Basketball Rankings and Recruiting Reality
Chasing rankings has become one of the biggest distractions in youth basketball, and it quietly pulls players away from what actually moves the needle. We touched on this when we sat down with Dan Poneman, founder of Weave Agency and one of the most experienced evaluators in basketball, who has built rankings himself and understands exactly why they matter far less than people think.
How Basketball Rankings Are Actually Built
Cory:
“So you got a lot of families out there that get obsessed with rankings. And you’re someone that actually put those rankings together. What was your criteria and how did you rank those players?”
Dan:
“As far as rankings go, when I was in high school ranking players, there’s no way I could see all those players. I could see some of them.”
Dan:
“Some of it was talking to other players, right? Because you have scouts watching for ten minutes taking notes, but you have players on their team or other teams who played against them, played with them.”
Dan:
“I would talk to dudes my age like, ‘Is this guy really that good?’ Or, ‘Yeah, we fear him on the court.’ I would talk to other players to understand who was really respected, who was overrated.”
Dan:
“Then I would talk to college coaches who watched guys and give their evaluations, talk to other coaches. I would talk to people I trusted and bring those opinions together to formulate an opinion.”
Culture isn’t talked about. It’s practiced.
Why Rankings Can Be Misleading
Dan:
“Sometimes rankings were impacted by who are you being recruited by and are those offers real.”
Dan:
“Sometimes I would just go in and watch and trust my eye. It’s not rocket science. It’s figuring out who’s good at basketball, who can jump high, compete hard, score baskets, defend.”
Dan:
“A lot of people in rankings will move people up incrementally and be afraid to stamp it and have a strong opinion. I was never afraid to have strong opinions.”
The Anthony Davis Discovery Story
He is Top 2, and not 2. The 🐐, with all due.
Grateful for 20 years of mentorship, partnership, and belief.
Let’s keep Weaving. 🧶
Dan:
“My most famous ranking story was I found Anthony Davis when he was in eighth grade and he was like a six-foot guard. I ranked him the thirty-fifth best eighth grader in the state.”
Dan:
“I kind of forgot about him because he went to a small school.”
Dan:
“Then his junior year, I got a tip, ‘There’s this kid who’s six foot seven, six foot eight, you gotta come check it out.’ I went to watch him in an AAU tournament and it was the same kid.”
Dan:
“At the time, his only offer was Cleveland State. He had no other scholarship offers.”
Dan:
“I watched him dominate the tournament and I remember saying, ‘That’s the best high school player I’ve ever seen.’ A month later, he was the number one player in the country.”
Quiet work. Shared standards. Daily discipline.
Why Chasing Rankings Is Wasted Energy
Dan:
“I have parents of high school underclassmen ask me all the time, ‘How do I get more exposure? How do I get ranked?’ And it almost annoys me.”
Dan:
“You don’t. It doesn’t matter. You get better.”
Dan:
“There’s college coaches, scouts, people who run websites. There’s a whole economy around discovering who’s good.”
Dan:
“So don’t focus on getting discovered. Focus on being good. Focus on improvement.”
Dan:
“If all the energy you waste on exposure, if you spent that on improvement, we will find you.”
Why Development Always Wins Long-Term
Coaching doesn’t pause when practice ends.
Dan:
“If you’re not ranked or not getting exposure by the time you’re a senior or you go to prep school, it’s because you’re not good enough. So get better.”
Dan:
“You can market yourself all you want, but if there’s not real substance behind the marketing, you’re marketing a fake product.”
Dan:
“One of my favorite philosophies is that the best marketing is a good product.”
Recruiting Takeaway: Build Skill, Not Hype
Rankings may create noise, but development creates opportunity. The players who invest in getting better, competing at the right level, and choosing environments that challenge them are the ones who ultimately get found.
If you’re looking into prep school, reach out to us at PREP Athletics. We’re here to help you explore your potential and make choices that align with your athletic and academic future. We’ve also got a long list of resources to get you started in the right direction, so check out our latest prep basketball updates on YouTube or our podcast to dive deeper.