2012 Player Rankings: Duke, North Carolina showing strong interest in Tokoto
posted by Mark Miller at 8/6/2009
By Mark Miller
Wishoops.net Editor **Click on player names to view a full profile with stats, info, and perhaps video**
A trip to Kansas City to take in the NCAA First Team program.
A trip to North Carolina to take an unofficial visit to the University of North Carolina as well as participate in the Duke Elite Camp.
And a two-day stop in his hometown of Milwaukee to participate in the Marquette Elite Camp.
Welcome to the whirlwind world of
J.P. Tokoto, one of the nation’s elite class of 2012 basketball prospects who continues to hold down the top spot in the updated Wishoops.net Player Rankings for the class of 2012 released today.
Tokoto’s busy August schedule likely includes some face time with coaches like Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski. Pretty heady stuff for a young man who hasn’t even entered his sophomore year of high school.
“North Carolina plans to come to Menomonee Falls in the fall to watch J.P. in an open gym, and he is the only 2012 player in the country they plan to watch this fall,” said Ritchie Davis, the executive director of the Wisconsin Playground Warriors grassroots program that includes Tokoto. “And his trip to Duke for its Elite Camp should also be a great chance to J.P. to play in front of a great coach in Mike Krzyzewski.”
Tokoto, a smooth and athletic 6-foot-5 wing player, has already received scholarship offers from Marquette and Wisconsin. He also has offers from Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Tennessee.
Though he recently told Wishoops.net he is nowhere near making a final decision on where he’ll play college basketball, Tokoto undoubtedly will continue to be a primary recruiting target for many high-major NCAA Division I schools.
“I know this, from my years of being involved with the grassroots stuff, Brian Butch was the most heavily recruited player I’ve seen from Wisconsin,” Davis said. “J.P.’s recruitment has exceeded that of Brian. J.P. has offers from schools at a far earlier age than Brian.”
While Tokoto is the clear-cut choice for the No. 1 ranking in the class of 2012, there are certainly other players in the class who figure to generate plenty of interest from collegiate programs over the next few years.
No. 2-ranked
Junior Lomomba, a 6-4 wing player from Madison Memorial, is extremely difficult to keep away from the basket and is a tremendous defender.
No. 3-ranked
Wally Ellenson, an athletic 6-4 wing player from Eau Claire Memorial, often finishes off aggressive moves to the basket with a dunk and is an improving three-point shooter. Saint Louis, UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee have already extended scholarship offers to Ellenson.
No. 4-ranked
Nick Arenz, a 6-8 forward from Onalaska, is a pass-first forward who can make mid-range jump shots.
No. 5-ranked
Jamar (Popcorn) Morris, a 6-5 forward from Madison Memorial, is an aggressive left-hander who finishes exceptionally well around the basket.
A couple of big players to keep an eye on in the future include
Phillip Nolan, a 6-8 forward from Milwaukee Vincent, and
Iyad Assad, a 6-10 post player from Greenfield.
Newcomers to the class of 2012 Top 25 include
Ryan Benoy, a 5-10 guard from Baldwin-Woodville;
Itavian Belcher, a 6-5 forward from Milwaukee Hamilton;
Jamal Taylor, a 6-1 guard from Whitefish Bay Dominican;
Chris Jones, a 5-9 guard from Milwaukee Bradley Tech; and
Chase Luebker, a 6-0 guard from Plum City.
The Wishoops.net Player Rankings are based on a combination of performances during both the high school and spring/summer seasons.
In addition, Player Rankings are determined by personal observation as well as consultation with college coaches at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels along with high school and grassroots coaches in Wisconsin.
To view a complete list of the top 25 players in the class of 2012, as well as other talented players to watch, simply click
here to visit the Players link near the top of Wishoops.net.
Comments 3
On
8/6/2009 8:27:16 PM
Madcityspecial42 wrote:
the new profiles are awesome!
On
8/12/2009 8:56:10 PM
the truth734 wrote:
they don't give racine baller no creidt there some good 2012 basketball players in racine too.
On
8/13/2009 8:44:42 PM
duke33 wrote:
mike. i really think that sophmore from cudahy should still on the top 25. he went from 18 to 53? how is that possible.
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