Revealing the final 2023 On3 150 ranking
On3 has updated its ranking for the 2023 class for the final time in this cycle. The culminating update was backed by the post-season all-star circuit and diving into the film from the second half of the high school season and playoffs.
On3 heavily prioritized how players finished their seasons, looking at their career’s developmental arcs and how their games project forward. We also looked strongly at the post-season all-star games. Not just the bright lights of the games but how each player competed and stood up against their peers in the practices and scrimmages leading up to the games.
In the weeks since the season ended, we have been able to dive into film and utilize in-person, playoff and post-season evaluation. After multiple weeks both on the road and pushing play on the film, we feel we have a strong grasp on where things are at as we tie a bow on this 2023 cycle.
Our first ranking of the 2023 class was after their sophomore seasons. We originally ranked the top 100 players, which expanded to 150 in February of 2022. This is the eighth total update we have had for this class cycle.
On3 basketball rankings
The basketball player rankings scale is as follows: five-star prospects have grades 98-100, four-star recruits have grades 90-97, and three-star recruits have grades 80-89.
The first 14 players in this update are five-stars, players with a rating of 98 or higher. Players 15 to 125 are classified as four-stars with grades from 90 to 97. The remainder of the 150 and position rankings are considered three-stars.
Our goal is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential, ultimately manifested by the NBA Draft. The goal of the ranking is not to assess who had the best high school career or who will be the best college player. This is why we have chosen to have 14 five-star prospects following the lead of the NBA Draft Lottery. The vision is draft night.
Here are some of the storylines surrounding the updated 2023 On3 150.
The conversation for No. 1
Through the eight cycles of the 2023 rankings, there have been four players to hold down the No. 1 spot. GG Jackson, who ultimately re-classified into the 2022 class, was followed by DJ Wagner, then Aaron Bradshaw, and finally Cody Williams.
The 2023 class is unique in that there is not a single player or even a small tier of players who is decidedly the No. 1 overall player. With that, there were really four players in the conversation for No. 1 in the final cycle.
Duncanville (TX) High School small forward Ron Holland, Marietta (GA) Wheeler High point guard Isaiah Collier, Camden (NJ) High School center Aaron Bradshaw, and Gilbert (AZ) Perry High small forward Cody Williams. Ultimately, Cody Williams is the player who mans the No. 1 spot in the final 2023 On3 150 update.
One look at Williams and you can see the projectability. While thin, he has the long arms and the frame that projects well as an NBA perimeter player. Listed at 6-foot-8, the Colorado signee is comfortable on the ball, showcasing handle in the half-court and the vision and feel to deliver on target and on time to his teammates.
Williams also has the NBA bloodlines, as his brother Jalen Williams, a late-bloomer who was a lottery pick after his junior season at Santa Clara, just finished his rookie year with Oklahoma City. Williams finished second this season in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting.
Ron Holland makes a jump
Ron Holland finishes the 2023 class cycle at No. 3, back in the top five, which is where he started when the class debuted. The past 12 months have been fluid for the five-star small forward. It started with a poor April and May 2022 (three sessions) on Nike’s EYBL Circuit. He then went to Spain with the USA National u16 team and won a gold medal. Holland then sat out of July travel ball play. The 6-foot-8 Duncanville (TX) High wing then went on to have one of the country’s very best 2022-23 high school seasons averaging 20.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game and was a standout during the post-season all-star games.
This is a great example of why it is important to get consistent viewings of players in multiple settings over long periods of time. After his gold medal winning performance in June, his consistently dominant high school season, and his stand-out performances from the post-season all-star circuit, Holland jumped from No. 14 to No. 3 in this On3 150 update.
On3 trends throughout the 2023 ranking cycle
While this class has been unique without a consensus No. 1 player or group of players, the ones ranked at the top of the class across the industry have stayed pretty close to the same throughout the cycle. From the first ranking, after their sophomore year, to this final update, many of the names at the top have stayed consistent, with only their order changing. However, there have been some players who have been able to crack the code and move into five-star or top-25 status across the board.
On3 first made the move to put USC signee Isaiah Collier in the top two, No. 2, in August of 2022. While he had not played the previous two-plus months, including Peach Jam, what he did in April and at the USA Basketball Junior National Team Minicamp, was enough to earn the bump. Collier is now either No. 1 or No. 2 across all services.
