Top 100 Boys Basketball Final Rankings(Class of 2012) from The Phenom Hoop Report

CLICK HERE to see the entire list from the Class of 2012….

from Rick Lewis at The Phenom Hoop Report and www.phenomhoopreport.com:

In our opinion, there is no question that the number one player in the
country and the most talented player is 6’6 Shabazz Muhammad. Muhammad has
the unique blend of athleticism and skill plus the most important ingredient
of all is his overall competitive spirit. No one and I mean no one plays the
game harder than Muhammad and no one is more deserving of this ranking than
him.

Right behind Muhammad is 6’11 Nerlens Noel who recently reclassed to the
2012 class. While the Phenom Hoop Report was spot on in our evaluations on
Noel from his performances last summer, we even had him ranked number one in
the 2013 class over the consensus pick by others in 6’7 Jabari Parker. We
also stated Noel early in his career as being the best shot blocker in his
class, but was still somewhat raw offensively. While Noel may become the
better professional prospect a year from now, the best player in the 2012
class right now is Shabazz Muhammad.

Making the jump into the top 5 is 6’4 SG Rodney Purvis. Purvis was
previously ranked #9 in our spring rankings but after his performance and
production in the McDonald All American and Jordan Brand Classic, there is
no mistake that Purvis should be considered as one of the top five players
in the country. While Purvis possesses tremendous strength and speed in
attacking the basket, it is his outstanding body control that makes him
nearly impossible to stop in the open court. More importantly, Purvis simply
has the “it factor.” Like Muhammad, Purvis plays with a passion and purpose
and plays to win!

Another player making the jump into the top 10 is 6’8 T.J. Warren. Warren
enjoyed a solid McDonald All American game, but was simply sensational in
the Derby Classic has he tallied 27 points going 11-16 from the floor and
5-6 from the free throw line for 27 points. In addition, Warren knocked down
two free throws with 3 seconds remaining with his team up by one to secure
the victory. Although Warren did not win the MVP for the game, many will
agree he was most deserving. The Phenom Hoop Report first reported about TJ
Warren during his sophomore year at Durham Riverside. We were ahead of the
bell curve on his potential and without question; Warren may be the most
talented player offensively at the small forward position in the 2012.

Another player that made a jump and impact in our new rankings was 6’7 wing
forward Sam Dekker. In the Derby Classic, Dekker showcased his all around
game by tallying 14 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and even dishing out 7
assists. Dekker has sneaky athleticism, but has outstanding fundamentals and
a high basketball IQ.

The next biggest jump was 6’3 Omar Calhoun going from 41 to 24. Calhoun was
somewhat out of the limelight, but re-introduced himself to America with his
outstanding performance at the All American Classic in New Orleans during
Final 4 week. Calhoun finished with 26 points going 8-12 from the field and
made a living off the free throw line. More importantly, he exhibited a
tremendous midrange game which is nearly non-existent in today’s high school
game.

6’2 PG Semaj Christon jumped from #64 to #35. The fifth year senior has a
strong and study frame and has outstanding athleticism. He enjoyed a
double-double in the Derby Class with 10 points and 11 assists.

While many pundits have been critical of the 2012 PG class, the Jordan Brand
Classic simply showcased the need for selecting the players by position.
Going into the game, the JBC only had two true PGs in Marcus Paige and Kris
Dunn.

Unfortunately, Paige was sidelined with an injury and was unable to play.
While the West team was victorious, both teams contributed to 48 turnovers.
It was a simple case of many players playing out of position.

While the 2012 class doesn’t have the fire power of the past and no sure
fire NBA guys in the near future, we do feel like the 2012 isn’t as bad as
many are making it out to be. We feel that the number one PG in the 2012
class is 5’11 Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell with 6’1 Marcus Paige coming in a close
2nd.

First of all, Ferrell has the blend of speed, athleticism and skill. He is
stronger than most people give him credit for and he has excellent technique
on his shot. While all the PG’s didn’t shoot it well in the McDonald All
American game, Ferrell and Paige do have excellent shooting mechanics and
technique. 5th year senior Semaj Christian is 3rd in our PG position. He
always has a strong sturdy frame and outstanding athleticism, but he will
have to improve his perimeter shooting.

Somewhere along the line, people must be asking “where have all the
shooters” gone? The outside shooting in the all-star games for the most part
has been dismal at best. When you look at the top players at the SG
position, the majority of them are slashing guards that are extremely
efficient in attacking the basket.

Archie Goodwin, Rodney Purvis, and Marcus Smart are not going to burn you
from the perimeter. One would have to say, Duke’s Rasheed Sulaimon was the
most consistent perimeter shooter and should be a perfect fit for Coach K.

One player that was sidelined during the spring All Star games was Oak
Hill’s D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Naturally, I’ve had the opportunity to watch
him countless times this season and besides Sulaimon, there may not be a
better shooter than him.

Gary Harris had a big reputation coming into the McDonald All American game
but failed to find his range in the practice sessions or the game itself.
That being said, he has a great frame and athleticism and everyone is
entitled to a bad shooting game. He will be a nice compliment to an
outstanding class at Michigan State.