Five names outside of 2016 top-125
While 125 names may seem like a good amount of prospects incorporated within our HoopSeen Top-125, there still are some deserving names that were very, very difficult to be left off the group that we put together. Every year, it seems that a name or two gets left off the national platform and they burst onto the scene as immediate producers at the next level. We take a deeper look at some of those that might not be found within our rankings, but more than deserved their dues because of the past, present, and pending future.
Lynchburg, VA
Justice Kithcart made some noise on Monday by opening his recruitment after having been committed to the University of Pittsburgh. The coaching change at the ACC school now makes the 6-foot-1 guard the best floor general left on the board within the 2016 class. We desperately wanted to include him within our rankings and if anyone will make us pay for this, it is Kithcart. A tough-nosed, hard playing, super explosive, and two way productive senior, the Carolina native should be a steady producer during his collegiate career. Granted that Pitt would have afforded Kithcart an immediate chance to jump into the mix as a contributor early on, look for him to find a home in the coming weeks and still lend his hand in running his group at the lead guard spot and in locking down on the defensive end.
Just like Pitt, Oklahoma State is also bringing in a new head coach, a program leader that has already been named in former Stephen F. Austin lead guy Brad Underwood. With the pending return of Phil Forte and a year under the belt of top freshman lead guard Jawun Evans, the cupboard is not bare at OSU. The class heading to Stillwater isn’t too shabby either and a prospect that could make early noise for the Big 12 bunch is Lindy Waters III. The 6-foot-5 wing, which brings great size and ball skills, has some Klay Thompson in him. He has an effortless deep ball that he wields with range between himself and the basket yet also has deceptive athleticism at the basket on the dunk attempt. Look for Waters to be an early spot-up artist during his stay in Stillwater and develop into a well-rounded, 3-and-D type at the next level.
Nevada will welcome back Eric Musselman for his second year in Reno and it definitely looks like the program is headed back in the right direction and more geared towards the success that Mark Fox once enjoyed several years back. Following a promising first year at the MWC program, the Wolfpack welcome in Devearl Ramsey, a diminutive lead guard who should contribute immediately. Albeit on the smaller side of things, Musselman and his crew knocked off several power conference schools for the point guard’s signature. He absolutely flourishes in the open floor, a system that the new staff has already laid down in Reno. Add in the fact that the California native can get to the rack and cause havoc with his foul-prone type of aggressiveness, passing skills, and on-ball defense, and Ramsey may very well over deliver on his current rankings and projections during his collegiate career.
Now that Fred Van Vleet and Ron Baker have exhausted their eligibility at the college level, the new wave of talent at Wichita State is more than ready to step up into the spotlight. With such others as Markis McDuffie, Connor Frankamp, and the rest of the crew back outside of the elite duo, the Shockers are still more than ready to represent the MVC over the next few years. CJ Keyser, while not included in our top-125, may be far from a finished piece on the offensive end, yet the 6-foot-2 guard is the ideal match for Greg Marshall’s ‘Play Angry’ mantra. An electric athlete at the basket with boatloads of toughness, very rarely do you find a prep prospect that prides himself on the defensive end. However, this is exactly what Keyser is all about where he is already committed to becoming the Shockers’ next elite defender and should really flourish at the MVC juggernaut in the years ahead.
A major late bloomer in the 2016 class and someone that was first thought of as a long-term piece that could possibly reclass during his initial year on campus, Henry Baddley has developed into quite the offensive piece. Headed to Butler this fall, the Buckeye State native has added confidence and ball skills by the day and has become a very versatile and potent scoring weapon. He can get on a roll with the deep ball, can score at the basket with the quick dunk attempt, and has the length and agility in becoming a versatile, multi-positional defender on the perimeter. Baddley is an excellent wing prospect moving forward and with the need for shot-makers and playmakers off of the ball, the 6-foot-6 senior should be a fine asset for Chris Holtmann and crew in Indianapolis.
