bender

http://www.nbadraft.net/highschool.htm

There are few things to discuss about this rankings. Especially the rankings of 2004.

1. Marvin Williams 6-9 205 SF Bremerton (Bremerton, WA)
2. Josh Smith 6-8 195 SF McEachern (Smyrna, GA)
3. Al Jefferson 6-9 265 PF Prentiss (Prentiss, MS)
4. LeMarcus Aldridge 6-10 195 PF/C Seagoville (Dallas, TX)
5. Dwight Howard 6-10 225 PF/C Southwest Atlanta Christian (Atlanta GA)
6. Shaun Livingston 6-6 175 PG (Peoria, IL)
7. Randolph Morris 6-10 230 PF Landmark Christian (Fairburn, GA)
8. Mohamed Tangara 6-9 222 PF Mt. Zion Christian (Durham, NC)
9. Darius Washington 6-0 170 PG Edgewater (Orlando, FL)
10. Brian Johnson 6-9 230 PF Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, VA)
11. Sebastian Telfair 5-11 170 PG Lincoln (Brooklyn, NY)

Telfair #11, why this? He's still among the top3 of 2004, if not #1. But who's number one instead - Marvin Williams? I doubt he is. IMO the top3 are Telfair-Jefferson-Washington (in this order).
Feel free to reply!

JustinYoung

There is a reason why Telfair has "fallen". When you are number one, the only way to go is down. As far as his #11 spot, it's quite simple. The players listed above him just played harder and showed much more improvement than Telfair.

I had a lot of say in the rankings and particularly the 2004 class. I've watched about 80% of them in person. And to be perfectly honest, I don't know why Telfair would even be considered a top 10 talent. As far as point guards go, I'd take Washington, Shuan Livingston and Daniel Gibson over Telfair. Honest.

Telfair is a 5-11 shooting guard from NYC. The hype train begins in the Big Apple. Don't get me wrong, Telfair is good but isn't nearly as good as he and the fine people of NY thinks he is.

JustinYoung

These were my rankings when we compiled our lists. Keep in mind, we tend to think more in terms of NBA potential.

2003 Rankings:

1. LeBron
2. Luol Deng
3. Charlie Villanueva
4. Ndi Ebi
5. Kendrick Perkins
6. Travis Outlaw
7. Mustafa Shakur
8. James Lang
9. Brian Butch
10. Olu Famutimi
11. Martin Iti
12. Shannon Brown
13. David Padgett
14. Kris Humphries
15. Leon Powe
16. Brandon Bass
17. Vakeaton Wafer
18. J.R. Giddens
19. Michael Jones
20. Brandon Cotton
21. Sean Banks
22. Chris Taft
23. Shagari Alleyne
24. Ivan Harris
25. Chris Richards
26. Courtney Sims
27. Daryl Watkins
28. Trevor Ariza
29. Major Wingate
30. Andrew Lavender
31. Dion Harris
32.Chris Paul
33. Sean Phaler
34. Rodrick Stewart
35. Brandon Foust
36. Mohamed Abukar
37. Jackie Butler
38. Corey Gibbs
39. Tack Minor
40. Kenny Harris
41. Regis Koundija
42. Omari Isreal
43. Lodrick Stewart
44.Darian Townes
45. Gary Forbes
46. Jamareo Davidson
47. Paul Milsap
48. Gary Irvin
49. J.R. Reynolds
50. Stephen Verwers

2004 Rankings

1. Al Jefferson
2. LaMarcus Aldridge
3. Dwight Howard
4. Marvin Williams
5. Brian Johnson
6. Darius Washington
7. Mohamed Tangara
8. Josh Smith
9. Shuan Livingston
10. Daniel Gibson
11. Sebastian Telfair
12. DeMarcus Nelson
13. JamesOn Curry
14. Mike Williams
15. Brandon Rush
16. Roy Hibbert
17. Ra’Sean Dickey
18. Jerrell Houston
19. Kalen Grimes
20. Marquie Cooke

Big_CKansas

He got straight up murdered by Darius Washington 1 on 1. And that is not good when your so called stregnth is one on one. Washington also beat Telfair shooting less and and getting more assist.

Telfair is falling fast!

__________________
It's good to be back.

Kansas Jayhawks 2008 National Champs!!!!!!!!

bender

Top 10 juniors by Frank Burlison (FoxSports)

1. Shaun Livingston 6-6 175 1/2 Central/Peoria, Ill.
2. Marvin Williams 6-8 210 3/4 Bremerton/Bremerton, Wash.
3. Al Jefferson 6-8 255 4 Prentiss/Prentiss, Miss.
4. Dwight Howard 6-10 215 5/4 Southwest Christian/Atlanta, Ga.
5. Joshua Smith 6-8 205 4/3 McEachern/Marietta, Ga.
6. Sebastian Telfair 5-11 175 1 Lincoln/Brooklyn, N.Y.
7. Daniel Gibson 6-1 182 1/2 Jones/Houston, Texas
8. Kalen Grimes 6-8 244 4 Hazelwood Central/Florissant, Mo.
9. D.J. White 6-7 223 4 Hillcrest/Tuscaloosa, Ala.
10. Josh Heytvelt 6-8 200 4/3 Clarkston/Clarkston, Wash.

He has M Williams almost equal high, and Telfair almost equal low.
I'm starting to doubt about my opinion.

bender

I thought about starting such a discussion some times ago. I think now it's the right place for it.
Topic: Comparing international prospects with HS prospects.

Comparision #1: Tahirou Sani vs. Josh Smith
Who would you prefer? Both are "run and jump" type of players, amazing athletes with an incredible vertical leap. They have good handles as well.

JustinYoung

I don't know how "fair" the discussions will be because a lot of people who discuss these types of things rarely get to see both high school players and forgein players enough to give a good report.

High school players are getting easier to watch nowadays in the US but young forgein players are nearly impossible to discuss due to lack of exposure here in the states.

dkg1

Why no DJ White? Is it because he is viewed as a tweener? How did he look over the summer?

JustinYoung

I had DJ White on the list but I must have taken him off by mistake. I only saw him in one half (maybe 20 minutes) this summer and I haven't had any video either. So that makes it tough to asses his ability. And I must have caught him in a bad game. He didn't do anything to really show off his skills. From all accounts, he's a great player. Maybe when I have a chance to really watch him, I'll "rank" him higher.

bender

I agree with you. Int and HS players will likely never battle each other (only in the NBA), so it's hard to say who's the better one. But we can try it, just tell what you heard or saw (about the players).

I've got more comp:
Comparison #2: Sofoklis Schortsianitis vs. Al Jefferson
Both are about 6'10" 260 lbs, and both are very mobile for their weight.

Comparison #3: Johan Petro vs. LeMarcus Aldridge
Very athletic post-players, almost as quick as guards.

bender

bender

@JustinYoung:

Tahirou Sani was listed in previous rankings by NBAdraft.net. Do you know why he isn't listed in the latest rankings?

JustinYoung

The kid looks like he's 30. We are trying to figure out how old he really is.