Unveiling the SI99 Basketball Prospect Rankings/SI All-American Nominations
Sports Illustrated All-American on Wednesday unveiled the SI99, a ranking of the top basketball prospects from the high school class of 2022 in the country.
The 99 seniors, in addition to five underclassmen, who made the cut earn the distinction of being named a Sports Illustrated All-American candidate.
The final SI All-American team and Player of the Year will be named after the season.
Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren was named SI All-American Player of the Year last season.
“It was a major honor,” Holmgren said. “I’m not big on awards or things like that, but to be recognized by SI for my hard work means a lot.”
After multiple fluctuations at the top of the 2022 class over the spring and summer, with players like Jalen Duren, Emoni Bates and Shaedon Sharpe reclassifying to 2021 and going to college early, Westtown School (West Chester, Penn.) center Dereck Lively earns the top spot in the first SI99.
RELATED: A Look Back at the 2021 SI All-Americans
Lively, a Duke signee, would’ve been in serious contention no matter who remained in the class after a dominant summer culminated with capturing the coveted Nike Peach Jam title with Team Final (Penn.).
At 7'0", Lively is a gifted human shot eraser/changer on the defensive end.
This summer he led the prestigious Nike EYBL in blocks, swatting away five a game. Offensively, he’s wildly versatile with the ability to step out and efficiently knocking down perimeter shots while managing his customary paint dominance.
“Dereck’s ability to dominate on both ends of the floor is what separates him from the pack,” said SI All-American basketball recruiting director Jason Jordan. “His timing is impeccable; his agility is exceptional, and he plays with an unrelenting motor. Those attributes coupled with his skill set and production are what make him the top player in the SI99."
Seven states have at least five players represented in the SI99, Florida leads the way with 20, California boasts eight, Texas and Arizona each have seven and Arkansas, Kansas and Virginia have five apiece.
The college programs most represented are Arkansas with five; Ohio State, Duke and Kansas boast four apiece and Houston, North Carolina, USC, Virginia, Baylor, Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan and UCLA each have three.
Nine of the SI99 prospects remain undecided.
1. C Dereck Lively / West Chester, Penn. (Westtown School) – Duke
2. SG Amari Bailey / Chatsworth, Calif. (Sierra Canyon) – UCLA
3. SG Nick Smith Jr. / Little Rock, Ark. (North Little Rock) – Arkansas
4. SG Dariq Whitehead / Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy) – Duke
5. PG Cason Wallace / Richardson, Texas (Richardson) – Kentucky
6. C Kyle Filipowski / Wilbraham, Mass. (Wilbraham and Monson Academy) – Duke
7. SG MJ Rice / Napa, Calif. (Prolific Prep) – Kansas
8. F Yohan Traore / Glendale, Ariz. (Dream City Christian) – LSU
9. PG Keyonte George / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – Baylor
10. C Vincent Iwuchukwu / Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy) – USC
11. SF Brandon Miller / Antioch, Tenn. (Cane Ridge) – Alabama
12. PG Anthony Black / Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville) – Undecided
13. PG Dior Johnson / Napa, Calif. (Prolific Prep) – Oregon
14. PG Arterio Morris / Dallas (Kimball) – Texas
15. SF Chris Livingston / Mouth of Wilson, Va. (Oak Hill Academy) – Kentucky
16. PG Jaden Bradley / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – Alabama
17. SF Julian Phillips / Branson, Mo. (Link Prep) – LSU
18. SF Mark Mitchell / Wichita, Kan. (Sunrise Christian) – Duke
19. PG Skyy Clark / Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy) – Kentucky
20. C Adem Bona / Napa, Calif. (Prolific Prep) – UCLA
21. F Jalen Washington / Gary, Ind. (West Side) – North Carolina
22. SF Dillon Mitchell / Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy) – Texas
23. SG Zion Cruz / Simi Valley, Calif. (Donda Academy) – Undecided
24. SF Jarace Walker / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – Houston
25. SG JJ Starling / La Porte, Ind. (La Lumiere) – Notre Dame
26. F Eric Dailey Jr. / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – Undecided
27. F Malik Reneau / Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy) – Florida
28. CG Jalen Hood-Schifino / Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy) – Indiana
29. SF Gradey Dick / Wichita, Kan. (Sunrise Christian) – Kansas
30. PG Seth Trimble / Menomonee Falls, Wis. (Menomonee Falls High School) – North Carolina
31. SG Collin Chandler / Farmington, Utah (Farmington) – BYU
32. SF Jordan Walsh / Brandon, Mo. (Link Prep) – Arkansas
33. CG Judah Mintz / Mouth of Wilson, Va. (Oak Hill Academy) – Undecided
34. PG Chance Westry / Chandler, Ariz. (AZ Compass Prep) – Auburn
