Tag: Keyonte George

2023 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: An early look at the top prospects next year

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor over the course of the 2022-23 season.

With the basketball world over a month removed from the NBA draft, many have started to look ahead to the next rookie class and which prospects may be available.

The class is headlined by French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who is considered one of the top prospects in recent memory. He has performed well in the top basketball league in France and looks to already be locked in as the top pick in 2023.

Elsewhere, there are several other prospects that will be worth monitoring over the course of next season. The rankings will certainly change but it can be a productive exercise to see how prospects moved up and down draft boards ahead of next year.

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor as the 2022-23 season approaches in a couple of months.

Note: The order of the draft was determined by the reverse championship odds set by Tipico Sportsbook. The 2023 draft will only have 59 picks after the Bulls were stripped of their second-round pick by the NBA due to a tampering violation involving the signing of Lonzo Ball.

5-star Baylor commit Keyonte George hits game-winner to lead No. 2 IMG over No. 1 Montverde

IMG Academy. Montverde. The battle between the two top-ranked boys basketball teams did not disappoint.

The matchup between two programs widely regarded as the best high school boys basketball teams in the country came down to the closing seconds on Friday.

No. 2 IMG Academy took down No. 1 Montverde on a second-chance layup from Baylor commit Keyonte George that came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game. The IMG Academy Ascenders took down the Montverde Eagles 65-64 in an early-season battle between the two juggernauts loaded with collegiate talent.

But despite IMG being ranked lower, don’t tell George that this result was unexpected. After the game, he had a message for Sports Illustrated’s Jason Jordan:

“It’s not an upset.”

George finished with 14 points and five rebounds. His final score, the biggest of the night, can be found around the 1:33:40 mark of the game recording:

That wasn’t George’s only big shot. He ended the first quarter with an impressive drive and finish.

Highly ranked players around the five-star shooting guard also showed out in this battle. Five-star power forward Jarace Walker, a Houston commit, lead IMG with 20 points and added seven rebounds and five blocks.

Five-star small forward Dariq Whitehead, who is committed to Duke, led Montverde with 31 points 10-for-19 shooting and five 3-pointers.

That was just one of the highly anticipated games in the NIBC series. On Saturday, IMG Academy plays Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) while Montverde will play Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.)

Montverde’s match will be another big test — after all, Sunrise Christian defeated IMG Academy on Thursday.

All games in this series are broadcast on ESPN+ or ESPNU. Find the full schedule here.

Texas Basketball Recruiting: Five-star SG Keyonte George releases top five schools

Chris Beard is looking to land one of the top guards in the country. Five-star Keyonte George released his top five, with UT making the cut.

Chris Beard has gone big game hunting in the recruiting scene during his early days at Texas. Shaka Smart signed two of the top 10 prospects that Texas basketball has ever signed, but both were big men, Mo Bamba and Greg Brown III.

Now, Beard is looking for the top guards in the country. Luckily, the No. 1 shooting guard in the 2022 class resides in the state of Texas. Keyonte George is the top shooting guard in the cycle and released his top five schools Thursday morning.

Four of the five are Big 12 schools: Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Texas made the cut. Kentucky and John Calipari are the one outsider.

George has a 247Sports crystal ball to turn professional and play in the G League. With his newly released top five, the five-star prospect has made it clear he plans to choose the college route.

Texas Tech was thought to be an option; he took an unofficial visit to Lubbock in Feb. 2020. With Beard in Austin, Texas will have an excellent chance to land the top in-state 2022 player.

Rating

Stars Overall Position State
247 5 14 1 1
Rivals 5 6 2 –
ESPN 5 5 2 1
247 Composite 5 6 1 1

Vitals

Hometown Lewisville, Texas
Projected Position Shooting guard
Height 6-4
Weight 185

Top five

  • Baylor
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Oklahoma State
  • Texas

Crystal Ball

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