
We continue our new Summer Player Rankings with our next release – the 2013 class summer player rankings for centers. This position, while small in number, is loaded with some talented prospects, and has as many division-I prospects at the position as any other positions in the 2013 class.
Leading the way for this spring’s rankings at the position is Brophy Prep's 6-foot-9 rising senior post Tim Kempton. Kempton has developed a great deal over the past year and, as a result, he receives our top spot at the position. Kempton had his best season of his high school career for Brophy head coach Tony Fuller this season, and, as a result, is beginning to generate very serious interest from many division-I programs. Currently, Kempton has 4 different scholarship offers on the table for himself, already receiving offers from Air Force, Idaho, Idaho State and Weber State.
Kempton is one prospect in Arizona’s 2013 class that should continue to receive serious interest from division-I college programs this summer, so look for his list of offers to continue to grow this off-season.
Basha HS 6-foot-10 rising senior post Maurice Kirby checks in at our #2 spot at the position. While it was once believed that Kirby would grow into a high-major division-I prospect, it is now undertsood that this young man is who he is - a hardworking young kid that has developed at his own pace.
Kirby stands close to 6-foot-10 in heigth and has a nice wingspan for his size. He has a soft touch from the perimeter out to 15 feet, but needs more touches to continue to develop his perimeter skills. Still developing as a low post prospect, Kirby possesses a great attitude on and off the floor and has a nice smile. This young man should only continue to improve over time with better coaching, since he definitely has the right attitude.
Look for Kirby to generate some interest this summer for himself. His size, length and academic performance are rare qualities among the 2013 class of prospects.
Florence HS 6-foot-9 rising senior post Jeremy Verhagen is a developing post talent that has improved a great deal since last summer, and has a chance to become a nice college prospect for a smaller diviison-I program. While stin very thin physically, Verhagen's length and ability to score around the basket make him an intriguing prospect. His ceiling is very high and his best years are well ahead of him.
Joy Christian HS 6-foot-10 rising senior post Jeremiah April is another developing low post prospect with very good size, length and promise for the future. April spent much of his time this spring playing at the 16U level out of state, so I was unable to see much of him in action at all this spring. He has some good potential for the future, but has yet to really be battle-tested - making it difficult to evaluate the level of college he will eventually land at.
Here are our Summer Player Rankings for the center position in Arizona’s 2013 class. While we have not seen everyone at the position in the state, these individuals have proven to be the best at the position at this point in time.
Arizona Preps 2013 Class Summer Player Rankings – Centers (In Ranking Order)
1. Tim Kempton 6-9 SR C Brophy Prep HS (Phoenix, AZ)
2. Maurice Kirby 6-10 SR C Basha HS (Chandler, AZ)
3. Jeremy Verhagen 6-9 SR C Florence HS (Florence, AZ)
4. Jeremiah April 6-10 SR C Joy Christian HS (Phoenix, AZ)
5. Garrett Hacker 6-8 JR C Empire HS (Tucson, AZ)
Summer Player Ranking Notes: Our player rankings have been determined by a body of work from each student-athlete. Each player’s body of work consisted of performances throughout the high school season, and also performances throughout the spring and summer. A top performance throughout the high school season impacts a player’s ranking a great deal. A student-athlete’s performance throughout the spring and summer will have an even bigger impact, since our staff is able to observe Arizona players in competition against much better local, regional and national competition. The complete body of work has been taken into consideration for each of our player rankings. Player rankings are based on a particular student-athlete’s ability to play the game of basketball – not academic performance, although a player can help him or herself if he/she is an excellent student. Rankings are done to help aid college coaches in their ability to identify the top student-athletes by position and class in the state. These rankings are forwarded to college coaches at every level throughout the country. Rankings will be updated throughout the year.