New UKmadness Rankings are up!

The UKmadness 2009 and 2010 rankings have been updated and now everyone can see them (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=F500WYGK).

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Biggest Risers
There are a couple players that rose high in the 2009 version of the UKM rankings. One of those players is Wally Judge, a Kansas State commit, who has lit up the summer AAU circuit so far this year. Judge worked out with Michael Beasley in June and it looks like Judge picked up a few things because he is finally putting together long stretches of good performances.

 

 

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Another player that soared in the updated rankings is Clemson pledge Milton Jennings. Jennings has played well all AAU season long, from spring to summer, and has improved tournament to tournament as well as any player on the circuit.

There were a couple players that rose in the 2010 rankings as well. The first is obviously UK target Harrison Barnes. Barnes went from only being known in Iowa this high school season to a top 10 recruit that every school is after. Barnes played as well as anybody at the LeBron James U.S. Skills Camp this past weekend and he is over a year younger than many of the other players. Barnes has the full arsenal of moves and shots on the offensive end and is an improving defensive player too.

Another player that rose dramatically is Roscoe Smith. Smith did not play in the early AAU season because he chose to work out with a trainer and coach to become a better player himself. Smith is now lighting up opponents with his ever improving jump shot and his deadly athletic ability. Watch for him over the next couple of years.

Biggest Fallers

There were a couple players in each class that either fell dramatically or fell from one of the top spots nationally. In the 2009 class the biggest fallers were Latavious Williams and Dexter Strickland. Williams fell because he just was not performing at all in any major events or against any resemblence of competition. He is not worthy of the #14 overall ranking that he had before the update. Strickland has played pretty well in all the events but just has not been the stellar player you are looking for in a top 20 player. He fell from #18 to #32.

In the 2010 class the big fallers were Trae Golden and J.T. Terrell. Golden’s fall is understandable, he is making the transition from off guard to point guard and he is having his fair share of bumps along the way. Golden is improving after every event with his distribution of the ball and his shot is coming back. He will climb the ranks next time most likely. Terrell fell because, well, he is not playing in high school with John Wall anymore. During the high school season teams were so concerned with Wall’s abilities that Terrell went relatively unnoticed, now that every player is good he is being targeted and is not performing up to top 20 standards.

Web Wednesday – 7/9/08

Recruiting Trail – AAU edition

- Well the most anticipated long weekend of summer AAU basketball is coming to a close today with the LeBron James Nike Camp wrapping up today and the adidas Take 5ive Classic ending yesterday. In this edition of Recruiting Trail we will be discussing how some of the major UK targets and commits performed.

* Jon Hood (Committed, 2009) – From all accounts that saw him play at the LeBron James Camp Hood played a very solid few days of basketball. Many people agree that he did not show off his total package offensively because on many occasions he was reluctant to shoot the basketball in situations many would have, but Hood distributed the ball very well while running the point for spurt at a time. Hood did not get caught up in jacking up shots because the dead period just ended and players are now being exposed to top notch coaches and scouts because, well, he is already committed and he does not care enough about rankings to try to hurt his team to improve his. Hood still showed his brilliant and always reliable jump shot many times to go along with his rapidly improving passing skills. Hood has been quoted as saying that Billy Gillispie wants him to play some point guard at UK so he is getting prepared for that.

* Daniel Orton (UK is leader, 2009) – Orton played in the LeBron Camp this week and he played like, well, the beast that he is. Orton was, as always, too physically gifted to be contained on the blocks and scored at will against every team and player he faced. Orton certaintly did not hurt his rankings and ratings with his performance this week, in fact he probably boosted them.

* John Wall (UK is in top 4, 2009) – Wall once again proved why he is considered the top point guard, and by some the top player, in the country. Wall is just too quick and too athletic for other point guards to handle him. Wall hits the jumper when he is wide open so “Rondo-guarding” him is not an option, but when you get too close it is over as well. Wall is considered a Memphis lean but is also considering UK, Baylor, and Oklahoma State.

* Dominique Ferguson (Committed, 2010) – Ferguson played in the adidas Take 5ive Classic on sunday and played brilliantly. He was the best player on the court in both of the games he played and was an athletic dynamo as well. Ferguson showed flashes of why he is considered a top 10 player by all scouts and once he puts it all together for full games instead of spurts he will be top 5. Ferguson only played sunday because of summer school but really played well.

* Harrison Barnes (UK is in top 5, 2010) – Barnes is probably the fastest rising player in the nation and for good reason. Barnes is ranked 6th nationally by rivals.com in their latest rankings and with his performance at the LeBron Camp it looks as though he might rise. Barnes was ranked #1 at LeBron camp by Louisville-based recruiting scout Clark Francis among all players, which included John Wall, Xavier Henry, and DeMarcus Cousins to name a few. Barnes is a smooth small forward with college ready shooting ability and size, if he gets a bit stronger there will be no stopping him. UK has yet to offer a scholarship to him but many believe they will wait for Gillispie himself to offer. Barnes is from Iowa so it is believed that the in-state schools have an advantage but could easily be out-recruited.

