by Alex Schwartz

We're halfway through the 2009 July Live Evaluation period, and I've had a chance to see just about all of the highly-touted prospects in the class of 2010 and analyze them. Although I expect that one or two sleepers will still emerge and that many players will boost their stock and others' will drop, I wanted to take a shot at putting out a class of 2010 Top 35 ranking, much like I did for the class of 2009. I will of course be updating this as time goes along and players move closer to college, and I will release a final one sometime after the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game. Without further ado, here is Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 35- Mid-July Edition:

CLASS OF 2010 TERRIFIC 35
Rank. Name, Position, Height, High School (State), College
1. Brandon Knight, PG, 6'3, Pine Crest (FL), uncommitted- a scoring point with a great frame who also has great quickness to blow by a defender
2. Jared Sullinger, PF, 6'8, Northland (OH), Ohio State- big-bodied low post man is very skilled, works hard, and knows how to use his size to his advantage
3. Harrison Barnes, SF, 6'6, Ames (IA), uncommitted- an extremely smart player, he is a silent assassin, and has a knack for getting to the cup and finishing
4. Reggie Bullock, SG, 6'5, Kinston (NC), North Carolina- a big-time scorer who can not only get to the hole, but can stroke it from deep
5. Fab Melo, C, 7'0, Sagemont School (FL), uncommitted- a very large presence in the paint, he is not only huge, but skilled, which makes him special
6. Josh Selby, PG, 6'1, Lake Clifton (MD), Tennessee- point guard who flat-out puts the ball the ball in the hoop and is a phenomenal athlete
7. Josh Smith, C, 6'10, Kentwood (WA), uncommitted- big-bodied low block player rebounds the basketball, scores, and is ferocious
8. Will Barton, SG, 6'6, Brewster Academy (NH)- an outstanding athlete, he can drive to the hole and score and also can make shots from the outside
9. Kyrie Irving, PG, 6'2, St. Patrick's (NJ), uncommitted- maybe the most complete player in the class, he is a point guard who scores the ball, plays D, and can also distribute
10. Joe Jackson, PG, 5'11, White Station (TN), uncommitted- if he wasn't so small, he would be even higher, but despite his size and frame, the point guard is athletic and scores the ball
11. Jelan Kendrick, SF, 6'6, Westlake (GA), uncommitted- an intriguing specimen, the long wing has a complete game and looks like he will only get better
12. Deshaun Thomas, PF, 6'6, Bishop Luers (IN), Ohio State- a large body, he puts the ball in the hoop quite frequently, and once he works on perimeter D, he could be special
13. Doron Lamb, SG, 6'4, Oak Hill Academy (VA), uncommitted- big-time scorer and an intelligent player out of New York City
14. Perry Jones, PF, 6'10, Duncanville (TX), Baylor- a long player in the post, he scores, rebounds, and has a lot of room for even more improvement
15. Patric Young, PF, 6'8, Paxon School for Advanced Students (FL), Florida- maybe the most physically gifted player in the class, he works hard, scores, and rebounds
16. Noah Cottrill, PG, 6'1, Mountain State Academy (WV), West Virginia- although overly flashy at times, he is a score-first point guard who can stroke it and also can get teammates involved
17. Keith Appling, PG, 6'2, Pershing (MI), Michigan State- combo guard with an uncanny ability for scoring, he is a smart player and also can be a floor leader
18. Casey Prather, SF, 6'5, North Side (TN), uncommitted- an athletic wing who can score the basketball, he has a good frame and looks like a possible future star
19. Jereme Richmond, SF, 6'5, Waukegan (IL), Illinois- once he adds some bulk, he could be a special player, as he is very skilled and long
20. Gary Franklin, PG, 6'2, Mater Dei (CA), uncommitted- a lead guard who can score, either via the drive or off a shot—can shoot beyond the arc—and also can distribute
21. Justin Coleman, SF, 6'4, Henrico (VA), uncommitted- an absolutely fantastic athlete, he still needs to polish his game up a bit more, but has a shot to be very good
22. Dion Waiters, 6'2, SG, Life Center Academy (NJ), Syracuse- if he was just a couple inches bigger, he would be much higher, as the combo guard is a fantastic scorer
23. Tristan Thompson, PF, 6'9, Findlay Prep (NV), Texas- a long combo forward who is oozing with potential, he still has a long way to go
24. Ray McCallum, PG, 6'1, Detroit Country Day School (MI), uncommitted- smart, heady point guard is the true definition of a floor general
25. Crandall Head, SG, 6'3, Crane Tech (IL), Illinois- an athletic two-guard who can score around the cup and also make shots from the outside
26. Tarik Black, PF, 6'8, Ridgeway (TN), uncommitted- the big man has a great frame, is a very good rebounder, and puts the ball in the hoop
27. Cory Joseph, PG, 6'3, Findlay Prep (NV), uncommitted- a pass-first point guard who does not score all that much, he is another true floor general and is not
28. Tobias Harris, PF, 6'8, Half Hollow Hills West (NY), uncommitted- the face-up four has developed a great deal, has a fantastic frame, and will get even better as time goes along
29, Josh Hairston, PF, 6'7, Courtland (VA), Duke- a bit undersized, he makes up for it with hard work, tenacity, as well as pure skill
30. Mychal Parker, SF, 6'6, The Miller School (VA), uncommitted- when he turns it on, he is an amazing scorer who gets to the hole, draws fouls, and hits outside shots
31. Dominique Ferguson, PF, 6'9, Hargrave Military Academy (VA), uncommitted- a raw low post player with a long way to go, he has a chance to be a very good player
32. CJ Leslie, PF, 6'8, Word of God Academy (NC), uncommitted- a tremendous athlete with an outstanding frame, his game is still coming along
33. Ryan Harrow, PG, 5'11, Walton (GA), North Carolina State- he is undersized, but is a solid point guard, and he puts the rock in the hoop
34. Adreian Payne, C, 6'10, Jefferson (OH), uncommitted- he is another post player who is not there yet, but has a chance to be special if he puts it all together
35. Travis McKie, SF, 6'6, John Marshall (VA), Wake Forest- a smart, athletic, hard-working wing who is a winner and a competitor

