / wing ... was recently invited to participate in the first annual Powerade Top 80 camp ... had an offer from UALR, but was also receiving recruiting interest from Memphis, Bama, and others when he committed to the Hogs early.
Top 10 Honorable Mention regardless of class: Connor Vanover, 7-2, PF / C, LRBaptist, Class of 2018, composite national ranking of No. 114, 3-star, offers from Hogs, Bama, Ole Miss, and Vandy; Exavian Christon, 6-4, SG / wing, Hot Springs HS, Class of 2017, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest and offers from LaTech, UAB, Southern Miss, Austin Peay, and UALR; S.K. Shittu, 6-9, PF / C, Rogers Providence, Class of 2017, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest and reported offers from Tulsa, Illinois State, UT-San Antonio, LSU and OU; Caleb Stokes, 6-7 / 6-8, PF, LRParkview, Class of 2018, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest, as well as Bama and LaTech; Kalin Bennett, 6-9, PF / C, LRChristian, Class of 2018, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog, Arizona, and SMU interest, and UALR offer; Desi Sills, 6-1, CG, Jonesboro HS, Class of 2018, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest, as well as Utah and Illinois; Isaiah Joe, 6-1 CG, FS Northside, Class of 2018, no national rankings found, 3-star, Hog interest, as well as an offer from UALR; Javon Franklin, 6-6, SF / PF, LRParkview, Class of 2017, no national rankings found, 3-star, claims offers from Arkansas and UALR; Kris Bankston, 6-6 PF, LRFair, Class of 2017, no national rankings found, 3-star, UALR offer; Casey Benton, 6-3 CG, Clarksville, Class of 2017, no national rankings, 3-star.
Edit / update on 07/16/16: updated Khalil Garland's status to committed to Arkansas, also updated composite national rankings and offer lists.
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