We continue our new Summer Player Rankings with our next release – the 2014 class summer player rankings for small forwards. This position is absolutely loaded with talented prospects, and has numerous division-I prospects at the position. This is among the most talented positions of prospects for the 2014 class, as the majority of prospects at the position are possible divison-I prospects.
Leading the way for this summer’s rankings at the position is Westwind Prep Academy's 6-foot-7 rising junior forward Zylan Cheatham. Cheatham recently advised us that he has decided to transfer schools and attend Westwind Prep Academy this fall. Cheatham is among the top prospects in the country at his position after a strong spring performance on the club circuit. As a result of his spring performance, Cheatham is now regarded among the top prospects in the country in the 2014 class - already receiving division-I scholarship offers from such schools as Arizona State, Colorado, Utah State and Northern Arizona. This is just the beginning as Cheatham should reel in many more offers this summer, especially after attending next week's Reebok Breakout Camp in Philadelphia, PA.
Next among the top small forward prospects in the class are Westview High School's 6-foot-8 rising junior forward Andre Adams and Highland High School's 6-foot-6 rising junior forward Jake Toolson. Both prospects are considered high-major prospects currently, with Adams possessing excellent upside as a prospect.
Adams, the son of former NBA player Lewis Lloyd (NBA-Houston Rockets), is a big-time young talent with a versatile playing style - possessing excellent length and an ability to block shots at a high rate. He is still developing his overall offensive attack, but his left handed shooting stroke has range and he is able to score inside and out. Adams is generating a lot of high major interest and is still a sleeper among the class. He is currently hearing from Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon State and Colorado.
Toolson is already generated very good division-I interest, as he has already reeled in offers already from such schools as Boston College, Utah State and UC-Davis. He is also receiving strong interest already from Arizona State, BYU and Utah. Toolson is a very nice target in the 2014 class, as a result of his tremendous size and offensive skillset for such a young prospect. He has a very nice shooting stroke with excellent range and has a good overall feel for the game.
Gilbert Christian HS 6-foot-6 rising junior Sam Jones is among the best pure shooters of the basketball in the state – regardless of class. His size and length makes him much more attractive than most shooters, since he is able to get his shot off easily over smaller defenders and moves very well with or without the basketball in his hands. Handles the basketball very well for his size and is a fundamentally sound prospect that has a very good feel for the game.
Other small forward prospects in the rankings include Grand Canyon HS 6-foot-5 rising junior forward Joey Bankston, Peoria HS 6-foot-7 rising junior Jose Bustamonte, Westview HS 6-foot-4 rising junior Isaiah Bellamy and Mesa HS 6-foot-5 rising junior Felipe Velazco. Each of these prospects are talented and are capable of making a bigger jump in these rankings with strong summer performances.
Here are our Summer Player Rankings for the small forward position in Arizona’s 2014 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 2014 Class Summer Player Rankings – Small Forwards (In Ranking Order)
1. Zylan Cheatham 6-7 JR SF Westwind Prep Academy (Phoenix, AZ)
2. Andre Adams 6-8 JR SF/PF Westview HS (Glendale, AZ)
3. Jake Toolson 6-6 JR SF Highland HS (Gilbert, AZ)
4. Sam Jones 6-6 JR SG/SF Gilbert Christian HS (Gilbert, AZ)
5. Joey Bankston 6-5 JR SF Grand Canyon HS (Grand Canyon, AZ)
6. Jose Bustamonte 6-7 JR SF Peoria HS (Peoria, AZ)
7. Isaiah Bellamy 6-4 JR SG/SF Westview HS (Glendale, AZ)
8. Felipe Velazco 6-5 JR SF Mesa HS (Mesa, AZ)
9. John Jackson 6-5 JR SF Tucson HS (Tucson, AZ)
10. Nemanja Mrdja 6-5 JR PF Greenway HS (Phoenix, 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.
