Meet 20 breakout high school boys basketball stars across the country in 2023-24

These 20 players have boosted their stock a bunch this season

Author:
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
Updated:
Jan 10, 2024 4:15 PM EST
Original:
Jan 10, 2024

Late last fall as the football season wound down, we featured the high school boys basketball players expected to be best in the nation at their respective positions in 2023-24.

We grouped the star players by point guards, combo guards, wings, forwards and posts, then gave fans the chance to vote for the best of the best at each position.

Now we're featuring 20 players across the country who have raised eyebrows with their breakout performances in 2023-24 — but don't have a bunch of stars next to their names in the recruiting world.

It's an underclassman-heavy list, but we included a few seniors showing out in their final year of high school basketball.

Know of some more breakout players this season who are flying under the national recruiting radar? Let us know at swanson@scorebooklive.com and back it up with some stats.

Jordan Allen, sr., Hillcrest (Tennessee)

Allen had solid seasons his sophomore and junior year, but he’s turned into a monster as a senior. The 6-foot guard is averaging 35.5 points, 6.2 assists and 5.8 steals per game in his final year of high school basketball.

Timmy Anderson, so., Blair (California)

Jason Crowe Jr. and Alijah Arenas are two Southern California sophomore guards blowing up in the recruiting world, but don’t sleep on Timmy Anderson. The lightning-quick 6-foot point guard from the oft-overlooked San Gabriel Valley is averaging 33.8 points and 7.8 assists while shooting 63% from the field and 85% from the free-throw line.

Trey Beamer, so., Carlisle (Virginia)

Beamer shined right away as a freshman last year, finishing his first season of high school basketball by averaging 23.3 points per game. The 6-foot-2 combo guard has improved across the board as a sophomore, already reaching the 1,000-point milestone and picking up offers from Hampton, Radford, College of Charleston and High Point.

Huey Blalock, so., Rabun County (Georgia)

Passing is Blalock’s top tool, but the point guard has also more than doubled his scoring and rebounding average from freshman to sophomore year. He’s averaging 17.4 points, 8.1 assists and five rebounds per game this season.

Ikee Brooks, jr., Hansberry (Illinois)

Brooks is approaching 1,000 career points, 500 assists and 300 steals with still another year to go of high school basketball. He’s been a triple-double machine of a different sort (points, assists, rebounds) from his twin brother, forward Al Brooks Jr. (points, rebounds, blocks).

Kason Brown, jr., Reagan County (Texas)

Brown got off to a hot start this basketball season after playing quarterback for the football team in the fall. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 24.9 points and 8.2 rebounds and has a triple-double this season with 46 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals.

Maki Cary, jr., Teays Valley Christian (West Virginia)

Cary is doing it all for Teays Valley Christian this season, averaging 28.5 points, 4.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. The 5-foot-10 point guard is shooting over 50% from the field and over 40% from 3-point range.

Camden Cooper, 8th, St. Johns Country Day (Florida)

Yes, Cooper’s in eighth grade, yet he’s going to enter his true freshman season already having scored more than 1,000 career points. The 6-foot-4 guard has been playing varsity since sixth grade and is averaging 21 points per game this season.

Quintin Cooper, jr., Coolidge (Washington DC)

After averaging 11.1 points per game last season, Cooper has been on fire this year. The 6-foot-3 combo guard is averaging 31 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and committed to Buffalo in November.

Mario Forbes, jr., St. John Paul II (Florida)

Forbes has been doubly as effective this year compared with his sophomore season. The 6-foot-7 forward is averaging 18.7 points and 16.1 rebounds per game while shooting 54%.

Tyler Kropp, jr., Olentangy Liberty (Ohio)

A member of Argentina’s junior national team, the 6-foot-9 Kropp has been a force down low this season for Olentangy Liberty after missing much of last year with an injury. He’s been a double-double machine as a junior, but he has the skills to play wing despite his size.

Bradley Longcor III, jr., Quincy (Illinois)

A 6-foot-3 point guard who can pass and score (and fill it up from the outside), Longcor recently earned game MVP honors in a cross-state win over Cardinal Ritter (Missouri). He eclipsed 1,000 points in his career earlier this season.

Benji Makelela, so., Capistrano Valley Christian (California)

Defense has been Makelela’s forte in both years of his young high school basketball career, but the imposing 6-foot-8 big man is also improving on offense. He’s averaging 11.3 points and 14.1 rebounds per game and recently put up an 18-18 against Desert Christian. Watch out for this guy the next couple of years.

Angel Ochoa, jr., St. Joseph Academy (California)

Ochoa is showing last year was no fluke, as the 5-foot-11 guard has raised his scoring average from 33.7 to 36.9 points per game. He also plays for the Mexico national team and commutes across the border every day from Tijuana to St. Joseph Academy.

Josiah Parker, jr., Lee County (Georgia)

Parker earned third-team All-State honors as a sophomore, and he’s on track to exceed that mark as a junior. The 6-foot-7 guard with forward size recently earned MVP honors in leading Lee County to the Roundball Classic Red Bracket championship.

Ethan Roberts, sr., Scottsboro (Alabama)

You won’t find his name on the recruiting rankings, but few high school basketball players have been on as much fire in recent weeks. The point guard became the first in school history to notch back-to-back 40-point games and score more than 30 in four straight.

Karsten Swinney, jr., Freedom (North Carolina)

Swinney has been playing varsity basketball since his freshman year and continues to improve. The 5-foot-8 point guard with serious handles and range is averaging 28.4 points, five assists and 2.8 steals per game this season.

Uriah Tenette, jr., Prescott (Arizona)

The 5-10 guard is a scoring machine, averaging more than 33 points per game after putting in more than 23 a game as a sophomore. He set the single-game school scoring record earlier this season with 48 points.

Camden Thompson, jr., Whitehall (Michigan)

Thompson has been a force scoring and on the glass this season, churning out double-doubles like a factory. The 6-foot-5 forward — who’s already eclipsed 1,000 career points — is averaging 19.7 points and 19.9 rebounds per game while also dishing 5.2 assists per game.

Kase Wynott, sr., Lapwai (Idaho)

Wynott isn’t sneaking up on anybody, as the 6-foot-6 guard has been torching defenders the past three years, but the Utah State commit still doesn’t have any stars on the recruiting websites. He’s averaging 37.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game this year, improving upon last year’s 35.3 and 14.4.