The high school basketball season is right around the corner which brings a 2027 Rivals150 update

On Monday, Rivals updated its class of 2027 player rankings for the eighth time. This is the second update for the 2027 class with a full allotment of 150 players (the Rivals150). The movement and additions are based on two key sources: 1) in-person player evaluations through the end of the travel ball season, and 2) film study and intel gathered on prospects since the previous update. 

Updated 2027 Rivals 150 player rankings

Since this cycle’s last update, in July, the Rivals National Basketball team has attended numerous shoe circuit-sponsored travel tournaments (Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, Puma), independent circuit events, along with practices, scrimmages, camps, and jamborees. With multiple events taking place every week(end), Rivals has also collected streams and film to comb through for the maximum exposure of countless events and players.

The ranking process is a continual and often fluid one. Rivals starts ranking recruits after their freshman-year travel seasons, before their sophomore years of high school. Each recruit can look a lot different for our final ranking after their senior year championships and all-star games are played. 

We have spent the last several weeks working on this 2027 update so that it will reflect the most accurate and current representation of the recruiting cycle. This work has resulted in 21 players making their debuts in the latest Rivals 150 update. We have also continued collecting viewings and data on the previously ranked players, keeping eyes on them since the previous update. 

These prospects have completed their final summer of high school travel ball. Our next class update for 2027 will be released in the middle of the high school season, shortly after the new year.

The goal of rankings at Rivals is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential. As we move forward, a player’s performance on the court and their continued growth will ultimately outweigh their earlier rankings. Again, every player’s arc is different, and each ranking is a snapshot in time. 

Updated 2027 Player Rankings

Here are some storylines from Rivals’ eighth update of the 2027 recruiting cycle. 

Grading the 2027 Rivals150

The basketball player rankings scale is as follows: five-star prospects have grades 98-100, four-star recruits have grades 90-97, and 80-89 grades are for three stars. 

Again, there are no five-star players with a rating of 98 or higher in this update. The players ranked Nos. 2 to 90 are classified as four-star prospects, with grades ranging from 90 to 97. The remainder of the 150 and position rankings are considered three-star prospects. 

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 determine who had the best high school career or who will be the best college player. This is why we aim to conclude each cycle with 14 five-star prospects, following the lead of the NBA Draft Lottery. Our vision, as we end each cycle, is draft night.

Moussa Kamissoko challenges Bruce Branch III for the top spot

Bruce Branch III holds serve as the No. 1 overall player in the 2027 Rivals150 for the second consecutive update. The 6-foot-7 wing at Fort Lauderdale (FL) Prolific Prep has a do-it-all game, and while still putting the pieces together, his skill set is quite apparent.

As we have mentioned previously, this class is wide open at the top. We are still early in this recruiting cycle, with only three updates (four total rankings) in. The last update, in July, when we moved Branch to the No. 1 spot, there was not really much of a discussion with that move. However, with this update, Moussa Kamissoko inserted his name into the conversation.

Kammissoko is a 6-foot-8 wing forward at Long Island (NY) Lutheran. You like his ability to guard across multiple positions, and the length, twitch, and instincts he naturally shows on that side of the ball. You also like his ball skills and processing, able to create advantages off the bounce and make reads as he puts two feet in the paint.

Both Branch and Kamissoko have high upsides, and they check a lot of the natural boxes that are coveted at the highest levels. They will still need to grow into their skill sets, become more consistent in their movements, and self-creating advantages, but the steps are being taken.

Looking at this update, Branch holds serve at No. 1, but it is good to see someone able to put pressure on him.

The conversation for PG1 is starting to get interesting

Nasir Anderson jumped to No. 6 overall in the recent 2027 Rivals150 update. With the jump from No. 9, the 6-foot-2 point guard remains the No. 1 player at his position in the class. However, with the movement behind Anderson, the plot simply thickens.

Reese Alston, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Houston (TX) Second Baptist, remains the No. 2 player at his position. Like Anderson, Alston jumped from No. 14 to No. 9 overall in the recent Rivals150 update. The No. 3 player at the position, Jalen Davis of Bremerton (WA) High, rose from No. 17 to No. 16.

Anderson is a terror at the point of attack. Not only does he have quick hands with a physical and strong frame, but he also guards with a real purpose. Anderson, who transferred to play at Napa (CA) Prolific Prep this season, touches the paint regularly, collapsing a defense and making reads.

Alston, the son of former NBA point guard Rafer Alston, is perhaps the best pick-and-roll point guard in the class. His poise plays beyond his years, and his feel and processing are quick from every level on the court. Davis can fly, end-to-end, with the ball in his hands. He is really starting to find comfort as he toggles between running a team and finishing plays. The 6-foot-2 point guard also has a projectable jump shot.

Three point guards, all with rising stars, all among the top-15 overall players in the class. Continuing to track the race for PG1 could be a fun one in this cycle.

Declan Griffiths makes highest debut in Rivals150

Declan Griffiths, a 6-foot-6 wing from Avon (CT) Old Farms School, made his Rivals150 debut at No. 65 in the most recent update. The smooth shooting Griffiths shot 42.7 percent from three this summer, with the Middlesex Magic program on the UAA Next 16u Circuit, on 6.7 attempts per game.

In total, three players made their Rivals150 debuts with four-star status.

4-star SF Deuce McDuffie, Glendale (WI) Nicolet
4-star C Ben McKinney, Bel Aire (KS) Sunrise Christian

Two other players made their debuts within the top 100 of the Rivals150 update, still carrying three-star status, at this point in the process.

3-star SG Jahari Miller, Indianapolis (IN) Pike
3-star PG Payton Jones, Beaumont (TX) United High
3-star C Jahmai Drayton, Lanham (MD) Bishop McGuiness

Florida has 19 players in 2027 Rivals150

Florida led the way with 19 players in the updated Rivals150 ranking. Their highest-ranking player was No. 1 overall Bruce Branch III. Branch is a 6-foot-7 small forward at Fort Lauderdale (FL) Prolific Prep. In total, 32 states and Canada are represented in Rivals 2027 rankings.

Florida – 19
Georgia – 15
Texas – 11
Arizona – 10
California – 10
Ohio – 7
North Carolina – 6
Wisconsin – 6
Indiana – 5
Minnesota – 5