Hot topic questions from the 2024 On3 150 ranking update
On3 updated its 2024 On3 150 rankings on Monday. The last ranking update for the 2024 class was the first Monday of October. In that time, pre-season exposure camps and fall leagues ended, and the high school season has gotten into full swing.
There is a process with each update that includes live viewings, film study, data breakdown, etc. These players are halfway through their junior year of high school. Our next 2024 On3 150 update will come around the start of travel ball season. There is still a lot of basketball to be played.
The goal of rankings at On3 is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential. As we continue forward, a player’s performance on the court and their continued growth will outweigh these early rankings. Again, every player’s arc is different, and each ranking update is a snapshot in time.
Here are some of the hot topic questions we get after every ranking update.
Which player are you higher on than others?
I immediately had two players pop into my head here, Tyler Betsey and Kon Knueppel.
You hear the buzz phrase three and D thrown around a lot. Many times, the archetype descriptor is not warranted; however, in the case of Tyler Betsey, he is the epitome of this acknowledgement. At 6-foot-8, Betsey showed during Nike EYBL play that he was an elite shooter. Throughout Peach Jam, he shot 45.2 percent from three on 6.0 attempts per game. He has long arms and slides his feet well on the other end. As he continues to learn footwork, and team defense, that end of the floor will only get better.
A truly premier shooter who can defend multiple positions at 6-foot-8 is a player I want to bet on. Betsey is ranked No. 13 in the updated 2024 On3 150. In the 2024 On3 Consensus, he is No. 56.
Kon Knueppel has an argument as the most productive and efficient player in this class. The 6-foot-5 guard out of Milwaukee (WI) Wisconsin Lutheran averaged 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on Nike’s EYBL 16u Circuit this summer. He also shot 51.9 percent from the field, 43.3 percent from three, and 80.8 percent from the free throw line.
Knueppel has continued that type of efficient success during his high school season. He is ranked No. 18 in the 2024 On3 150 and No. 37 in the 2024 On3 Consensus.
Dylan Harper would also be in play here, but he was bumped to No. 2 in the last cycle and remains there.
How close was the race for No. 1?
When we first moved Tre Johnson to No. 1 in our June update, there wasn’t really a conversation. We were the only ones to have him there, but for us, after his play in April and May, that was a no-brainer decision. In our October update, with his play at USA Basketball and other events, no one really pushed Johnson to take over the spot, as he remained No. 1.
However, this time around, while Johnson maintained his poll position, there were extended conversations. I feel like a group of four players have separated themselves from the pack, at this point, in the 2024 class. Along with Johnson, Dylan Harper, Ian Jackson, and Flory Bidunga would be what I would call tier one of the 2024 class right now. All four players are consistently producing serious numbers while showing translatable physical tools and maintaining athletic upside.
For the purposes of the No. 1 spot, Harper was brought up in the conversation to push Johnson. Harper is coming off a December that saw him win MVP of the prestigious John Wall Holiday Invitational and then start January off with a 36-point outburst on Showtime TV against 2023 five-star DJ Wagner.
For this cycle, Johnson’s current production, paired with his athletic and physical upside, kept him on top. However, this is a conversation we expect to continue as we do not feel the gap widening anytime soon.
Who was the toughest player in this class to rank?
A couple of names come to mind here, guys like Dink Pate and Zoom Diallo. However, for the purposes of this writing, I am going to talk about Powder Springs (GA) McEachern forward Ace Bailey.
There is no denying the talent he has. Bailey has great length and breath-taking athletic explosion and fluidity for a player standing in the 6-foot-8 range. When he collects on a straight-line drive and rises up toward the rim, the crowd can be prepared to come out of their seat.
However, there is a lot of inconsistencies in his game as well. He is at his best when playing as an athletic mismatch, switching on defense and playing off two dribbles, toward the rim, in the half-court. However, there are times he drifts, times he overdribbles or takes ill-advised, off-balanced jumpers. He has also not played in some higher-level events, be it with USA Basketball, Pangos All-American Camp, or the NBPA Top 100 Camp. These are events used as a tool to gauge progress against a player’s peers.
Bailey has as much upside as any individual player in this class. He will be one I focus on heavily in the coming months to ensure I get a good read on him moving forward.
Which player do you think could be in a position to make a big rise in the next update?
The answer to this question is typically reserved for high-upside bigs who are rounding into their games late. And bigs like Aiden Sherrell, Thomas Sorber, Donnie Freman, and Jesse McCullough could fit this bill. However, for this writing, it is two wings that immediately popped into my mind, Isaiah Abraham and VJ Edgecombe.
Bigs are unique. In today’s game, especially at the highest levels, to have a player with adequate height who can both protect the rim and move their feet on the perimeter while being an offensive threat is like finding a needle in a haystack. However, the most valuable player on the floor is the playmaking wing with positional size and can shoot.
Isaiah Abraham is a 6-foot-7 wing with good length and a lot of straight-line pop. He comes from a basketball family with a dad who played at Marquette and an aunt in the George Washington Hall of Fame. Abraham has consistent, deep range on his shot and the ability to get to his spots off two and three dribbles. There is a natural feel he has to score. The next step is consistency, both in production and in playing time.
VJ Edgecombe is a player we started to hear some buzz on in July with his play with the SE Elite program on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit. He has been on an absolute tear with Long Island (NY) Lutheran to start the season, and that play has been consistent to this point. Edgecombe has good size with great length and athletic pop. He also has shown shooting touch. Tightening up the ball skills will only continue to enhance his scoring package.