Sharife Cooper claims No. 1 spot in updated Chosen 25 basketball rankings for 2020
The USA TODAY Chosen 25 2020 Boys Basketball rankings are compiled by Jason Jordan with input from USA TODAY Sports staff, recruiting experts, scouts and writers from around the country. The Chosen 25 is based heavily on current production – high school or spring/summer – on the stat sheet and otherwise. It also takes into account how the player projects as a prospect at the next level and beyond.
The Chosen 25 does not include players who haven’t played in the last four months.
FULL RANKINGS: 2020 Chosen 25 Player Rankings
Sharife Cooper opens the 2018-19 spring/summer hoops season in the coveted No. 1 spot after a dominant junior season at McEachern High School (Powder Springs, Ga.). Cooper led No. 2 McEachern to a perfect 32-0 record and the first boys basketball state title in the school’s history.
He averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 assists, six rebounds and 4.1 steals a game this season, including four 40-point games. In nine wins over Super 25 opponents, which were stocked with five-star talent from all different classes, this season, Cooper averaged 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals a game.
He was subsequently named ALL-USA Player of the Year.
RELATED: Sharife Cooper is the ALL-USA Player of the Year
This past weekend in the opening session of the Nike EYBL, Cooper finished leading the league in scoring (34 ppg.) and second in assists (7.0 apg.) for AOT (Ga.).
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) combo guard Jaden Springer jumped seven spots from No. 14 to No. 8 after leading the Ascenders to the GEICO Nationals title last month. Springer was the best player at GEICO Nationals, averaging 21.6 points a game on a team with three McDonald’s All Americans.
RELATED: ALL-USA Boys Basketball Teams FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | HONORABLE MENTION
Montverde (Fla.) Academy point guard Cade Cunningham moves up from No. 11 to No. 5 after a dominant high school season, leading the Eagles to the GEICO Nationals semifinals.
Also, Christian Brothers College High School (St. Louis, Mo.) point guard Caleb Love and Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) wing Ziaire Williams make their debut in the Chosen 25 after stellar junior seasons.
Little Elm (Texas) High School point guard R.J. Hampton dropped out of the 2020 rankings after reclassifying to 2019 on Tuesday.
Check out the full updated list here.
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