It’s been just a little over 24 months since the Class of 2024 graduated and headed off to play college basketball. And the class has already produced a NBA Draft lottery pick.
Morez Johnson, the former Thornton star fresh off winning a national championship at Michigan, was the No. 9 pick by the Dallas Mavericks in this year’s NBA Draft. The 2024 Sun-Times Player of the Year skyrocketed up draft boards once declaring for the draft, impressing NBA organizations as much with his makeup as his physical tools.
While Johnson was the cream of the crop in Illinois in 2024, it was a turbulent class when it came to the top 10 prospects.
The class featured a reclassified player in Bryce Heard, who left Homewood-Flossmoor for North Carolina State following a state title run during his junior year. In addition, three others in the class departed for prep schools and eventually signed with high-major programs: Nojus Indrusaitis (Lemont), Cole Certa (Bloomington Central Catholic) and James Brown (St. Rita).
With Johnson headed off to play for the Mavericks, what better time to take a look at how the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top 10 prospects in the Class of 2024 has fared so far midway through their college careers.
1. Morez Johnson, Thornton (Michigan)
Johnson was a valuable piece at Illinois as a freshman but played just 17 minutes a game. The 6-9 big man then became one of the centerpieces and heart and soul of a national championship team as a sophomore at Michigan. He was a third-team All-Big Ten selection and is off to the NBA.
2. Lathan Sommerville, Peoria Richwoods (Washington)
After a very promising freshman season at Rutgers, where he put up 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds a game in the Big Ten, the 6-10 Sommerville transferred to Washington. He battled injuries, playing in just 22 games and the numbers dropped to 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds this past season.
3. Angelo Ciaravino, Mount Carmel (Northwestern)
Ciaravino doubled everything from his freshman year to his sophomore year, including minutes (22 mpg), points (6.3 ppg) and rebounds (3.9 rpg).
4. Chris Riddle, Kenwood (Toledo)
After playing minimally as a freshman at DePaul, the rugged 6-5 Riddle transferred to Toledo and missed his sophomore season with a foot injury.
5. Cooper Koch, Metamora (Iowa)
The 6-8 three-point specialist averaged 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds as a sophomore for a team that reached the Elite Eight.
6. Jaden Smith, Kenwood (Ball State)
Although he played in all 36 games this past season as a sophomore, the late-blooming Smith played sparingly in his first two years at Fordham. He has since transferred to Ball State.
7. Jack Stanton, Downers Grove North (Princeton)
The shooting guard blossomed as a sophomore in the Ivy League, shooting 38 percent from three while averaging 10.9 points and 3.5 rebounds a game.
8. Jason Jakstys, Yorkville (Illinois)
The 6-10 big man redshirted as a freshman and then battled injuries this past season as he played in just nine games.
9. Je’Shawn Stevenson, Lindblom (North Texas)
After being named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team at Cleveland State, the 6-3 guard transferred to North Texas. He put up 17.3 points a game while knocking down 73 three-pointers and was named to the All-American Conference second-team.
10. Eoin Dillon, Peoria Notre Dame (Belmont)
An overlooked prospect but favorable one by the City/Suburban Hoops Report, Dillon redshirted during the 2024-2025 season. He was then named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team this past season as a redshirt freshman.