There has been plenty of movement across all three men’s college basketball recruiting classes, with new names and big risers alike populating the ESPN 100 of 2022, ESPN 60 of 2023 and ESPN 25 of 2024.
Seven high school seniors went from unranked to the top 100. Two of those players landed inside the top 50. Three seniors went from outside the top 15 to inside the top 10. There are five new top-60 faces in the 2023 class, while there are six new names in the ESPN 25.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable examples of players who improved and climbed the rankings:
SF Dillon Mitchell
Montverde Academy (FL)
New 2022 ESPN 100 ranking: 7
Previous 2022 ESPN 100 ranking: 18
Committed to: Texas
On a team loaded with nationally ranked prospects, many of whom already have five-star status, Mitchell has been arguably Montverde’s most consistently impactful player so far this season. He’s one of the quickest and most explosive leapers in the 2022 class, and while the vast majority of his damage comes around the rim on the offensive end, he has been gradually extending his game without sacrificing his efficiency.
His fluidity and mobility also translate to the defensive end, as he has become a versatile playmaker on D as well. Equally important: Mitchell has played with the motor and energy necessary to maximize his truly elite physical tools.
SF Gradey Dick
Sunrise Christian (KS)
New 2022 ESPN 100 ranking: 8
Previous 2022 ESPN 100 ranking: 25
Committed to: Kansas
Dick has been the primary offensive threat for a Sunrise Christian program that has been one of, if not the, very best in all of high school basketball so far this season. While he has always had good positional size, a strong understanding of the game and well-rounded skills to match, he has made a significant jump recently by emerging into one of the most potent shot-makers in the class.
Whether it has been off the catch or the dribble, from well beyond the arc or creating space in the mid-range area with his step-back, Dick has shown an escalating shooting prowess that is not only a game-changer at the high school level, but should be a weapon from day one at Kansas.
PF Brice Sensabaugh
Lake Highland Prep (FL)
New 2022 ESPN 100 ranking: 49
Previous 2022 ESPN 100 ranking: four stars
Committed to: Ohio State
Sensabaugh is both the first new name to appear in the ESPN 100 and also the biggest riser on the list. While Lake Highland may not play the same national schedule as places like Montverde or Sunrise, he has been putting up ridiculous numbers so far this season, both stuffing all columns of the stat sheet and shooting the ball at an extremely high clip.
He should be capable of filling a similarly wide-ranging role at Ohio State, as Sensabaugh is a big-bodied perimeter playmaker with an extremely versatile skill set and a feel for the game to match. His ascension is the latest boost to a Buckeyes class that was already among the nation’s best.
SF Mike Sharavjamts
International Sports Academy (OH)
New 2022 ESPN 100 ranking: 100
Previous 2022 ESPN 100 ranking: unranked
Committed to: Dayton
Sharavjamts first appeared on our radar this summer when playing alongside more high-profile prospects like Reed Sheppard and Gabe Cupps on a Midwest Basketball Club that was one of the most collectively skilled and unselfish teams of the summer. This winter though, he has been more of a focal point for ISA and demonstrated a very rare combination of size and passing ability. Simply put, his feel for the game is absolutely off the charts.
Whether he’s operating as a big point guard of sorts or playing off the ball, his floor vision and basketball instincts are obvious. As he continues to build up his body, his game is only going to continue to emerge. Projecting out a couple of years, as part of a young and talented Dayton core, he could become a star in the Atlantic 10.
SF Gavin Griffiths
Kingswood-Oxford (CT)
New 2023 ESPN 60 ranking: 32
Previous 2023 ESPN 60 ranking: 52
Uncoommitted
The highly skilled 6-foot-7 junior is the biggest riser inside the updated ESPN 60. Coming off a highly impressive, albeit abridged, performance at the EYBL finals in July, the question at the time was whether that performance was an outlier or a sign of things to come. In the six months since, it has certainly looked like the latter.
Griffiths is a potent shot-maker with terrific positional size to match. Equally important, though, has been the progression of his mobility, as we continue to pay close attention to his footspeed and the correlating impact it will have on what position(s) he is able to defend at the next level.