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Wednesday, January 30, 2013
 Telep’s Top 10: 2013 sleeper recruits
By Dave Telep

 History tells us that lurking somewhere at the bottom end of a top-100 prospects list or possibly even outside the list entirely are future college basketball stars. Current college standouts like Trey Burke, Doug McDermott and Seth Curry were all either back-end top-100 prospects or not in the top 100 at all.

Trey Burke
Current Michigan star Trey Burke was ranked the No. 84 recruit in the 2011 ESPN 100.
In this business, there are few sure things. Players mature both physically and emotionally at different rates. Sometimes players aren’t ready coming out of high school to be saddled with the expectations of a hyped recruit. In fact, that alone may have aided many of them in their progress.

Regardless, we know that stars will emerge from outside the top 50. So this week’s Top 10 list is an attempt to identify those sleepers. That doesn’t mean the following players are all going to be elevated either into the top 100 or inside the top 50, but there’s reason to believe they have a chance to be more than just college starters down the road.

Here’s the criteria: To qualify for this Top 10 list, a player has to be outside ESPN’s top-50 prospects in the 2013 class. I’m not even including post-grad Terry Rozier because he was ranked as a senior last year and at this point his status as a future collegiate star is in good standing and almost public knowledge. With this list we’re trying to pick out a few less-heralded guys and roll the dice. Most of these players you might not see coming.

Top 10 Class of 2013 sleepers who could blossom into stars


1. Deandre Burnett, SG
Signed with Miami
ESPN 100: Not ranked
This guy is a combination of late bloomer and under-the-radar scoring whiz. The numbers he’s put up for Massanutten Military Academy this year are legit and have come against good competition. Before the season, no one saw this guy coming. The number of text messages we’ve received from other coaches watching him for the first time and leaving blown away is staggering. He could be Miami’s best local scorer since Guillermo Diaz.

2. JaJuan Johnson, SG
Signed with Marquette
ESPN 100: No. 64
Johnson is one of those guys I can’t ignore my gut feeling on. He’s athletically gifted and can defend, but my sense is that his game and body haven’t synced up yet. There’s a hint of Iman Shumpert in his game. I’d rather be on the record with him than miss the boat.

3. Nick Emery, PG
Signed with BYU
ESPN 100: No. 61
You’re not going to hear much about Emery the next two years. He’ll be in Germany, tearing up pickup games on his Mormon mission. But when he returns, look out.

4. DeAndre Bembry, SF
Signed with St. Joseph’s
ESPN 100: Not ranked
You never get tired of watching this kid play. His energy and passion for the game are infectious. He can play in the half court but also be a force in transition. To me, he’s exactly the kind of player the big boys miss on and he makes them pay. I’ll bet he makes all-league at some point.

Joel Embiid
Center Joel Embiid is currently not ranked in the ESPN 100, but expect him to have a major impact down the line at Kansas.
5. Joel Embiid, C
Signed with Kansas
ESPN 100: Not ranked
The best prospect on this list, hands down. The reason he’s not No. 1 is because I think it’s going to take him a season to get his feet under him. Has anyone taken the time to look at Bill Self’s record when he gets a hold of a talent who needs tutelage? It’s not if but when with Embiid.

6. Josh Hart, SF
Signed with Villanova
ESPN 100: Not ranked
In my book, Hart has been over-evaluated. There’s nothing rock star about his game, but he’s blue collar and that’s exactly what Jay Wright wanted out of this recruiting class. Hart isn’t the same type of athlete but could be a contributor in the way Danny Green carved out a huge role at North Carolina: A jack-of-all-trades, hard-playing, winning guy.

7. Wesley Iwundu, SG/SF
Signed with Kansas State
ESPN 100: Not ranked
Part of my thinking in crafting this list is to find guys capable of shouldering the load. On the AAU circuit, Iwundu is a bit player surrounding superstar twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison. But Iwundu’s high school team is undefeated in league play and he’s picking up steam. Every time I’ve seen him, I graded him a smidge higher than the previous outing. There’s opportunity in Little Manhattan, and that’s a big enough window for Iwundu to leap through.

8. Detrick Mostella, SG
Signed with Oklahoma State
ESPN 100: No. 83
If Mostella hopes to become a standout for the Cowboys, he’ll take a page out of St. John’s guard D’Angelo Harrison’s book and steal some driving techniques from Arkansas’ B.J. Young. Mostella, in his mind, was put on this earth to get buckets. He’s not big but is quick. And most important, he’s supremely confident and has a short memory when he misses. In the biggest games, he has a tendency to step up. With Mostella, you live with the bad shots and trade them for the euphoria of big scoring nights.

9. Roschon Prince, SF
Signed with USC
ESPN 100: Not ranked
If interim coach Bob Cantu isn’t given the USC job full time, Prince could be a guy who wiggles off the hook and is back on the board. He’s the West Coast version of Hart -- all blue collar and low key, but he has an understanding of the game and always plays a big part in the outcome.

10. Cameron Payne, PG/SG
Signed with Murray State
ESPN 100: Not ranked
Every now and then you have to take a flier on a guy. Murray State coach Steve Prohm chased this kid around all summer long and wanted him badly. Physically, Payne was not ready to be recruited higher. However, his game and resume indicate future success. He’s scoring in the low 20s for arguably the best private school team in Memphis. He’s competitive, and while he wasn’t one of the three best kids on his talented AAU team, there’s a little birdie chirping in my ear that it won’t matter. Low-risk, high-reward pick here.