Who is the top player in the class of 2008?

For the first time in a number of seasons, the title is up for grabs. There’s no Jon Scheyer or Derrick Rose…

The Contenders

(in no particular order)

DeAndre Liggins, Washington: Liggins is full of potential and promise, but plenty of questions linger. Will his shot improve? Can he step up and win the big game? Just how athletic is he?

Iman Shumpert, Oak Park: The toast of the spring, but he often disappeared on the high school court.

Michael Dunigan, Farragut: Sometimes dominant, but then he can drop a zero point effort and seem frustrated. He has the most upside, just due to his size.

Nick Fruendt, Batavia: The best scorer in the class, but hasn’t faced a lot of top-tier competition yet.

Matt Humphrey, Hales: Seems to be two different players. In AAU ball he’s a confident, sharp-shooting superstar. During the season, nothing seemed to fall for Humphrey. If he puts it together he could surpass Fruendt and and Shumpert.

Kevin Dillard, Homewood-Flossmoor: His sophomore season was exceptional, and now he’s dominating on the spring circuit.

Ryan Hare, Marshall: Didn’t have quite the season a lot of people expected last year, but now that Beverley and Stovall are gone, we should see what he can do.

Stan Simpson, Leo: Very underrated. Simpson is the best combination of size, polish and athleticisim in the class.