ESPN Announces National Rankings
New England Basketball has never been stronger….at least that certainly seems to be the case when looking at ESPN’s national rankings.
While the 2011 class is certainly respectable with Michael Carter-Williams cracking the top twenty, Naadir Tharpe checking in at 66, and a handful of incoming prep products also ranked within the top 100, New England’s presence in the classes of 2012 and 2013 is simply off the charts.
The “Super 60” list of top rising juniors begins with Andre Drummond and Khem Birch as New England is not only the home of the top ranked player in the country, but now the second ranked player as well. That is only the beginning as Alex Murphy checks in as the seventh overall ranked player, Ricardo Ledo thirteenth, and Kaleb Tarczewski 24th.
Two years ago the New England Recruiting Report made the bold prediction that the class of 2012 had a chance to go down as the best ever in our region and now it certainly appears close to coming true with the top two players in the country, three of the top ten, four of the top fifteen, and five of the best twenty-five.
The class of 2013 is no less impressive as New England owns two of the top three spots in the country. While the “Terrific 25” list begins with Julius Randle, a six-foot-eight forward from Texas, Connecticut native Kuran Iverson and Massachusetts native Nerlens Noel follow right behind at two and three respectively.
ESPN also introduced a new rating system by which every ranked player features a detailed scouting report, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each player’s game along with their bottom line and an overall star rating.
To view the ESPN rankings in their entirety or see a particular player’s profile visit www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting.
Kaleb Tarczewski
Michael Carter-Williams
Ricardo Ledo
Andre Drummond
Alex Murphy
Khem Birch
Naadir Tharpe
Kuran Iverson
Nerlens Noel