35. C Tarris Reed / Branson, Mo. (Link Prep) – Michigan
36. SF Kamari Lands / Phoenix (Hillcrest Prep) – Louisville
37. SF Tre White / Napa, Calif. (Prolific Prep) – USC
38. SF Cam Whitmore / Severn, Md. (Archbishop Spalding) – Villanova
39. C Kijani Wright / Chatsworth, Calif. (Sierra Canyon) – USC
40. C Ernest Udeh / Orlando (Dr. Phillips) – Kansas
41. SG Jaden Schutt / Yorkville, Ill. (Yorkville High School) – Duke
42. C Kel’el Ware / Little Rock, Ark. (North Little Rock) – Oregon
43. C Jaxon Kohler / American Fork, Utah (South Cal Academy) – Michigan State
44. SF Jett Howard / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – Michigan
45. F Alex Karaban / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – Connecticut
46. PG Jayden Epps / Lincolnton, N.C. (Combine Academy) – Illinois
47. F Isaac Traudt / Grand Island, Neb. (Grand Island High School) – Virginia
48. F Sadraque Nganga / Chandler, Ariz. (AZ Compass Prep) – Undecided
49. PG Richard “Pop Pop” Isaacs / Las Vegas (Coronado) – Texas Tech
50. CG Rodney Rice / Hyattsville, Md. (DeMatha Catholic) – Virginia Tech
51. F Ty Rodgers / Harvey, Ill. (Thornton Township) – Illinois
52. PG Bruce Thornton / Milton, Ga. (Milton High School) – Ohio State
53. F Felix Okpara / Branson, Mo. (Link Prep) – Ohio State
54. PG Dylan Andrews / Chandler, Ariz. (AZ Compass Prep) – UCLA
55. F Noah Clowney / Roebuck, S.C. (Dorman) – Alabama
56. PG Milos Uzan / Glendale, Ariz. (Dream City Christian) – Oklahoma
57. PG Dillon Hunter / Bel Aire, Kan. (Sunrise Christian) – Baylor
58. SG Rylan Griffen / Richardson, Texas (Richardson High School) – Alabama
59. C Taylor Hendricks / Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Calvary Christian) – Central Florida
60. SF Tyrell Ward / Hyattsville, Md. (DeMatha Catholic) – Xavier
61. PG Dug McDaniel / Fairfax, Va. (Paul VI) – Michigan
62. F A.J. Casey / Chicago (Whitney Young) – Miami
63. C Donovan Clingan / Bristol, Conn. (Bristol Central) – Connecticut
64. SG Emmanuel Sharp / Spring Hill, Fla. (Bishop McLaughlin) – Houston
65. SG Kam Craft / Cherokee County, Ga. (The Skill Factory Prep) – Xavier
66. F De’Ante Green / Asheville, N.C. (Christ School) – Florida State
67. SG Roddy Gayle / Mount Pleasant, Utah (Wasatch Academy) – Ohio State
68. SG Justin Taylor / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – Syracuse
69. PG Mark Armstrong / Jersey City, N.J. (Saint Peter’s Prep) – Villanova
70. PG Amarr Knox / Memphis, Tenn. (Bartlett) – Undecided
71. SG Derrian Ford / Magnolia, Ark. (Magnolia High School) – Arkansas
72. F Aidan Shaw / Stillwell, Kan. (Blue Valley) – Missouri
73. SF Terrance Arceneaux / Beaumont, Texas (Beaumont United) – Houston
74. SG Isaac McNeely / Poca, W.Va. (Poca High School) – Virginia
75. SF Leon Bond / Wauwatosa, Wis. (Wauwatosa East) – Virginia
76. SF Justyn Fernandez / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – George Mason
77. F Ven-Allen Lubin / Orlando (Orlando Christian Prep) – Notre Dame
78. SF Barry Dunning / Mobile, Ala. (McGill-Toolen Catholic) – Arkansas
79. F Zuby Ejiofor / Garland, Texas (Garland) – Kansas
80. C Kebba Njie / La Porte, Ind. (La Lumiere) – Penn State
81. SF Alphonzo Billups / Richmond, Va. (Varina) – VCU
82. C Cameron Corhen / Bel Aire, Kan. (Sunrise Christian) – Florida State
83. F Kaleb Banks / Fayetteville, Ga. (Fayetteville County) – Indiana
84. PG Tre Holloman / South Saint Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham) – Michigan State
85. PG Sean Jones / Gahanna, Ohio (Lincoln) – Marquette
86. C Dylan Anderson / Gilbert, Ariz. (Perry) – Arizona
87. F KyeRon Lindsay / Denton, Texas (Guyer) – UNLV
88. F Tyler Nickel / Elkton, Va. (East Rockingham) – North Carolina
89. SF Christian Watson / Washington, D.C. (St. John’s College) – Miami
90. SF Otega Oweh / Blairstown, N.J. (Blair Academy) – Oklahoma
91. PG Dasonte Bowen / Wolfeboro, N.H. (Brewster Academy) – Iowa
92. SG Denver Anglin / Gladstone, N.J. (Gill St. Bernard’s) – Georgetown
93. SG Joseph Pinion / Morrilton, Ark. (Morrilton High School) – Arkansas
94. SG A.J. Storr / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) – St. John’s
95. SF Devin Ree / Terry, Miss. (Terry High School) – LSU
96. SF Chris Bunch / Mount Pleasant, Utah (Wasatch Academy) – Syracuse
97. C Jalen Reed / Los Angeles (Southern Cal Academy) – Florida
98. SF Quion Williams / Jonesboro, Ark. (Jonesboro High School) – Oklahoma State
99. F Brice Sensabaugh / Orlando (Lake Highland Prep) – Ohio State
Underclassmen
- PG DJ Wagner / Camden, N.J. (Camden) – Undecided
- SF Kwame Evans / Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy) – Undecided
- F Ron Holland / Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville) – Undecided
- Mackenzie Mgbako / Gladstone, N.J. (Gill-St. Bernard’s) – Undecided
- Robert Dillingham / Simi Valley, Calif. (Donda Academy) – N.C. State
