Only a few months away from finishing their high school careers, the class of 2022 is nearing the finish line. At the midway point of the season, 247Sports is giving the Top 150 a refresh before finalizing the final rankings in May.
This might just be the "reclassification class," as former No. 1-ranked 2022 prospects Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky), Emoni Bates (Memphis) and Jalen Duren (Memphis) all enrolled ahead of schedule. Sharpe's decision to depart, which happened during the fall, has elevated 7-footer Dereck Lively to the top spot. The future Duke Blue Devil has fought off the competition to retain top billing.
At least for now.
We have written all winter that the No. 1 spot in 2022 has been among the hardest ever to decide. Not only has the class seen several viable candidates reclassify to 2021, but nobody has really gone out and put together an undeniable body of work.
CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED TOP 150 FOR 2022
Earlier this winter, it looked like Lively's stay at the top wouldn’t be all that long. The product of the Westtown (Pa.) School, who actually stands at 7-foot-2, is a big-time shot blocker who can really run, but his offense was lacking. However, after getting the chance to see him again within the last week, he’s made promising strides on the offensive end – he looks like he’ll have legitimate potential to stretch defenses with his shooting – and his struggles on offense could have just as much, or more, to do with those around him as they do him.
Back when Lively's stock was dipping some, it looked like one of his future Duke teammates would overtake him for the top spot in this update. That is still the case but rather than wing Dariq Whitehead making a run at the top spot, it's big man Kyle Filipowski, who has put together the strongest challenge to Lively. Filipowski has moved from No. 12 to No. 2 overall.
At 6-foot-11, Filipowski is a skilled scorer, runs the floor, passes extremely well and can score both inside and out. We’ll see what happens during the rest of the season and the postseason All-Star games, but for now Filipowski is looming as the biggest challenger to Lively’s status as the No. 1 player.
ROUNDING OUT THE TOP 10
While Filipowski is currently the biggest challenger to Lively, he isn’t the only challenger and there is as little separation among the rest of the top 10 as any class in recent memory.
Headed to Baylor, native Texan and current Bradenton (Fla.) IMG standout shooting guard Keyonte George checks in at No. 3. He’s added patience and improved defense to his all-around game as a senior. The previously mentioned Whitehead comes in at No. 4 and is in the midst of finishing up a tremendous career at Montverde (Fla.) Academy before making his way to Durham. Making a move up from No. 7 to No. 5 is North Little Rock (Ark.) High guard Nick Smith and he’s staying home to play at Arkansas.
Holding steady at No. 6 is Kentucky bound combo guard Cason Wallace, one of the top two-way players in the class. UCLA-bound Amari Bailey is among the most explosive athletes in the class, but he’s been limited by injury as a senior and slides a couple of spots to No. 5 due to limited opportunity. A high school teammate of Smith’s, Oregon-bound seven-footer Kel'el Ware has put together an incredible senior season and is a second player to move into the top 10 going from No. 14 to No. 8. Kentucky wing signee Chris Livingston of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill lands at No. 9 overall while Duke lands a fourth signee in the top 10 as Bel Aire (Kans.) Sunrise Christian combo forward Mark Mitchell holds strong at No. 10 overall.
INTRODUCING A NEW PAIR OF 5-STARS
This deep into the rankings cycle and near graduation, we aren’t going to see that many more five-star prospects emerging. However, Dillon Mitchell and Jordan Walsh were able to make the leap from four to five-star status.
Another product of the always loaded Montverde Academy, Mitchell is arguably the single best defender in the class of 2022. The Texas Longhorn signee wing is a monster athlete who blocks shots, gets into passing lanes and really knows how to finish on the break. He moves all the way up to No. 16 from No. 33.
Just like Mitchell, Walsh also jumped 17 spots – to No. 20 overall – to find himself in five-star territory. Headed to Arkansas, he moved from Dallas to Branson (Mo.) Link Academy for his senior season. While Walsh’s physical tools and ability to make plays on both ends of the court have never been in question, it is the work he has done to play under more control and make better decisions that has earned him a fifth star.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
There was no lack of upward movement in our latest update to the 2022 rankings. Leading the way was power forward Jalen Reed of Castaic (Calif.) Southern California Academy. Headed to Florida, the athletic big man rose a whopping 53 spots from No. 139 all the way up to No. 86. Coming in second place for the biggest move was Pepperdine bound power forward Jevon Porter of Columbia (Mo.) Father Tolton who moves 42 spots from No. 120 to No. 78.
Another five players made leaps of 30 or more spots led by San Diego State bound shooting guard Miles Byrd who climbed 36 spots from No. 89 to No. 53. Alabama bound shooting guard Rylan Griffen (No. 70 to No. 36) and guard Desmond Claude (No. 122 to No. 88) each rose 34 spots, while USC-bound wing Tre White rose 33 spots to No. 45 and Ole Miss signee TJ Caldwell moved up 31 spots to No. 96.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Nine newcomers were able to crash the 2022 rankings headlined by undecided Southern California Academy point guard Amaree Abram who debuts as a four-star – and the fourth highest ranked unsigned senior – at No. 64 overall.
Also entering the rankings as four-star prospects are Ole Miss bound big man Malique Ewin (No. 93), Mississippi State bound guard Riley Kugel (No.100) and Penn State bound wing Evan Mahaffey who lands at No. 116 overall.
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January 21, 2022 at 12:14AM
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Updated Top 150 for 2022: Dereck Lively holds off future Duke teammate for top spot - 247Sports
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