Iowa/Kansas/Missouri/Nebraska/Oklahoma
Prep Report
by Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP; Herb Welling, Nebraska Editor of the HOOP SCOOP; Greg Swaim, Oklahoma Editor of the HOOP SCOOP & Editor of Publisher of GregSwaim.com; Eric Bossi, Editor & Publisher of phog.net & a contributor to PrepStars.com; et al.

The HOOP SCOOP Ranks Em: The Top Prep Players in Iowa/Kansas/Missouri/Nebraska/Oklahoma

SENIOR CLASS PER CAPITA IN IOWA/KANSAS/MISSOURI/
NEBRASKA/OKLHOMA RANKS BEST IN THE NATION

by Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP

                    Nationally the senior class is down, but there are several very important exceptions and right at the top of the list is the state of Oklahoma, which per capita has more talent this year than any other state in the union.  Don't believe it?  Well, 6'9 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Marques Hayden from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'6 Kelanna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, and 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK are all big time players.  Williams, who is ranked #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is the best of the bunch.  He's extremely skilled both inside and outside, but right now we like him as a power forward who can step out and beat you with his jump shot.  And we assume that's the way Duke sees him too, because they're also probably going to land 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC.  Assuming the Blue Devils pull this off, there is no way Randolph is going to play ahead of Williams inside.  Nobody has Bookout ranked any higher than we do at #24 nationally in the senior class, but think we'll ultimately look great on this one.  Part of the reason Bookout gets under appreciated is that he is just a good old-fashioned blue collar inside player.  But he also didn't get seen as much as a lot of other guys this summer, due to inuries and his participation in other sports (Bookout likely will compete in the Olympics in the discus and shotput and he also could have a major league future in baseball as a pitcher).  However, we love the way he doesn't take an prisoners inside and dominates on the boards. 
                    Alexander and Azubuike both have already verbally committed to the University of Oklahoma and we believe they will be the perfect complement to one another, because Alexander is a great outside shooter and Azubuike combines great athleticism with a world-class body.   Azubuike, who is ranked #62 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, also seems to be exploring the possibility of entering his name into the NBA Draft next spring.   However, we think the likelihood of his getting drafted is slim and none.  Not only does he lack a consistent outside shot and doesn't have the perimeter skills, but he also needs the maturity that four years of college will provide.  Plus, Azubuike is an outstanding student, as is evident by his 4.0 gpa in the classroom.  The problem is that he scored closed to 40-point a game while playing for his high school team last winter against weak private school competition.  Combine that with Azubuike's athleticism and phyical attributes and the average fan, who doesn't understand how important skills and playing against quality competition are when determining how good a player will be at higher levels, has a totally unrealistic expectation (people in Oklahoma are touting Azubuike as the best player to ever come out of that state, but we have him ranked no higher than #5 in Oklahoma's loaded senior class). 
                    So it should come as no surprise that we like Alexander, who checks in at #55, a little bit better.  Alexander isn't quite as good an athlete and he doesn't have the world class body that Azubuike has, but he is much better skilled and shoots it a lot better.   We also rank Hayden, who is ranked #56 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, ahead of Azubuike.  A year ago we though Hayden was an undersized power forward all the way, but his perimeter skills and outside shooting have dramatically improved, plus he hasn't forgotten what he does best - use his quickness, athleticism, and tough hardnosed demeanor to get it done on the boards and around the basket.  However, the player who has improved the most in the last year is Lamptey.  As a matter of fact, he won this award when we gave out our Summer Camp Awards two weeks ago.  Lamptey can block shots, rebound, and score inside, but he still is a long way from being a finished a product.  In other words, the key here is the tremendous size and potential.  So with six players from Oklahoma ranked among our top 70 in the senior class nationally, only three other states (Texas and Virginia both have seven each and Michigan has six) have as many players ranked among our top 70 nationally. 
