The post-summer rankings update puts a bow on an arduous, yet fulfilling, few months of evaluation and grassroots basketball. This update for the 2025 class, which dropped on Wednesday live on the 247Sports College Basketball Show, comes after all the summer circuits have wrapped and hours upon hours of events and games have been consumed. It also sets the stage for the high school season which is right around the corner which then gives way to the spring grassroots season.
But, there is no offseason when it comes to evaluating the best prospects in the country. The fall months are full of quality regional events and an increasing number of true national events. However, for evaluation purposes, there is no time of year that rivals the summer months. Not only are the stakes at their highest with the culmination of the grassroots season and college coaches being out in full force, but there are also more consecutive days of competition than there are at any other point in the year.
This past summer, I was personally on the road for 14 of the 17 days between July 9Â and July 25. Typically, I watched about ten games per day and I’m just one of the five people on the 247Sports recruiting and scouting team who covers the grassroots basketball landscape from coast to coast.
Even when the summer ended for college coaches, there were still several events well into the middle of August that brought some of the top national prospects together for competition and evaluation. When those were over, we went back and spent the last few weeks digging into the stats and video of everything we didn’t get a chance to see in-person.
It’s that level of due diligence that has made the 247Sports rankings the industry standard.
Today marks the culmination of the complete summer evaluation process: The release of our updated 2025 national rankings. It reflects everything we have seen first-hand over the last three months. And, really, it’s the totality of what we’ve seen for over three years for this class.
While their grassroots careers may now be over, there are still plenty of things up for grabs in this national class. There is intrigue that remains throughout all aspects of the 2025 class. Our rankings provide a backdrop for what is expected to be a wild and unpredictable fall and winter of official visits, recruiting drama and, eventually, commitments for the best players across the country.Â
Let’s dive into the major storylines we are following for this rankings update for the 2025 class.
AJ Dybantsa vs. Cameron Boozer for No. 1
We went into the summer believing that AJ Dybantsa was the best long-term prospect in the national class and that Cameron Boozer was the best high school basketball player in the country. Coming out of the summer, that is still the thought process which is why Dybantsa holds onto the No. 1 spot ahead of Boozer. The 2024 EYBL championship added another angle as Boozer’s Nightrydas Elite team captured the title by beating Dybantsa and Oakland Soldiers in the final. Nightrydas Elite have put themselves in the conversation for best grassroots team of all time with their third consecutive Nike summer championship.
As we detailed in-depth prior to that championship game, Dybantsa is more naturally dynamic as a jumbo-wing, gifted scorer and shot creator while Boozer is the most reliable player in high school basketball. He is hugely versatile, always productive and has an unmatched ability to impact winning. Dybantsa’s continued spot atop the national rankings is representative of our rankings being designed to project a prospect future, first and foremost. But, what makes this battle for No. 1 so intriguing is that Boozer almost assuredly will keep making linear progress. He’s just so consistent, so solid and such a winner. For Dybantsa to maintain that top spot throughout the year, he must demonstrate continued growth of his own to provide clear evidence that he is on the path to actualizing his significant potential.
Darryn Peterson with an Opportunity
Is Darryn Peterson closer to Dybantsa and Boozer or is he closer to falling out of the top three? That’s a question we’ve asked throughout the summer evaluation period and over the last few weeks as we finalized the rankings update. Our top three in this class (Dybantsa, Boozer and Peterson) have remained steady for quite some time now. So where does Peterson fall compared to those ahead of him and behind him?
Well, we’re going to find out this season.
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Peterson’s move to Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif. for his senior year will allow him to be a focal point for a team that aspires to compete for a high school National Championship. That’s a role for Peterson that we have yet to really see him in and thus haven’t evaluated what he looks like with that type of pressure and focus. We know Peterson has positional size, length, strength, a good feel for the game and an effortless ability to get his own shot within the flow of the game. But, that has come mostly for teams that have not been in contention for national-caliber championships.
This year, the stakes will be higher. So, if Peterson can do the same things he has in other settings, and drive winning in the process, then it might change the outlook of the 2025 top three.
Nate Ament makes a big move within the top 10
Of course, Nate Ament might have something to say about who finishes No. 3 in the final rankings. He’s continued to climb the list, moving from No. 7 to No. 4 overall in this update, and he still has loads of untapped potential.
A smooth 6-foot-10 forward with true face-up skills, Ament is improving by leaps and bounds, but he still hasn’t filled out his frame or even polished all the edges of his game. He’s being recruited by virtually everyone in the country and they all see the same thing: “Ament’s upside is in the same conversation with anyone in the class.”
McDonald’s on the Mind
The highest honor in high school basketball is being selected for the McDonald’s All-American Game. With the rosters typically announced in late January, this could be the last major 247Sports rankings update before the voting process ends. That means that a host of players, coaches and agents are more worried about who’s in the top 20 than who’s in the top 10.
24 players are selected for the McDonald’s All-American game. Anyone ranked inside that marker is currently on the right side of the bubble, in our opinion. Being inside the top 20, though, gives you a little more breathing room. Players like Shelton Henderson, Braylon Mullins, Tounde Yessoufou, Kingston Flemings and Nikolas Khamenia have earned that standing coming out of the summer and should have a chance to solidify their burger boy invites in the months to come along with others like Cayden Boozer and Darius Adams.Â
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