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2015 Rankings Update Breakdown

Our rankings of the 2015 class have changed a lot after the spring portion of the club season. Here is a breakdown of our top 10 college prospects. For the top 50 rankings, follow this link.

We stayed with Jalen Coleman in the top spot. He has not had the greatest spring, but we believe it is more because of the system he is playing in and not a true reflection of his ability. Coleman has spent the spring settling for contested jump shots, but he has the ability to get to the basket against anyone. His length and skill set will make him a great college prospect.

Hyron Edwards has had the best spring of any 2015 prospect in Indiana despite missing time due to an ankle injury. Edwards could easily be the top college prospect, but we stayed with Coleman since he has a few inches on Edwards. Edwards is explosive off the dribble, which makes him hard to contain. He has really been able to show off his ability with the Indiana Elite-Team Indiana because of Everett and Stanley Duncan’s shooting ability. Are you going to help off of great shooters to stop Edwards on the drive or stay with the shooters and let Hyron score at the basket? He’s a great passer and always finds teammates for easy looks. Outside shooting is his weakness, but it has improved greatly since the high school season.

Our number three prospect is the versatile Bronson Kessinger. I expected Kessinger to have the type of spring that Edwards had, but Bronson has been less consistent than Edwards. He is a true 6-6 and can handle the ball like a guard. He is a good athlete, but not jumping out of the gym or lightning quick. Strength is a slight issue in terms of scoring through contact and dominating the boards right now. If he adds upper body strength and keeps his agility, he will be a high-major small forward.

The next prospect on the list might end up being the best college prospect in the class when it is all done. That player is Gary Bonds. His potential is still ahead of his current production, but the two are merging together quickly. Bonds has had some big games against talented opponents this spring, but he is still working to become more consistent. He has a great touch around the basket and extends out to 15-feet. He also has quick feet and can put the ball on the floor to beat defenders to the basket. Expect his athleticism to increase dramatically over the next couple years as he adds muscle to his long frame.

K.J. Walton comes in as our fifth best college prospect in the 2015 class. Walton has had a great month of May on the club circuit. I’ve worried that he played with too much “cool” to his game in the past, but his intensity and focus has been steady in May. He is explosive off the dribble although he is not finishing above the rim at this point. Walton has great body control which allows him to finish through contact on a regular basis. He is a true 6-3 now and has been shooting it consistently well from the outside as of late.

The shooter with great length, Ryan Fazekas comes in at number six. The question will be, “can he do more than shoot at the next level?” He has been going off the dribble more lately, but can he do it consistently against the top athletes? Is he quick enough to defend at the high-major level or will he continue to grow and be a stretch 4? These questions will have to be answered before you see high-majors and top mid-majors offering Fazekas.

Number seven might be the best athlete in the class at this moment, Chandler White. The upside to White is that he is a great leaper, strong, and has a good skill set. The downside is that he is likely done growing at 6-1. For the high-major level, he would be undersized as a 6-1, shooting guard. It can be done, but he will have to work hard to develop his game and possibly become a combo guard.

Brennan Gillis is our number eight college prospect and similar to Chandler White in the fact that he is likely done growing. Gillis has dominated the post up to this point and he will have to transition to the perimeter to be a high-major prospect. His perimeter skills have improved greatly over the past year. Gillis will need to develop his right hand and his outside shooting to be a wing player. I give him the benefit of the doubt that he can develop into a wing because he plays for Mark James at Ben Davis.

Josh Speidel comes in at number nine. Speidel has the skill to be a stretch 4 especially if he can grow a little bit more. He has good footwork and he can handle the ball a little bit. He is also a good shooter off the catch and off the dribble. The downside to Speidel is his athleticism. He moves pretty well, but he is not an explosive athlete.

Rounding out our top ten is Everett Duncan. I do not recall seeing a better shooter as a sophomore-to-be than Duncan. He is absolutely automatic when he is left open…and that happens a lot when you have Hyron Edwards drawing help defenders every possession. Duncan also plays with a high basketball IQ and makes a lot of very good cuts to the basket behind defenders. There is always a spot at the next level when you can shoot the ball as well as Everett Duncan can.