* Josh Smith (UK is in the mix, 2010) – Smith is the 2010 cross between Keith “Tiny” Gallon and Daniel Orton. He is about 6′10″ 270 lbs.. Smith, like Orton had his way throughout the whole tournament because of his strength. When he gets position you might as well put two points on the board because getting around him is almost totally out of the question.

- 2009 shooting guard Terrence Boyd announced this weekend that UK is his leader. He is rated top 50 nationally but grades could be his downfall. He is in serious need of academic help and even with help it looks as though he may not qualify. He did not even play the high school season last year because of grades.

Other Notes

- UKmadness will be coming out with the mid early July recruiting rankings some time this week so be ready for those. We will also be updating them in late July or early August.

- Be sure to post on the UKmadness message board here.

UKmadness 2009 rankings, #12

#12, Demarcus Cousins – Committed to UAB

Positives

- The best part of DeMarcus Cousins’ game has to be his offensive post game. Cousins already possesses an NBA ready set of post moves uncomparable by anyone else on the high school circuit. Cousins has very polished moves in the paint including a very good spin move on the block. Cousins has the ability to lull the defender to sleep by dribbling slowly and then he will suddenly spin the other way and he is right next to the basket for an easy layup or highlight dunk. Don’t think Cousins only shows these moves against lesser competition, he does the same moves in matchups with the best players including Georgia big man Derrick Favors.

- The other positive in DeMarcus Cousins’ game is probably just his overall feel for the game offensively. Cousins understands how big and strong he is compared to just about anyone on the court at a given time so he does not waste his time like some of his counter parts by shooting three-pointers and bringing the ball up the court. Instead, he gets good position down low and simply overpowers smaller opponents and outmanuevers players similar to him in size. Cousins has a very good face up game for his size which is a very good thing. Teams cannot afford to just guard him within five feet of the basket anymore, because he has a very reliable jumper out to about 12-13 feet. If teams do not guard him out there he will shoot, if they do he will blow by them and dunk, pick your poison.

Negative

- The only glaring weakness in DeMarcus Cousins’ game is his defense. For a guy Cousins’ size (6′9″ 250 lbs.) he is not a very intimidating player on the defensive end. Cousins has the length and size to simply domintate the paint defensively but has not seemed to realize his potential on the defensive side of the ball. Cousins definitely shows signs of brilliance at times but has not been able to put up tournament long spurts of great defense. Until he does that he cannot be considered a very elite player.

Comparison

The player that compares most to DeMarcus Cousins would have to be Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson. The obvious similarity is the fact that both players are unbelievably big, both standing around 6′9″-6′10″ and weighing around 260 lbs. But also both players are monsters around the basket offensively, scoring at will when they have good position against the defender. But both also struggle at times defensively. Al Jefferson only averaged 1.5 block per game last season, that is not good enough for a guy with his size and length, the same goes for DeMarus Cousins. Both players have the tools to be 2-3 bpg guys but neither seems to be able to do it.

 

NOTE: We skipped #13 because it was Greg Echinique and he has classified to the 2008 class.

UKmadness 2009 rankings, #14

#14, Latavious Williams – Considering – Kansas State (HIGH), Baylor, Miss. St., Xavier

Positives

- The best part of Latavious Williams’ game is clearly his athleticsm for his position and for his overall size on the offensive end. Williams is about 6′7″ 200 lbs. but he plays above the rim as much as Dwight Howard. Williams is very aggressive around the basket when he has the ball and will challenge anyone when he is going up for a highlight reel play, usually a dunk. Williams impressed many scouts at the Houston Kingwood Classic in April, where he had twice as many dunks as anyone at the tournament. Williams’ aggressivness near the hoop needs to be coupled with an improved frame to become the dominate player that his potential has in store for him. Williams is only 200 lbs. as I mentioned so another 15-20 lbs. definitely would not hurt. He reminds many people of Tyrus Thomas because most of his baskets come off dunks and layups.

- The other positive in Williams’ game is his DEFENSIVE athleticsm. What I mean by that is he uses the same athletic ability on defense as he does on offense. The only difference is instead of dunking over people and jumping through the roof he is preventing people from dunking and jumping through the roof by making spectacular defensive plays by blocking the ball and reeling in rebound after rebound after rebound. Williams definitely has the body and skill set to become a 20-10 guy with a couple years of seasoning in college (Most likely at K-State).

Negative

- The glaring weakness in Latavious Williams’ game is his offensive skill set. Williams is the best in the nation at getting the ball and jamming it in the bucket but when he starts playing against better competition he will need to develop another way of scoring. Currently Williams does not have a reliable jump shot or even a go-to post move that a Daniel Orton or a DeMarcus Cousins has. Williams has the potential to be great, but he needs to find his style and find his moves and use them.

Comparison

I already touched on it earlier, the player that Latavious Williams plays most like is Chicago Bulls power forward Tyrus Thomas. Besides both having crazy first names both players are bouncy wing players who can drop down to power forward when need be. Both players have similar size (6′7″ 200 lbs.) and both players are above average shot blockers. The thing that both players need to improve on, though, is their offensive skill set. Thomas has made it to the league without any sign of a go-to move in the post, but to succeed in the league you need one. Garnett has the turnaround fade away, Duncan has the jumper off the glass, and even Stoudemire has the mid range jumper to keep teams off balance. Until then neither player will be truly great.