Honesty Scott-Grayson
After a long and fruitful summer of evaluating players, the 2018 prospects rankings have been expanded to the ProspectsNation.com ELITE 60.
The battle for No. 1 rages on with three players earning five-star ratings and all having arguments for the nation’s top spot. Honesty Scott-Grayson, the 5-foot-10 combo guard from Brick, N.J., moves back to the No. 1 spot after an impressive run with the New Jersey Sparks as well as with the USA Basketball U16 national team.
"Honesty Scott-Grayson manned the point guard position for the New Jersey Sparks this year. Her consistency solidified the opinion that she is the top prospect in class of 2018," assistant director of scouting for ProspectsNation.com, Jonathan Hemingway, said. "She demonstrated composure, skill and athleticism while playing against the nation's top upperclassmen. Basketball is predicated upon elite point guard play and Scott-Grayson is among the best nationally regardless of class."
There is a new face at No. 2 with Christyn Williams of Little Rock, Ark., moving up from her prior spot at No. 8. She was electric in July and in a matchup with top-ranked Scott-Grayson at the PSB Summer Invitational, proved she belongs in the same discussion.
"Williams is a unique combination of power and skill on the wing. She plays hard and with a train of thought when attacking the lane," ProspectsNation.com national evaluator, Brandon Clay, said. "She took on all comers between USA Basketball, PSB Summer Invitational and PSB Power 48 Summer Finale. Williams showed that she is an elite prospect and in the discussion the nation’s premier prep in the class."
The third player with a more than valid argument to be considered as the class’ top prospect is Aquira Decosta of Sacramento, Calif. The 6-1 forward showed signs of true perimeter skills on top of being one of the most impactful offensive rebounders in the country from the forward position. The key for her claim to the top spot will be growth in the intangibles and leadership areas.
"Decosta showed herself as an elite rebounder in the class nationally. She is capable of making good things happen from the power forward position around the basket," Clay, who chairs the Naismith Trophy High School Board of Selectors, said. "Decosta is strong, athletic and played the game consistently on both ends of the floor this club season."
The 2018 class’ top ranked post player, Sedona Prince, a 6-7 prospect from Liberty, Texas, not only showed well in July, but also showed her work ethic and improvement over the summer at the Check Me Out Showcase in August. She is just finding the confidence to utilize all her physical tools and could easily find herself in the No. 1 equation before it’s all said and done.
“Seeing how hard Prince works on her game and how coachable she is provides a lot of insight on where her game is heading,” ProspectsNation.com managing editor, Chris Hansen, said. “She is a budding star but plays the game for her teammates and not herself.”
An impressive new name in the top 15 is Donetta Johnson of Far Rockaway, N.Y., a 5-11 perimeter player with playmaking ability. Her play, especially in late July with Exodus NYC.
"Johnson was one of the premier stock risers with her play the second week of July. A left-handed power player, she projects as a swing forward who might be a tougher match up at the 4 spot than on the perimeter," Clay added. "In that regard, she reminds me of Iasia Hemingway, a former Georgia Tech and Syracuse standout, but with more advanced ball skill at the same age.
The highest ranked newcomer is 5-8 combo guard Janai Crooms of Cranston, R.I. The shifty prospect entertain with her handle but also makes plays with it.
“Crooms has elevated her game and is starting to play with more energy and effort on a consistent basis,” ProspectsNation.com director of scouting, Keil Moore, said. “She is a talented one-on-one player and if she continues to play with a high level of effort she can also continue to ascend amongst the elite.”
The rankings were expanded from the ELITE 25 to the ELITE 60, bringing dozens of sophomores to the national spotlight. Next summer the 2018 rankings will be expanded to 100 after a spring update of the top 60.
“This class brings a lot to the table with a top 20 with talent worthy of the commonly used namesake,” Hansen added. “The post play is versatile with players like Charli Collier and Amira Collins bringing very different styles to the floor than Sedona Prince and Valencia Myers and all four are top 10 talents.”
2018 ELITE 60 Rankings – ProspectsNation.com
ProspectsNation.com Rankings Panel
Brandon Clay serves as the WNBA Director of Scouting for ProspectsNation.com and owns The JumpOffPlus.com International Report, which is picked up by more than 150 colleges and universities nationwide. He serves as the Executive Camp Director for the Elite Basketball Academy Camps. He serves on the Naismith Trophy Men’s / Women’s College Player of the Year Academy and is chairman of the HS Boys / Girls Board of Selectors. Clay can be reached at brandonclay@peachstatebasketball.com
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
Jonathan Hemingway is the Assistant Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report, is on the Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors and owns CoachHemi.com, the go-to source for coaches for X’s and O’s. He is the floor director of #TeamEBA camps, a site director for #TeamPSB tournaments and can be reached at jonathanhemingway@peachstatebasketball.com.
Stephen Peck is the owner of Dream In Motion Athletics and is a national evaluator for the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report. He also serves as a on-floor skills coach at the Elite Basketball Academy events. He can be reached at StephenPeck@peachstatebasketball.com.
Mercedes Wetmore joined ProspectsNation.com in the summer of 2014 after graduating from the University of Washington with a Communications degree. She left Washington as the all-time leader in games played and also played with the softball team in the College World Series. She was the Gatorade State Player of the Year her senior year in high school capping off a career which included three state titles. She can be reached at mercedes@chrishansenbasketball.com.
