Cason Wallace ascends to the top spot in Texas
Combo guard Cason Wallace ascended to the No. 4 ranked prospect overall in the On3 final rankings release for the 2022 cycle.
The Kentucky signee continued to improve at an impressive rate as a senior. The 6-foot-3 guard was described as opportune scorer that plays hard on both ends making winning plays as a sophomore and junior. Now he’s a 6-foot-3 guard that does all of those things, but is an improved perimeter threat. Wallace is going to make winning plays on both ends of the floor. He’s going to guard with toughness and physicality. He’s going to compete on every possession. Wallace can run a team with command. He will finish around the rim, and knock down free throws. If he becomes a 36-38% three-point shooter as a freshman at Kentucky, he will be a lottery pick.
Anthony Black takes the No. 2 spot
Anthony Black also made a big jump in the final rankings for the cycle. The 6-foot-7 combo guard makes the move up to No. 9 overall, which jumps him over Baylor signee Keyonte George.
Black has improved greatly as a senior at Duncanville High. A lot of that improvement was seen in person on the practice court with the season long UIL eligibility battle. Since giving up football following his sophomore year, Black’s perimeter game has steadily improved. He’s not a knock down shooter, but he has worked to the point of being a respected perimeter threat at times. Add the improving perimeter game with the size, versatility on both ends, rebounding outside of his area, court vision with the ball or on the wing and ability to finish in traffic, and Black is legit NBA first round draft pick candidate.
Why are Wallace and Black at the top?
Wallace, Black and George are all 5-star guards, and rightfully so. Wallace and Black have more value currently due to upside both physically and in their offensive games, and are playmakers with the ball in hand. Wallace can run a team, play off the ball, defend at a high level, makes winning plays on both ends and is expanding his offensive game.
Black may have more upside than any of the three. He is the best rebounder, has the most defensive versatility, has the best size and length, and is improving his perimeter game like Wallace.
George remains one of the top natural scorers in the cycle, and we expect him to be a double digit scorer from day one in Waco. The 6-foot-3.5 George is closer to being a finished product that Wallace or Black. Wallace and Black have more basketball, and physical upside.
To be clear, that’s not a negative on George. It’s just the natural process for athletes not developing on the same timelines. On3 sees the 5-star shooting guard as a future NBA Draft pick, potentially in the first round after one season.
State of Texas represented in the On3 Top 150
No. 4 CG Cason Wallace, Richardson (Texas) High — Kentucky signee
No. 9 CG Anthony Black, Duncanville (Texas) High — Arkansas signee
No. 15 SG Keyonte George, Lewisville (Texas) IMG Academy — Baylor signee
No. 23 SF Jordan Walsh, Cedar Hill (Texas) Link Year Prep — Arkansas signee
No. 25 CG Arterio Morris, Dallas (Texas) Kimball — Texas signee
No. 32 C Vince Iwuchukwu, San Antonio (Texas) Southern California Academy — USC signee
No. 35 SG Brendan Hausen, Amarillo (Texas) High — Villanova signee
No. 37 SG Rylan Griffen, Richardson (Texas) High — Alabama signee
No. 46 SF Terrance Arceneaux, Beaumont (Texas) United — Houston signee
No. 49 PF Zuby Ejiofor, Garland (Texas) High — Kansas signee
No. 60 SG PJ Haggerty, Crosby (Texas) High — TCU signee
No. 69 PF Cam Corhen, Allen (Texas) Sunrise Christian — Florida State signee
No. 85 CG Amaree Abram, Humble (Texas) Southern California Academy — Ole Miss commitment
No. 99 PG Austin Nunez, San Antonio (Texas) Wagner — Arizona State signee
No. 102 C Lee Dort, Dallas (Texas) Greenhill School — Vanderbilt signee
No. 103 SF KyeRon Lindsay, Denton (Texas) Guyer — Georgia commitment
No. 109 SG TJ Caldwell, Mansfield (Texas) Faith Family — Ole Miss signee
No. 119 SF Ryan Agarwal, Coppell (Texas) High –– Stanford signee
No. 121 PF Colin Smith, Dallas (Texas) Compass Prep — Vanderbilt signee