Shaedon Sharpe and Dereck Lively II ranked in the top three by Rivals

Shaedon Sharpe and Dereck Lively II are quickly establishing themselves as consensus top-three prospects in the class of 2022.

After On3 became the first recruiting service to move Sharpe to No. 1, Rivals is doing the same in their updated rankings set to go live this week. The national outlet released its new top five, with Sharpe coming in at No. 1 and Lively coming in at No. 3.

Lively debuted at No. 2 overall in On3’s rankings, while 247Sports lists the 7-foot-2 center at No. 1 overall. 247Sports and ESPN both have Sharpe listed at No. 6 overall, with the latter listing Lively at No. 8.

Shaedon Sharpe

Rivals believes Sharpe’s floor is “extremely high” and projects the five-star guard as a lottery pick.

“Coming in at No. 1 in the updated Rivals150 is Shaedon Sharpe, our new No. 1 who is taking over for Jalen Duren, who reclassified to 2021,” Rivals’ Rob Cassidy announced Tuesday. “This is a guy we moved up big last time from the top 15 into the top 10 when we saw him at Midwest Mania in Indianapolis. I fell in love with him at that time and his game. He’s polished himself even more since then, averaged over 15 points per game at the Peach Jam. He was as consistent as anybody at the event.

“He can shoot it, has a college-ready body, defends one through four pretty well. He’s a well-rounded guy that any program in the country would want on their team. When you put a guy at No. 1, you’re banking on him becoming a lottery pick. He’s a good bet to be in that conversation, his floor is extremely high. Sharpe is the most consistent and best bet for that No. 1 spot in the country.”

There are currently eight Crystal Ball predictions and five FutureCasts in Kentucky’s favor for Sharpe. The five-star guard previously said a decision was expected by the end of August. He is set to choose between Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State and the NBA G League Ignite.

“All the players that went through (Kentucky), through their program and made it to the league,” Sharpe told KSR. “I feel like if I go there I could do the same thing.”

Dereck Lively II

As for Lively, Rivals believes the 7-foot-2 center has among the “highest ceilings in this class.”

“Coming in at No. 3 is Dereck Lively, who led his team to a Peach Jam championship for Team Final and has one of the highest ceilings in this class,” said Cassidy. “Seven-footer that can block shots and impact the game on the defensive end and on the glass, scores at the rim. One thing we learned about him is he’s not a bad shooter. When left open, this is a guy who can knock down the 3-pointer. He’s becoming more versatile. If he reaches his ceiling, this is an NBA-type center.

The recruiting service is expected to release its updated 2022 Rivals150 on Wednesday, followed by the new position rankings on Thursday. The new 2023 Rivals150 will then be released on Friday.

There is one Crystal Ball prediction and one FutureCast in favor of Kentucky for Lively.

“Kentucky has always been one of the top programs, they’ve always competed, they’ve always brought great energy,” Lively previously told KSR. “That’s something I could definitely be a part of. If I were to go there, we would win, and that’s just something I’d love to be a part of.”