After taking a look at the nation’s top guards a week ago, we turn our attention to the Top 10 forwards entering the 2022-23 high school basketball season.
1. Justin Edwards (Imhotep Institute, PA)
Topping the list of forwards returning for the 2022-23 high school basketball season is Edwards, a five-star prospect from Imhotep Institute in Pennsylvania. A top-5 player in the 2023 class, Edwards is currently committed to Kentucky and returns for a Panthers team that finished 29-4 a year ago.
2. Mackenzie Mgbako (Roselle Catholic, NJ)
Not far behind Edwards for the top spot is Mgbako, a 6-foot, 8-inch forward who is also considered a top-5 player in the 2023 class. A five-star Duke commit, Mgbako transferred within New Jersey during the offseason from Gill St. Barnard’s to Roselle Catholic, joining a Lions team that went 29-2 a year ago.
3. Sean Stewart (Montverde Academy, FL)
Another prominent offseason transfer, Stewart moves within Florida from Windermere to national power Montverde Academy after a junior season in which he averaged 20.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 4.6 blocks, and 2.3 steals per game. Stewart is rated as a five-star prospect in the 2023 class and is currently committed to Duke.
4. Ron Holland (Duncanville, TX)
A key player for a Duncanville team that went 35-1 a year ago in Texas, Holland returns for his senior season after averaging 15.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, and 2 spg as a junior. Holland is also considered a top player in Texas, where he is a five-star prospect and top-15 player nationally.
5. Matas Buzelis (Sunrise Christian, KS)
Buzelis, a five-star prospect in the 2023 class, also transferred during the offseason; the 6-foot, 9-inch forward joins Sunrise Christian (KS) from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Buzelis is considered a top-10 overall player in the 2023 class.
6. Naas Cunningham (Overtime Elite, GA)
A player firmly in the conversation for top prospect in the 2024 class, Cunningham is the first junior on our list of best high school basketball forwards in 2022-23. The five-star recently joined Overtime Elite in Atlanta during the offseason, after a 2021-22 sophomore campaign in which he was a teammate of Mgbako at Gill St. Bernard in New Jersey.
7. Kwame Evans Jr. (Montverde Academy, FL)
Evans, a five-star prospect and top-15 player nationally, is a key name returning for a Montverde Academy team that will once again be among the nation’s best in 2022-23. The Oregon commit will combine with the aforementioned Stewart to comprise one of the top frontcourt duos in the country this season.
8. Mookie Cook (Compass Prep, AZ)
The No. 8 spot here goes to Cook, a five-star prospect in the 2023 class out of Compass Prep in Arizona. A talented 6-foot, 7-inch forward, Cook is currently committed to Oregon.
9. Omaha Biliew (Waukee Senior, IA)
Biliew, a five-star prospect, is also considered a top-15 player nationally in the 2023 class. The Iowa State commit attends in-state Waukee Senior High School.
10. Karter Knox (Tampa Catholic, FL)
Knox, a five-star prospect in the 2024 class, gets the nod for the final spot on this list of top high school basketball forwards in 2022-23. Knox, yet another top name to know in Florida, attends Tampa Catholic where the five-star is coming off a sophomore season in which he averaged 20.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, and 1.8 spg.
