Updated 2023 On3 150 headlined by a new No. 1 player
On3 released the latest update of its 2023 On3 150 on Monday. This rankings release is the fourth update in the 2023 cycle and was heavily impacted by summer play, as well as camp season and early high school events.
This rankings update includes a new player at No. 1, 17 new names listed, and movement both up and down.
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 15 players in this update are five-stars, players with a rating of 98 or higher. Players 16 to 115 are classified as four-stars with grades from 90 to 97. The remainder of the 150 and position rankings are three-stars.
Our goal is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential in college basketball, ultimately manifested by the NBA Draft. Here are some of the storylines surrounding the updated 2023 On3 150.
The conversation for No. 1
We knew going into this update there would be a new No. 1 player; it was just a matter of who would take over the reins. Since our last update, Isaiah Collier was named MVP of the Steph Curry elite camp and the UAA Next Elite 24.
Justin Edwards and Mackenzie Mgbako were given serious consideration, and then there was Aaron Bradshaw. Bradshaw was a player we knew we were going to move up, but he was not necessarily in the No. 1 conversation when our update talk started.
We loved Edwards’ upside as a lock-down defender, but shooting 28.4 percent from three during Nike’s EYBL Circuit led to questions about his shot-making. Mgbako has good size and a smooth shooting stroke, but we had questions about his ability to create for himself. We knew both players were top five talents but could not make the case for No. 1.
That left us with Collier, who is a wizard in the pick and roll. However, a look across the basketball landscape at the highest levels and it is becoming increasingly hard for sub-6-foot-3 guards to make it. Especially when said guards have shooting questions.
The more we talked, the more Aaron Bradshaw’s name came up. When we took a step back to look at the broad picture, the 7-foot-1 center fit the archetype. Not only did he fit the archetype, but he also had the production and continued developmental curve. While we came into the conversation uncertain, the guy became apparent relatively quickly.
Seven enter rankings as four-stars
On3 welcomes 14 new names to the updated 2023 On3 150. While I am not going to go through all 14, seven of the players entered with four-star status.
The highest of the newcomers is 6-foot-8 Ashton Hardaway at No. 94. The Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon forward is a smooth scoring forward with a pure jumper. Recent LSU commitment Mike Williams enters the rankings at No. 101. High-scoring Canadian guard Vasean Allette checks in at No. 105, Kansas State commitment Macaleab Rich at No. 107, and Branson (MO) Link Academy wing Cam Carr at No. 112.
Rounding out the newbie four-stars are a pair of high major commitments with 6-foot-3 Butler commit Finley Bizjak and 6-foot-8 high-flying Georgia commit Dylan James. Bizjak comes in at No. 114, and James was the final four-star at No. 115.
Where to make the five-star cut line?
For the last two update cycles, we kept the cut line at 12 for five-stars. Not every class is built the same, so there is not a set number of five-stars we try to hit. While there was going to be some movement, we did not think most of the previous five-stars did anything to warrant dropping a star.
With others playing their way into five-star status, this meant the 12 line would have to expand. Sean Stewart has consistently produced at the highest levels. Ja’Kobe Walter‘s shot making at 6-foot-6 is hard to ignore. Stephon Castle has been as good as anyone from July to the current day. They earned their bump.
There are 15 five-stars in the updated 2023 On3 150.
2023s top centers
For so much of the 2023 recruiting cycle, the talk has been about the lack of centers in this class. Well, as we gave the bigs time to develop, we now have a center as the No. 1 overall player in the class. The narrative seems to be shifting with regard to the fives in this class; let’s go through the players who are listed as centers in the updated top 100.
With the unique nature of size and skill, plus the importance of big men in the college game, centers get scooped up fast. As you can see, of the 14 centers in the 2023 On3 Consensus top 100, only two remain uncommitted.
No. 1 | 7-1 Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky)
No. 9 | 6-10 Xavier Booker (Michigan State)
No. 12 | 6-8 Sean Stewart (Duke)
No. 14 | 6-10 Baye Fall
No. 16 | 7-1 Isaiah Miranda
No. 21 | 6-10 JP Estrella (Tennessee)
No. 28 | 6-10 Zayden High (North Carolina)
No. 31 | 6-10 Devin Williams (UCLA)
No. 36 | 6-10 Papa Kante (Michigan)
No. 44 | 6-11 Jordan Butler (Missouri)
No. 52 | 6-10 Blake Buchannan (Virginia)
No. 61 | 6-11 Jacob McFarland (Houston)
No. 86 | 6-10 Nolan Winter (Wisconsin)
No. 90 | 7-1 Dennis Evans (Minnesota)