Post July Period Rankings

Josiah Turner played well in July and earned a top 10 spot in our new rankings.

By Bryan Kriss - bryankriss@hardwoodelite.com

The July evaluation periods have wrapped up and we have seen as much basketball as we could possibly take in over the last month. While plenty of players have improved their ranking and several others are making their debut in our Elite 100, here are a few of the headliners.

2011

Quincy Miller: It was difficult deciding between Mike Gilchrist and Quincy Miller for the top spot in our rankings. While Quincy hasn't been shooting quite as well as he did in Los Angeles, he has still been playing hard and continues to show elite potential. We will have to revisit this topic again when we make our next update in the rankings, but for now Miller hangs on to the top spot.

Josiah Turner: Josiah Turner has been impressive all summer long. He has great size for the point guard position to go along with excellent passing ability, an efficient shooting stroke, and an unstoppable hesitation dribble move that allows him to get by virtually anyone. He has moved into the top 10 of our new rankings and currently sits at number 8.

Nick Faust: Nick Faust has continued to get better and better throughout the summer. He has an unorthodox release on his shot, but it doesn't prevent him from getting it off and making a very high percentage of them. He is a very good athlete and has shown the ability to get to the rim as well. To put it simply, he has the total package and is more than deserving of his jump in the rankings to number 16.

Cody Zeller: Cody Zeller has always been a very skilled player and an excellent shooter, but as of late he has done a good job of putting to rest any doubt about his willingness to bang in the post. He could still add some muscle to his frame, but it hasn't stopped him from playing physical on the block.

Zach Price: Zach Price, who is now a legit 6-foot-10, has continued to get better and better. He has great length and a virtually unstoppable left-handed hook shot that makes him very difficult to stop when he establishes position on the block.

Todd Mayo: Todd Mayo was nothing short of dominant when we saw him play at the Best Buy Summer Classic in Minnesota. He may have to work on moving better without the ball and put forth a little more effort on defense, but when Mayo has the ball in his hands you know something good is going to happen. He is a great shooter and does an excellent job of getting to the rim and finishing. Mayo left enough of an impression on us to move him into our new rankings at number 56.

Markus Kennedy: Once a 2010 prospect, Markus Kennedy has since reclassified to the class of 2011. While playing for the New England Playaz AAU team, Kennedy has proven to be very difficult to defend in the post. He has played well enough to earn a spot in our elite 100, debuting at number 69.

2012

Hanner Perea: Hanner Perea did very well in the month of July and proved that he is one of the elite power forwards in the 2012 class. He has great athleticism and an everlasting motor that allows him to get the most of his ability. He does a very good job of scoring around the basket, rebounding, and blocking shots and has played well enough to earn a top 15 spot in our updated rankings.

DeMarquise Johnson: We got a chance to get our first look at DeMarquise Johnson and Team Eleate at the Best Buy Summer Classic in Minnesota, and he did not disappoint. He was absolutely lights out from behind the three-point line and didn't need more than an inch to get his shot off. There was one stretch where he hit four straight three-pointers and he probably finished the game with seven or eight from downtown. In our next game seeing him, he proved that he wasn't just a shooter when he consistently took his man to the rim and displayed some athleticism while finishing with three driving dunks. Johnson made enough of an impression to debut in our rankings at number 35.

Shaquille Goodwin: Shaquille Goodwin is a very athletic and active power forward who shows loads of potential. He has always done a great job around the basket, but he showed an ability to shoot the ball in Las Vegas that we hadn't seen before. Goodwin's best playing days are clearly ahead of him and he has played well enough to move up to number 38 in our updated rankings.

Torian Graham: Torian Graham showed us a lot of potential while playing up on the DC Assualt 17s squad earlier in July, but it wasn't until we saw him in Las Vegas that he showed what he's truly capable of. An elite athlete, Torian Graham is a highlight waiting to happen in transition and will gladly put a defender on a poster if they aren't careful. However, this isn't the only part of his game. Graham showed the ability to knock down three pointers as well as the mid-range shot while also displaying an impressive floater in the lane. Graham can score in several ways and showed enough ability and potential to move up to number 49 in our rankings.

2013

Chris Thomas: We have always been very impressed with Rodney Purvis, but Chris Thomas was so dominant in Las Vegas that we had to move him up ahead of Purvis and into the number 2 spot in our updated 2013 rankings. Thomas shows rare playmaking ability for a player his age and can hurt you in so many ways. While Thomas is a very good shooter, he is virtually unstoppable when he drives to the basket and if he doesn't score or get fouled, he's almost sure to find an open teammate for an easy score with his impressive vision and passing ability.

Click here to view our updated rankings.