On3 first put Baylor signee Jakobe Walter into the top ten, No. 10, in November of 2022. While the jump came from the mid-20s, Walter’s scoring ability was too much to ignore. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard spent his senior season at Branson (MO) Link Academy, helping lead his team to a 27-1 overall record. His play during the all-star circuits, especially on the defensive end, helped solidify his status among the top of this class.
Stephon Castle was a standout on the Under Armour Next Circuit with the Atlanta Xpress program. The UConn signee first moved into five-star status – from the mid-to-late-20s – in the November of 2022 On3 150 update. His positional size and ability to fill a stat sheet became too much to ignore. The following January update moved Castle firmly into the top ten, where he would stay. The 6-foot-5 McDonald’s All-American averaged 20.2 points. 9.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, logging multiple triple-doubles this season for his Covington (GA) Newton High team.
Elmarko Jackson’s physical traits became too much to ignore in August of 2022 when On3 moved him from No. 60 into the top 25 at No. 23. Jackson’s play this season at South Kent (CT) South Kent School steadily got better and better, ending in an all-out recruiting war by October, when he chose Kansas over the likes of Michigan, Texas, and others. Jackson was a standout during McDonald’s All-American week.
AJ Johnson had a unique combination of positional size and sheer speed that became too hard to ignore by August of 2022. The 6-foot-5 lead guard moved from the back half of the top 100 into the top 20. Johnson signed with Texas in the early period; he then pulled out of that commitment to play professionally with the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia.
On the back of a strong showing at Nike’s EYBL Peach Jam with the BABC program, On3 moved TJ Power into the top 25 of the On3 150 in August of 2022. At the time of the move, Power was ranked in the back third of the top 100 of On3’s rankings. Power went on to sign with Duke, and the 6-foot-8 wing had a strong senior campaign with his Shrewsbury (MA) Worcester Academy team.
Bronny James remains a five-star
It was during On3’s last update Bronny James moved to No. 9 in the 2023 On3 150. This update, after his run in the CIF Southern California Division 1 playoffs and his play in the post-season all-star settings, the five-star guard has settled in at No. 11.
James, a 6-foot-3 guard from Chatsworth (CA) Sierra Canyon, averaged nearly 14 points per game for his senior season. He finished the McDonald’s All-American game with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three. James had 11 points and four rebounds for the USA team at Nike Hoop Summit.
James committed to USC earlier this week. Joining five-star point guard Isaiah Collier and four-star power forward Arrinten Page for the No. 4 class in the 2023 On3 Team Rankings.
Biggest movers in the top 100
SF Ron Holland (No. 3) – A finalist for the Naismith High School Men’s Player of the Year and the On3 MVP of McDonald’s All-American week. The 6-foot-8 small forward is one of the more versatile defenders in the class and one of the most accomplished players internationally, winning two gold medals. His noted improvement on the offensive end and how young he is compared to his peers were added drivers behind the rise.
CG Aden Holloway (No. 24) – Holloway proved to be one of the class’s better one-on-one players during the post-season all-star game sessions. He finished with 15 points on 2-of-4 shooting from three in the McDonald’s All-American game, and the Auburn signee followed that up with 15 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field for the World Team in the Nike Hoop Summit game.
CG Reed Sheppard (No. 26) – Sheppard proved to be one of the better connector pieces in the class during McDonald’s All-American week. He dominated his high school season at North Laurel, and the confidence he played with throughout McDonald’s week was the icing for him. Both of the Kentucky signee’s parents played and had starring roles at Kentucky.
SF Jayden Ross (No. 41) – Ross simply continued to get better. Over the course of a season, the 6-foot-8 wing grew from a flashes player to a consistent force on one of the best teams in the country. The UConn signee is a fluid athlete with an explosive burst. Playing on the NIBC with Long Island (NY) Lutheran, he was instinctive in the passing lanes and knocked down shots consistently from beyond the arc.
C Dennis Evans (No. 46) – While there is still a lot of growth that needs to happen, there are some very intriguing tools that are in place for the 7-foot-1 center. The bump to No. 46 came behind our hedging our bets on the shot-blocking and rim protection. The Louisville signee’s length and his ability to affect shots around the rim, even when out of position, is truly unique in this class.
F Eric Dailey (No. 51) – Dailey had a big senior year with the Bradenton (FL) IMG Post Grad program. The 6-foot-7 forward played a lot on the ball, which helped develop his floor/court vision. That vision paired nicely with his ability to score. Dailey is a very good mid-range, mid-post player. The Oklahoma State signee has also won multiple gold medals with USA Basketball.