                    And Oklahoma isn't the only state in the Iowa/Kansas/Missouri/Nebraska/Oklahoma area that is having a great year.  Iowa not only features three players - 6'7 Greg Brunner from Charles City (H.S.) IA, 6'3 Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA, and 6'5 Adam Haluska from Carroll (Community) IA - who are ranked among our top 70 nationally, but the Martin Brothers Select club team was one of the better AAU teams we saw all spring and summer, as was evident by the fact they won the prestigious the Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic in early May.  Horner, who is ranked #45,and Haluska, who is ranked #59 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, were highly touted even before they both made early verbal commitments to Iowa and Iowa State, respectively, several years ago, but Brunner had no reputation outside the state of Iowa until this spring.  As a matter of fact, Brunner has moved ahead of both Horner and Haluska in our rankings, as he checks in at #28 nationally in the senior class.   Brunner, who also finished as the #5 ranked player at the NIKE All-American Camp, according to the HOOP SCOOP, is versatile enough to play both inside and outside.  But what makes him Brunner so special is the way he plays every possession like it's the last minute of a two-point game.  As a result, he usually controls the boards and his team usually wins.  Horner can play either guards spot, but he's best when he doesn't look to shoot too much and just runs the show.  Haluska is a skilled wing player with excellent 3-point shooting range and deceptive athleticism.                       Nebraska with 6'9 Wesley Wilkinson from Grand Island (H.S.) NE and 6'9 Roy Enright from Omaha (Burke) NE also has two players ranked among our top 80 and Missouri with 6'4 Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO and 6'8 Nicholas Kern from St. Louis (Vashon) MO has two players ranked among our top 100.  Enright, who is ranked #78 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, isn't ranked as high by most people, but we love the way he just gets after it on the boards and scores around the basket inside.  He also has excellent skills - obviously he learned a lot from his days at the Five-Star Basketball Camp (his step-father Herb Welling, who is our Nebraska Editor, has been taking Enright to Five-Star, which is the best teaching camp in basketball, for years).  However, Wilkinson, who is ranked #53 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has more athleticism and a much greater upside than Enright and, as a result, Wilkinson has emerged as the best prospect to come out of Nebraska in years.  Wilkinson is another guy who plays more inside right now, but has the quickness, athleticism, handling skills, and outside shooting to emerge into an outstanding wing forward at the University of Nebraska.  As a result, he promises to provide the perfect complement to Enright, who made a very early commitment to the Cornhuskers a year and a half ago.  The same might also have been said about McKinney, if 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO hadn't been around last winter. 
                    Actually most people still haven't figured out how good McKinney, who is currently ranked #32 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, really is.  If you will recall, McKinney, who is a prototypical 2-guard, spent much of the spring and summer playing at the point guard spot, where he did surprisingly well.  However, most scouts haven't taken into account that McKinney was playing out of position, so this probably will hurt where he is ranked by the scouts in the short run.  But it also will definitely make him a better player in the long run.  McKinney has silky smooth athleticism, which he uses to beat going to the basket, play good defense, and create for himself out on the perimeter.  McKinney isn't as good as Lee, but, when the University of Missouri got him last spring, it was still huge, because it established once and for all that Quin Synder and his staff can get the top players in their own backyard.  Kern, who is ranked #97 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is another player who made a great choice when he verbally committed to Saint Louis in July.  We're talking about an athletic power forward with excellent rebounding skills and quickness around the basket.  He also can step out and hit an occasional three, but we project him as a powe forward all the way.  We also like his potential and natural talent, especially if he grows a little more. 
                    In other words, 13 players from this area of the nation are ranked among our top 100 nationally and it doesn't stop there, as 6'8 Dan Oppland from St. Louis (Whitfield) MO, 6'4 Jason Dourisseau from Omaha (Burke) NE, 6'9 Taj Gray from Wichita (East) KS, 6'3 Ben Jacobson from Sioux City (East) IA, 6'8 Tim Stoops from Ames (H.S.) IA, and 6'6 Brandon Polk from Wichita (North) KS are all good enough to be listed among our top 200 nationally.  That's almost 10% of the players ranked among our top 200 and it could be even more, except for the fact the state of Kansas is extremely down this year.  But Kansas does feature the top ranked junior in the five state area in 6'8 Jr Keith Wooden from Lawrence (Free State) KS and the city of Kansas City has a lot of good young talent in 6'5 Soph Brandon Rush from Kansas City (Hogan Prep) MO, 5'11 Frosh Marcus Walker from Kansas City (O'Hara) MO, 6'4 Frosh Lorenzo Riley from Platte City (Platte County) MO.  As a matter of fact, the sophomore class could be outstanding, as 6'7 Soph Kalen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 6'11 Soph Steve Hill form Branson (H.S.) MO, 6'8 Soph Darnell Jackson from Oklahoma City (Northwest Classen) OK, 5'10 Soph Paul Paradoski from St. Louis (Vianny) MO, and 5'9 Soph Dwayne Polk from  St. Louis (Vashon) MO also all are likely have big time futures.  But really that's the only other thing to get excited about in this five state area, because the junior class across the board in Iowa/Kansas/Missouri/Nebraska/Oklahoma is really down.  Sure, 6'2 Jr Brooks McKowen from Wapse Valley (H.S.) IA, 6'0 Jr Quentin Day from Kansas City (Pasee) MO, and 6'5 Jr J.R. Giddens from Oklahoma City (H.S.) OK are good enough to get top 100 consideration nationally in the junior class, but it pales in comparison to the talented group of seniors and sophomores  mentioned above.