These past couple of weeks have been very cool and crazy for me. I’ve been able to watch the kids I have played basketball with and against since 3rd grade get national attention from the biggest scouting services, such as ESPN, 247 and Scout. No more BballSpotlight or “Classof2020.com” rankings, it’s all legit now. Throughout the years I’ve created lists in my head, ranking the best players I’ve ever played against. To now see many of the people that made the list in my head, on ESPN’s “Top 25” is a crazy sight. The McDonald’s All American’s, Duke and Kentucky commits and #1 NBA draft picks all start somewhere, and most of the time they start here. Here are some members of the Class of 2020 whose names you probably should remember.
Isaiah Todd- Richmond, VA
(#1 in the ESPN 25)
I’ve played against the 6’9″ forward a couple of times, and thankfully I’ve never had to guard him. He has an extremely high ceiling because of his size and length, but that shouldn’t undermine his skill. He is very athletic and coordinated for his size which compliments his touch around the rim and his jumpshot which can extend all the way out to the three point line. He is an eye opening prospect who rightfully deserves the number one spot in this talented class.
Kyree Walker- Phoenix, AZ
(#5 in the ESPN 25)
Walker has been receiving a lot of media attention since the 6th grade when he led his Oakland Soldiers team to a national championship. Then there was his posterizing dunk at MSHTV Camp that went viral and gained him over 230,000 followers on Instagram. The 6’4″ guard is used to the attention and has worked hard over the past couple of years to complete his game, and it has definitely paid off. He has a consistent three pointer and a soft touch around the basket which allows him to finish on big men. Not to mention, he’s a lockdown defender, as he completely locked up Cam Reddish (Top 3 player in the Class of 2018) when I watched him at the EYBL, where he was also playing two years up at 17U.
Hunter Dickinson- Hyattsville, MD
(#7 in the ESPN 25)
The seven footer has really brought his game along in the last couple of years. Dickinson was always a problem when you played against him, just because of his given size. But, he’s now taken his dominance to the next level. He gained a lot of high level experience playing for DeMatha’s varsity team this past season and playing some games for Team Takeover’s 17U team in the EYBL. Combine that experience with his mid range jumpshot, soft touch around the rim, vision out of the post, defensive presence and his newfound aggression…and you get the beast that Dickinson is today. He should have a breakout year for DeMatha Catholic in the WCAC this year.
Noah Farrakhan- Newark, NJ (#13 in the ESPN 25)
I had no idea who Farrakhan was before I went up against him, but he definitely made sure I did after the game. The first play of the game Farrakhan came from the weak side and cleaned up his teammate’s missed three pointer with a tomahawk dunk right off the rim. Throughout the game he single-handedly kept his team in it. I often regard the Jersey native as one of, if not the best player I’ve ever had to guard. His game reminds me a lot of Russell Westbrook, deadly in transition and extremely shifty in the half court. But you can’t give Farrakhan too much space because he has a very consistent pull up jumper, especially from 3. He also produced at the highest level, leading his high school team (St. Benedicts Prep) to victories over national powerhouses Montverde and Oak Hill. Farrakhan doesn’t back down from anyone and I’m confident that when it’s all said and done, he will finish as one of the top guards in this class.
Jeremy Roach- Fairfax, VA
(#14 in the ESPN 25)
I’ve watched Roach’s game develop for a long time now. From playing against his Leesburg Basketball Club in 4th grade then against his Takeover team in 7th and 8th grade and now covering him at Paul VI in the WCAC. I really like Roach’s game, a lot. He is one of the most composed players I’ve seen in awhile. He had a really productive campaign for Paul VI last year, even while playing against multiple Division I commits night in and night out, not to mention he was a freshman. He’s extremely smart and athletic, which allows him to be very crafty around the rim and finish around older and bigger defenders. He also has a good three point shot which makes the defense liable to go out and contest his shots, which also makes it easier for him to drive and facilitate. Roach doesn’t get phased by any speed of the game, he stays composed and plays his game, which could be his biggest asset in the future.
Nico Mannion- Scottsdale, AZ (#22 in the ESPN 25)
Since Mannion is on the West Coast, I haven’t played against him in my AAU career, but that doesn’t mean his game didn’t catch my eye. He has freak athleticism to go along with his scoring arsenal and true point guard abilities. The 5-Star guard is the complete package, he has the athleticism, skills and smarts to run a team at any level. He proved he can take over the game by scoring 42 points in one game while playing for Italy over the summer, but also proved he can make players around him better while averaging over five assists per game at the varsity level during his freshman year.
Terrence Williams- Washington, D.C.
Williams somehow didn’t make ESPN’s top 25, but that doesn’t take anything away from his game. He has solid contributing minutes as a freshman for the Gonzaga Eagles who won the WCAC and finished as the number eight team in the nation (according to MaxPreps). He has soft touch around the basket and a jumper that is extremely consistent, especially at his size (6’6″). He knows how to bang down low which allows him to get sent to the free throw line often, which is basically two points, as Williams shot over 90% from the free throw line during his freshman campaign. A lot of people like to say that rankings can’t speak for your game on the court and this is the perfect example. Williams is just as good as a prospect, if not better than a bunch of these guys in these rankings, and time will prove that.
This is the first time I have been able to combine my personal on-court experience as a player with my off court analysis as a blogger. The class of 2020 is an extremely talented class, and obviously this is just the preview, but you should definitely keep an eye out for these guys in the coming years.