On3 updates the 2023 On3 150 as end of high school season nears

As we enter the home stretch of this recruiting cycle, On3 has updated the 2023 On3 150. This is the next-to-last update for this class, and it is based on 1) in-person player evaluations from the first half of the high school season and 2) film study and intel gathered on prospects since the last update.

Updated 2023 On3 150 player rankings

Since the last update in November, the On3 team was at Hoop Hall, Hoop Hall West, the Tarkanian Classic, City of Palms, Five for the Fight, Quincy Shootout, Chik-fil-A Classic, Beach Ball Classic, the Bob Kirk Invitational, the National Prep Invitational, Flyin’ to the Hoop, and more national events across the country. With multiple showcases taking place every week(end), On3 has also collected streams and film to comb through the maximum exposure of countless events and players.

The ranking process is a continual and often fluid one. On3 starts ranking recruits as sophomores. That recruit can look a lot different for our final ranking after their senior year championships and all-star games are played.

We have spent the last several weeks working on this 2023 update, so it will reflect the most accurate and current representation of the recruiting cycle. This work has resulted in 21 players making their debuts in the 2023 On3 150. We have also continued collecting data on the previously ranked players, putting eyes on players throughout the 2023 On3 150.

These prospects are halfway through their senior years of high school. Our next 2023 On3 150 update will come around the end of the all-star game season. That will be our final update for this class cycle.

The goal of rankings at On3 is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential. As we continue forward, a player’s performance on the court and their continued growth will outweigh these early rankings. Again, every player’s arc is different, and each ranking is a snapshot in time.

Grading the 2023 On3 150

The basketball player rankings scale is as follows: Five-star prospects have grades 98-100, four-star recruits have grades 90-97, and 80-89 grades are for three stars.

The first 18 prospects are five stars with a rating of 98 or higher. The rankings for current cycles will be updated on a regular schedule throughout the year, with around 20 five stars by the final ranking of a cycle. Our goal is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential in college basketball, ultimately manifested by the NBA draft.

The conversation for No. 1

So before we get too far into the weeds here, there was not really a conversation for the No. 1 spot this go around. In the previous update, we made the decision to put Kentucky signee Aaron Bradshaw atop the list. The 7-footer has done nothing to dispel that notion.

Since GG Jackson decided to make a move into the 2022 class, vacating the No. 1 spot, there have been multiple players at the top. Without Jackson, there is not a consensus player in this recruiting cycle who combines current high school production with high-level, translatable projection in the way Jackson did.

In putting these rankings together, we look toward the long-term upside, the high-level, translatable projection side of things. Isaiah Collier is a wizard with the basketball, and his court vision is unmatched at the top of this class. However, in looking at Bradshaw, we see a legit 7-foot center who has touch, can move his feet and is an excellent rim protector.

Bradshaw is already producing at this level, and there is more to be unwrapped and explored with his game.

The decision to put a player and keep a player at No. 1 is not one we take lightly. However, in taking a step back and looking at the arc of what Bradshaw has done and the realistic outcomes of where he could go, the conversation for this update did not take long.

Five-star shuffle

This go-around, we expanded the number of five stars from 15 to 18. The player who rose to the highest spot is Stephon Castle, who moved from No. 11 to No. 5. The 6-foot-6 UConn signee has consistently been very good on every big stage he has been on this season.

Castle started his run to the top five with a standout performance at the USA Basketball Junior National Team Training Camp. He followed that up with a top performance at the Wootten Top 150 Camp. This season he’s averaged 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists at the City of Palms, 15 and 9 at Hoophall, and exploded for 41 at the Red River Shootout. Castle, already a five-star, came into the season with a target on his back. He has answered the call at every step, at the highest level this season.

With expanding the collection of names, we had five new players enter five-star status with this update. Ron Holland (No. 8) and Cody Williams (No. 10) earned their way into the top ten. Holland had a forgettable summer on Nike’s EYBL Circuit, where he averaged just over 10 points and 5.5 rebounds on 42 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent from three. The Texas signee was good at Wootten Top 150 Camp and then really took off during the high school season.

With Williams, who has signed with Colorado, Peach Jam served as a corner he was able to turn. Always jam-packed with potential and upside, the 6-foot-7 wing started to develop as a consistent alpha. Williams is the younger brother of 2022 lottery pick Jalen Williams, who was a late bloomer. While everyone’s path is different, bloodlines can speak volumes.

Kansas signee Elmarko Jackson (No. 16), Duke signee Jared McCain (No. 17), and Duke signee Caleb Foster (No. 18) each also added another star in this update.

Welcome to the party

In all, 21 players made their debut in the 2023 On3 150 update. The highest debut is Thierry Darlan at No. 25 from the NBA Academy Africa. Three players made their debuts inside the top 100.

No. 25 SG Thierry Darlan

Height/Weight: 6-6/190
High school: NBA Academy Africa

No. 89 Carlton Carrington (Pittsburgh)

Height/Weight: 6-3/175
High school: Baltimore (MD) St. Frances

No. 94 Alex Toohey (Gonzaga)

Height/Weight:6-8/200
High school: NBA Global Academy