247Sports
The summer basketball season has now passed, G.G. Jackson is officially in college and now everyone wants an answer to the same question:
Who is the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2023?
It's a question that lacks an easy answer as no one player was able to separate themselves from the rest of the pack throughout the grassroots season.
Even among our 247Sports staff there were different opinions, which is actually ideal as it accurately reflects a class where numerous players could make an argument for the spot.
Ultimately though, someone had to be No. 1 and when you break down the film, study the numbers, balance that with what we've seen in person and try to project it all out to college and beyond, it was
Isaiah Collier who earned the distinction of being the No. 1 prospect in the post-summer ranking of the top 150 players in the class.
Why Isaiah Collier?
A product of
Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.), Collier missed the vast majority of the summer — including both the June and July recruiting periods — with a torn meniscus that was originally diagnosed during the USA Basketball U18 trials in late May.
He returned in August in time to participate in the Steph Curry Camp and Under Armour Elite 24, winning MVP honors in both events, but those performances weren't the reason behind his rise from No. 9 in the Top247 to the top spot.
Instead, that ascension was rooted in the answers to a few key questions that we asked ourselves about each of the five-star prospects.
How impactful are they right now and how much of their games translate to subsequent levels?
What would a worst-case scenario, short of any totally unexpected variables, look like next year as a college freshman (i.e. what's their floor at that level)?
What would a best-case scenario, short of any totally unexpected variables, look like next year as a college freshman (i.e. what's their ceiling at that level)?
Similarly, what are their long-term chances of making it to the NBA and what could their floor and ceiling look like at that level?
When we considered how each prospect rated across those multiple areas, Collier was the one who set himself apart across the board.
He's a true point guard with good positional size, a strong body and a natural feel for the game. He's probably the best passer in the national class with a full array of passes at his disposal. He has an advanced understanding of how to play out of ball-screens, the ability to get downhill, and read the game with precision while creating for himself and his teammates. Collier's jumper has historically been the most limited part of his offensive attack, but even that has made notable strides within the last year. He's solid defensively and athletically and possesses all the intangibles and character traits that increase the likelihood that he maximizes his long-term potential.
With that prototype, his ability to impact winning from day one at the college level is as high, if not higher, than any prospect in the class. Those attributes are also ones that can translate to the highest level one day if Collier were to continue to ascend along the same trajectory.
Wheeler point guard Isaiah Collier is the new No. 1 prospect in the 247Sports rankings.
Photo: Ed Turlington
