Class of 2007 Final Look

Top of the class filled with impact freshmen led by UCLA-bound Kevin Love

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June 15, 2007

By Van Coleman

CSTV.com & Hoopmasters.com

 



 Van Coleman

Van is one of the nation's premier recruiting experts.
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The Final Class of 2007 Rankings

 

The No. 1 prospect is determined by the most complete body of work done over the past 12 months. That distinction belongs to our No. 1 player from the Class of 2007: 6-foot-9, 250-pound low post prospect Kevin Love of Lake Oswego, Ore. 

 

The mobile big man with the amazing passing skills had a great senior year, averaging 34 points and 18 boards for Lake Oswego and leading them to a 29-2 record and a state runner-up spot. It was a year that Love may have felt came up one game short, but his performance in our eyes did not. He is the CSTV Class of 2007 Player of the Year.  

 

The gap between No. 1 and No. 4 really narrowed over the season as three other players -- O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon and prep schooler Michael Beasley -- made real runs at Love during the regular season and postseason. It might have been different if Mayo had played at the McDonald's All-Star game like the way he practiced or was the player we saw at the Roundball Classic. It was that close between Love and Mayo in our final analysis. Make no mistake about it, Mayo can still play at a level above the rest when on his game and remains the top NBA prospect in the class in our eyes.

 

Eric Gordon was pushing for one of the two top spots before having merely solid games in the postseason. He was stellar in a couple TV outings and had a great senior season, averaging 29 points an outing for his Indianapolis North Central squad. He may have the biggest upside of the top four, so watch his stock continue to rise while he's at Indiana leading the Hoosiers and preparing for the move down the road to the NBA. 

 

Our fourth contender, 6-foot-9 power forward Michael Beasley, was excellent at the McDonald's All-Star game in going off for 30 points. It was the kind of performance we knew he was capable of but didn't always show. Look for that consistent effort to be a key as he plays at Kansas State and looks to the future and the NBA. Once again, Beasley has teased us with his immense potential, but as mentioned, it's the entire body of work, the ability to deliver at a high level throughout the year that gave Love the edge (in a photo finish) for Player of the Year honors.

 

Pushing the above mentioned four are two stellar prospects who, in a normal year, would be contenders in their own right for the top spot. They are explosive 6-foot-3 point guard Derrick Rose from Chicago Simeon and 6-foot-9 Kyle Singler from South Medford, Ore. Both had phenomenal senior years.  Rose led his team to a rare victory over Oak Hill -- putting the only blemish on that team's mythical national champions record -- and a second straight state title in Illinois. Meanwhile, Singler and his teammates avenged a loss a year ago in the State finals to knock off Love and Lake Oswego for the State title.  Make no mistake about it, though, as they both will have an immediate impact for Memphis and Duke, their respective college choices next season.

 

Rounding out the Top 10 are Arizona signee Jerryd Bayless, who can flat out score with the best in the class and will add some real stability offensively to the Wildcats backcourt -- and Florida signee 6-foot-5 combo guard Nick Calathes, who has proved all year he can get it done against the best in national competition. Right behind him is one of the most exciting athletes in the class, 6-foot-8 Donte Greene, who will remind Syracuse fans of a young Carmelo Anthony with his explosive open-court game. Next is 7-foot-1 Kosta Koufos, who will have some of the biggest shoes to fill when he steps into Greg Oden's spot next year at Ohio State. The skilled big man has tools to develop into one of the best low block talents in the country and will ease the loss of the NBA number one or two draft pick this spring.

 

Before we leave the top prospects, just behind Koufos are two players who could have immense impacts as freshmen on their college choices. One is 6-foot-9 Patrick Patterson, Mayo's teammate at Huntington, W.Va., who will give Kentucky a true inside presence that is capable of scoring and dominating the backboard -- something that hasn't been available in Lexington recently. The other is 6-foot-10 power man James "J.J." Hickson from Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler, who gives N.C. State a go-to guy on the block and could lead the Pack back into contention for the ACC title down the road.

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