Presenting for the very first time, the Class of 2015!
by Franklyn Calle /@FrankieC7
Every September, we introduce to our readers a new group of young ballers to keep a close eye on. This year we’re presenting some of the top prospects from the Class of 2015 for the very first time. Actually, some of the names below have already been mentioned on SLAMonline and SLAM’s Picture Me Ballin’, like Marcus Lovett, Aaron Holiday and Karl Towns Jr.
Although this list is probably the hardest to compile being that we’ve only had one year of high school to evaluate, the Class of 2015 might be the most fun and exciting to watch develop. Karl Towns Jr has been the talk of this class for quite some time now. He’s drawn comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant, mainly for being such a deadly threat from the outside, despite towering over the competition at 6-11. He can also create his own shot.
One thing that stuck out to me about the top 10, and only noticed after finalizing the list, is California’s dominance in this class. Cali has four of the top-10 sophomores listed, with three of them originating from Los Angeles. Marcus Lovett and Aaron Holiday both had remarkable seasons as freshmen, as well as 50+-point outings. And although the order of this list is sure to change over the course of the next three years, we can only expect these prospects get better individually and as a whole.
| RANK | PLAYER | HT | POS | SCHOOL | WHY? |
| 1 | Karl Towns Jr | 6-11 | C | St. Joseph (NJ) | A double-double machine. Averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds as a frosh. A future Dirk Nowitzki or Kevin Durant, they say. |
| 2 | Malik Newman | 6-3 | SG | Callaway (MS) | Averaged 22.9 points and led Callaway to a class 5A state title. |
| 3 | Diamond Stone | 6-9 | C | Dominican (WI) | His 13.4 points helped Dominican to a 27-1 season and the Division 4 state title. |
| 4 | Mickey Mitchell | 6-7 | SF | Prestonwood (TX) | Helped Julius Randle capture the state title, averaging 10 points and 5 rebounds. |
| 5 | Marcus LoVett Jr | 5-11 | PG | Providence (CA) | Averaged 31.7 points, including a 57-point performance. Already surpassed the 1,000-point mark in only one season. |
| 6 | Tyler Dorsey | 6-4 | SG | St. John Bosco (CA) | Very versatile prospect; averaged 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists as a frosh. |
| 7 | Ivan Rabb | 6-8 | PF | Bishop O’Dowd (CA) | Explosive with soft touch around the rim. Good summer with Oakland Soldiers. |
| 8 | King McClure | 6-3 | SG | Triple A (TX) | Put up close to 23 points and 5 rebounds per outing as a frosh, earning him Dallas Morning Newcomer of the Year. |
| 9 | Stephen Zimmerman | 6-10 | C | Bishop Gorman (NV) | Highly promising big man who showcased his talent alongside Shabazz Muhammad last season. |
| 10 | Aaron Holiday | 6-1 | SG | Campbell Hall (CA) | Jrue Holiday’s younger brother turned heads, averaging 24.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, including a 54-point performance. |
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