Believe thats what I said. If they've never seen them it must come from coaches. #6,11,14,21 are just a few. Wells kid from hazard being one.

 

Dow was a key player on a Sweet 16 Runner Up team. He's been seen and followed since his middle school days.

 

Snapp arguably should be higher.

Everyone knows about Malik it seems. His name has been known since he scored 18 pts in the state title game a couple years back. Kirby is a solid player. Not spectacular. I'm not high on Ayers. Honestly I could see flipping he and Snapp. And I don't know anyone from Hazard or how the kid would have been seen.

 

Who do you think the list is missing?

Believe thats what I said. If they've never seen them it must come from coaches. #6,11,14,21 are just a few. Wells kid from hazard being one.

 

I see your point on a few of those but can't agree on others. For instance, I also think Snapp is actually rated too low.

Thats a little far fetched IMO. Ive seen him play many of times on the AAU circuuit and granted wih a stronger frame I believe he can play d1. At best he is a high level d2 kid because he would need to transition to a point guard. I believe he is a nice player but i would like to see him play in the belly of the beast in a tough region like 11th,6th or 7th and put up the same numbers. Not taking anything from the young man but i dont think he is best scorer in the class by any means. But, is still a very nice player. Why did he leave hoop dreams?

 

OH no sir no shame at all. Yes, I believe he could be a standout on the d2 level because of his ability to shoot the ball and etc.. I just dont fully believe he is the best scorer in that class because that 2016 class is loaded with talent.

 

People often confuse the title "Best Scorer" and "Best player."

 

I do believe there are better players in the class of 2016 but when it comes to simply scoring, not many kids that can shoot the ball as well as him. When he was with Hoop Dreams he didn't truly get to showcase what he could do. And that isn't a knock on Hoop Dreams because I think they have one hell of a program. Just not best suited for his strengths.

 

And as far as the competition he has gone against, he saw plenty of talent over the summer on the AAU circuit and at camps and still stood out so the argument about playing in the 11th, 6th or 7th reigon doesn't amount to much IMO. You also failed to mention that he dropped 35 on Ballard over the summer when they played.

 

He played in a league at Summit Country Day (Ohio) over the summer as well against current D1 college guys and overseas players and was still putting in work.

 

 

Not many kids are in the gym getting up as many shots and working on their game as much as he is.

 

Top 10 for 2016 might be reaching right now, but top 15 isn't out of the question, IMO.

 

Newport's schedule this year will allow him to get plenty of exposure.

I agree with Walter. Snapp is one of the top scorers in his class. That isn't synonymous with being the best player but, when a kid can score as well as he does, it should certainly elevate him in the rankings. I agree that he warrants consideration for top 15.

Belmont was at Newport today to watch Snapp workout.

Belmont is going to see Carson Williams at his school.

A friend of mine who works there saw Buzz Williams at Apollo today.

The entire Virginia Tech staff was at Apollo to see Eli Wright this morning.

I dont see how you can put Trey Farmer on this list when he's not even the best player on his team. Blake Smith is the best player Clay has and his potenial is 10x that of Farmer. Smith was invited to Nike's All American Camp this summer and put on a show from what im told. Said he was on a team with a top 150 guy and Smith came away with top player honors for his team. i know Farmer has the name but anyone who watches clay on a consistent basis knows Smith is gonna be special, just doesnt get much press.

Blake Smith kid from Clay Co. should work his way onto this list this coming season.

 

Yeah, I agree. I think he should already be in the top 20. I think he's the best junior in the 13th. Maybe the best player overall.

Yeah, I agree. I think he should already be in the top 20. I think he's the best junior in the 13th. Maybe the best player overall.

 

I haven't heard anything other than people raving about Blake's game and improvement over the summer.

 

With McDaniel gone, I'm not sure how much he'll be asked to play on or off the ball, and that could be a big factor in the kind of numbers he puts up this year, but it's not always just about the numbers.

 

Clay County had been down (by their own standards) a lot in the 2000's. Now, the program is getting full of kids coming up whose parents were really good players on Clay County teams that went deep into the State Tournament; (IIRC, Blake's Dad is Mark Smith, who played on the '92 or '94 Clay County team and who is widely regarded as one of the best defenders to ever play at Clay County). The talent cycle is coming back up in Manchester and the 13th could be seeing some stronger Clay County teams for the next few years.