Indiana Basketball Source has released its final 2017 Indiana high school basketball player rankings. There were many shakeups throughout the rankings.
Players that left for prep schools – Jaren Jackson, Paul Scruggs, Justin Roberts – were not included in the final rankings. Jaren Jackson is the best long-term prospects among Indiana natives in 2017. Those players leaving the rankings hurt the depth of the high-major talent.
Kris Wilkes, the 2017 Indiana Mr. Basketball, finishes his career as the number one player. It was a tight race, but his performances in the Indiana-Kentucky games solidified his position. He was fantastic in the three games that he played in the Indiana All-Star series. Wilkes rebounded at a high level while scoring from all areas of the court.
The Malik Williams-Jack Nunge debate was strong. Each player had strengths to make them the top player in the state. Nunge has progressed tremendously in the last 18 months. That bodes well for his improvement at the college level. There are very few players with the size, skill and athletic ability of Williams and Nunge. Williams handles the ball more in the open court. Williams has also been the better rebounder throughout this high school career. That’s why I gave Williams the minuscule edge over Nunge.
Two players that really came on late in their careers are Nike Sibande and Mack Smith. Outside shooting fueled the rise of both players. Sibande was a good outside shooter as a junior that developed into a high-level shooter as a senior. Smith became a knockdown shooter as a senior. In order to excel at the next level, Sibande and Smith will need to continue to shoot at a high level.
There are 253 prospects ranked by Indiana Basketball Source in the final 2017 player rankings. The rankings will not change but the page will be updated with college decisions.
Here are the links to the player ranking breakdowns: