Shaw's Superlatives: Top rebounders in the 2024 class

On3 updated the 2024 On3 150 this week, and with that comes conversation. Of course, you can look through the rankings and categorize players by the numbers beside them. However, oftentimes that can be obtuse with a player’s specific skill set. I wanted to supplement the rankings while diving a little deeper and looking at a player’s skill set and talking about the best that I have seen in the class.

This week I will go through Shaw’s Superlatives. The topics will include best rim protector, best rebounder, best playmaker, most explosive, and best shooter. In this edition, we take a look at the best rim protectors.

When it comes to rebounding the basketball, no one had a better summer than Illinois commit Morez Johnson did with the Meanstreets program. He simply went to go get it on every possession. Here is the list of ten players who I found to be the best rebounders in the 2024 class.

Shaw’s Superlatives: Top rim protectors in the 2024 class

Board man gets paid

Kawhi Leonard made the ‘Board man gets paid’ phrase famous while in college. The two-time NBA Finals MVP explained this in 2019, “It’s about working hard, basically, outworking the opponent. Rebounds help you win games.”

Rebounding includes a sense of toughness. There is more to rebounding than just out-jumping your opponent. Tracking the ball, positioning yourself for the ball, fighting for the ball, holding on to the ball; there is a skill to being a good rebounder, and it all starts with toughness, one of my favorite traits a player can have.

Four-star PF Morez Johnson (Illinois)

Height/Weight: 6-8/205
School: Harvey (IL) Thornton Township
On3 NIL Valuation: NA
2024 On3 150: No. 59

The skinny: It was a clean sweep for Morez Johnson as he led Nike’s EYBL Circuit in rebounding during the regular season and then followed up by leading Peach Jam in rebounding as well. While he is not as big as or as athletic as many, he has a toughness to his game that really works around the basket. He finished with ten double-doubles in 23 games this season and led his team to the Elite Eight of Peach Jam. 

Recruitment: Committed to Illinois

Other top rebounders

*in alphabetical order

Three-star PF David Punch

Height/Weight: 6-7/190
High School: Dallas (TX) Dynamic Prep
On3 NIL Valuation: NA
2024 On3 150: No. 98

The skinny: With David Punch, it is more about the sum of his parts, which equals a lot of production. Sure, you are able to poke some holes in his game; however, what you cannot do is look at the final stat sheet and say this guy did not give everything. Punch is a 6-foot-7 four-man. He has good length, with nice athleticism and a strong base. He also has a fearless nature in the paint. Punch finished seventh in rebounding (7.9) during the EYBL regular season and juiced that up to fifth (9.0) during Peach Jam. He also averaged 14.4 points throughout Nike play on 51.5 percent shooting from the field. 

Recruitment: Punch does not have a commitment date or a top group yet, and technically his recruitment is still open. However, he has started to set official visits. Punch will visit Penn State, TCU, and Virginia Tech in September and then head to Xavier on October 13.

Four-star C Thomas Sorber (Georgetown)

Height/Weight: 6-9/250
High School: Philadelphia (PA) Archbishop Ryan
On3 NIL Valuation: NA
2024 On3 150: No. 26

The skinny: Thomas Sorber is the epitome of do your work early. The Georgetown commitment has a wide base with very passer-friendly hands. He establishes position early and seals his man, using angles and footwork to keep you on his hip in the paint. While he is a below-the-rim guy, he has very strong hands that secure the rebounds. He is also a good outlet passer. Sorber’s 8.0 rebounds per game finished sixth in the EYBL regular season. He manned the paint for Team Final, the one-loss regular season champions

Recruitment: Committed to Georgetown

Four-star C Emmanuel Stephen

Height/Weight: 7-0/215
High School: Glendale (AZ) Dream City Christian
On3 NIL Valuation: NA
2024 On3 150: No. 94

The skinny: We noted on our rim protection superlative sheet that Emmanuel Stephen was the top dog there. Simply, Stephen does a lot of what you want a big man to do on the floor, along with the rim protection; rebounding comes with it. He is a long-armed and strong-framed big man. He has excellent instincts on the boards with a go-get-it mentality. The 7-footer finished fourth in rebounding (9.4) during Peach Jam and third in rebounding (8.6) during the EYBL regular season. There is also a tough-guy mentality he brings to the paint.

Recruitment: Stephen has set an official visit to Kansas for September 6. He has not taken or set any other visits at this time.

Three-star PF Chris Tadjo

Height/Weight: 6-8/230
High School: NBA Academy Latin America
On3 NIL Valuation: NA
2024 On3 150: No. 65

The skinny: The two things that are hard not to notice when watching Chris Tadjo are his frame and his motor/explosion. Tadjo is a lengthy and quite strong, 6-foot-8 forward who plays with a see-the-ball and get-the-ball mentality. Tadjo is originally from Canada, and he has been playing with the NBA Academy Latin American team for two years. Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Bennedict Mathurin, and Oumar Ballo are past players this academy has produced. He has a unique blend of explosion and fluidity. Each time I have seen him play live, the production has simply been off the charts.

Next 5 rebounders

*in alphabetical order

Four-star C Somto Cyril (Kentucky)

Height/Weight: 6-10/240
High school: Atlanta (GA) Overtime Elite
On3 NIL Valuation: $105,000
2024 On3 150: No. 44

Five-Star Plus+ CG Dylan Harper

Height/Weight: 6-6/205
High School:  Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep
On3 NIL Valuation: $570,000
2024 On3 150: No. 1

Three-star C Gabby Mabor

Height/Weight: 6-11/215
High School: Gastonia (NC) Gaston Christian
On3 NIL Valuation: NA
2024 On3 150: No. 148

Four-star C Patrick Ngongba

Height/Weight: 6-10/235
High School: Fairfax (VA) Paul VI
On3 NIL Valuation: $108,000
2024 On3 150: No. 28

Five-star C Derik Queen

Height/Weight: 6-9/230
High School: Montverde (FL) Academy
On3 NIL Valuation: $317,000
2024 On3 150: No. 20