College Basketball Recruits Improving Their Status in Summer of 2015

Now that the national rankings have been updated across the board following the July live-evaluation period, it's time to take a look at some of the players who boosted their recruiting stock the most with their play. July is an intense time in the rankings process because the month packs 15 days' worth of events in front of college coaches.  Many elite national players play against each other for the last time on the AAU circuit, and it's one final time to cement a reputation before senior year of high school.

In the class of 2016, the post-July recruiting rush picks up with visits and the forming of lists as many players entering senior year of high school ready to make a decision before the high school basketball season starts.

Here's a list of eight players who elevated their games to another level in July. If there were questions entering July about certain aspects of these players, they were answered with a number of strong performances. Each slide includes video highlights and recent mixtapes of each player so you can see some of the highlights for yourself.

Some of the players like De'Aaron Fox and Thon Maker were established 5-star prospects who took their play to the highest level while others like Markelle Fultz and Wenyen Gabriel put themselves squarely in the All-American conversation after big summers.

1. De'Aaron Fox, PG, Cypress Lakes (TX)

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 185

There's a battle brewing among national recruiting analysts about whether the Texas native is the top point guard in the class. Based on his play this July at Peach Jam and Las Vegas, De'Aaron Fox vaulted himself into the top-10 status in a loaded class.

The lefty guard is as fun to watch as any player in high school basketball, and his trademark intensity on the defensive end was complemented with shot-making and good point guard play in July. In the past, Fox was a question mark as both a floor leader and consistent shooter, but he answered both of those questions in July. Fox is down to Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, North Carolina and N.C. State.

2. Thon Maker, C, Orangeville Prep (CA)

Height: 7'0"

Weight: 210

One of the major storylines was the national return of Thon Maker, who made statement after statement with his play over the summer. The 7'0" Maker is so skilled from the perimeter, but he also used his quickness to attack the basket repeatedly. In the past, Maker would settle for way too many perimeter jumpers and wasn't efficient, but he was very good throughout the summer in terms of battling in the post. 

While some won't rate Maker because he plays high school basketball in Canada, he's a bona fide 5-star prospect and good NBA prospect. Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky and Notre Dame have all shown interest in Maker.

3. Markelle Fultz, PG, DeMatha (MD)

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 180 pounds

It's been an impressive climb into top-15 status for Markelle Fultz after playing junior varsity ball at DeMatha as a sophomore. The 6'4" guard is now a full-blown All-American candidate who can score at every level on the floor thanks to his deadly pull-up jumper.

While there were questions about Fultz playing elite competition and succeeding, he answered all of those calls with great games in the Under Armour All-American Camp and UAA Finals. The Washington commit also attacks the rim as well as any lead guard in the class, and he likes to use spin moves.

4. Rawle Alkins, SG, Christ the King (NY)

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 200 pounds

The best player New York has produced since Lance Stephenson, Rawle Alkins has a ton of power in his game even though he plays in the backcourt. In leading his New York Rens to the title of the Adidas Gauntlet in Atlanta during the first week of the July period, Alkins looked like a future All-American, and he sustained an elite level of play that hadn't been seen before.

Alkins has been tremendous in nearly every event he played in this summer, including the Pangos All-American Camp, Adidas Gauntlet Finale and Adidas Nations. Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, St. John's, Texas and UNLV have all been involved with Alkins. 

5. Wenyen Gabriel, PF, Wilbraham and Monson Academy (MA)

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 200 pounds

The versatility of Wenyen Gabriel made him attractive to some of the best coaches in America as Gabriel played well this summer. The 6'9" native of Massachusetts can defend nearly any position on the floor and he's improved his perimeter game as well.

Over the last few months, Gabriel has gone from prospect to performer as he's started to consistently produce on both ends of the floor after previously still catching up to the speed of things. Gabriel is down to UConn, Duke, Kentucky, Maryland and Providence.

6. Miles Bridges, F, Huntington Prep (WV)

Height: 6'6"

Weight: 180 pounds

The 5-star power wing from Michigan is arguably the best in-game dunker in the class, and Miles Bridges can play above the rim or behind the line. This summer, Bridges showed that he was more than an elite scorer as he also continued to rebound at a high level and showed intelligence playing with other talented players. Bridges is down to Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State and North Carolina as he could play anywhere from shooting guard to power forward at the college level.

7. Andrew Jones, SG, Irving MacArthur School (TX)

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 180 pounds

From non-ranked player to the top 40 of many rankings, Texas guard Andrew Jones had a huge month of July playing with Pro Skills. After looking like a high-major candidate in the spring with some decent performances, Jones upped his scoring average nearly seven points a game at Peach Jam and also set up teammates far better than the spring. The 6'4" scorer is down to Arizona, Baylor, Louisville, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas and Texas A&M during a recruitment in which he made five visits in a one-week stretch.

8. Sacha Killeya-Jones, PF, Virginia Episcopal (VA)

Height: 6'10"

Weight: 207 pounds

After decommitting from Virginia after the spring, the 6'10" forward hit the AAU circuit ready to compete. Sacha Killeya-Jones quickly made his mark as a face-up scorer and also played with some toughness around the basket after previously being a bit skittish to play in the post.

Now that he's hitting perimeter jumpers and competing more inside, Killeya-Jones has a ton of upside going forward. The productive month led to Killeya-Jones committing to Kentucky.

Unless noted otherwise, all recruiting info and rankings courtesy of 247 Sports.