JUST MISSED (alphabetical order)
Tyler Lamb, SG, 6'3, Mater Dei (CA), UCLA
Jordan Sibert, SG, 6'4, Princeton (OH), Ohio State
Roscoe Smith, SF, 6'8, Oak Hill Academy, uncommitted

OTHERS CONSIDERED (alphabetical order)
Daniel Bejarano, SG, 6'5, Phoenix North (AZ), Texas
Cameron Clark, SF, 6'6, Sherman (TX), uncommitted
Nate Lubick, PF, 6'8, St. Mark's (MA), Georgetown
Kendall Marshall, PG, 6'3, Bishop O'Connell (VA), North Carolina
Stacey Poole, SF, 6'5, Jackson (FL), uncommitted
Juwan Staten, PG, 5'11, Oak Hill Academy (VA), Dayton
JT Terrell, SG, 6'3, undeclared, Wake Forest

RANKING NOTES
- Post grads were not considered for this list, though fifth-year seniors were
- There are three states with three or more players in the Terrific 35, only one of which has more than three: Florida (three), Tennessee (three), and Virginia (six)
- There are six states with two players in the Terrific 35: Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Ohio
- The positions with the most players on the list are Power Forward (ten) and Point Guard (ten), while Small Forward (seven( is third, Shooting Guard (five) is fourth, and Center (three) is last
- There are two schools with multiple players in the Terrific 35: Illinois (two) and Ohio State (two)
- The conference breakdown for the committed players is as follows: Big Ten (five), ACC (four), Big 12 (two), Big East (two), SEC (two), C-USA (one)
- There are 19 uncommitted players on the list
- The only high school with multiple players on the list is Findlay Prep (NV), which has two

OTHER NOTES
- Two players who would have been ranked (both in the top 15) were not included on this list: Duke-bound Andre Dawkins (now class of 09) and Jeremy Tyler (left high school to play in Europe)
- The point guards in this class are phenomenal, and the position is very deep
- The centers in the class of 2010 are quite weak, as shown by the fact that only three are in the Terrific 35

Note- Rivals and Scout used as sources for information; photo is of Brandon Knight and is from http://scouthoops.scout.com