Recruiting season is winding down. The McDonald’s All-American game and the Dick’s Sporting Goods National Championship put some of the nation’s top high school basketball prospects on display in front of the entire world. Many of the young players on display will soon become household names just as Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson and Lonzo Ball have over the course of this past college basketball season.
Daejon Davis’ commitment to Stanford on Saturday means that there are just ten recruits in the ESPN 100 who have yet to announce their college decision. Let’s take a look at where all ten of them currently stand with regards to their recruitment.
4. Trevon Duval, PG, Wilmington, DE
https://twitter.com/DatGuy_Trey/status/798711729412853760
Duval is the number 1 rated point guard in the class of 2017 by every major recruiting service. He has narrowed his recruitment down to Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Kansas and Seton Hall. Most signs point to Duke as the most likely landing spot for Duval with Kansas a distant second. He said last week at the McDonald’s All-American Game that he is waiting on several players to decide whether or not to declare for the NBA Draft. Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham and Duke’s Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen have all yet to announce their decision regarding their collegiate future. The deadline for underclassmen who have not hired an agent to withdraw from the NBA draft and retain their NCAA eligibility is May 24, but it is hard to imagine Duval will wait that long to announce his decision. Duval has said that he hopes to make a decision sometime in April.
Prediction: Duke
5. Mohamed Bamba, C, Harlem, NY
Bamba’s recruitment seems to be a two-horse race between Duke and Kentucky. Kentucky has already signed three other five-star big men in Nick Richards, P.J. Washington and Jarred Vanderbilt, so that could be a deterrent for Bamba. Duke, on the other hand, has a much urgent need for front-court with Amile Jefferson graduation and Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum both leaving early for the NBA. Bamba and Duke signee Wendell Carter could team up to form one of the best front lines in the country if Bamba decides to take his talents to Durham.
Prediction: Duke
6. Brandon McCoy, C, San Diego, CA
https://twitter.com/flyguyfreddyy/status/799493990685036544
Oregon, Michigan State and Arizona are all still in the running for the nation’s #3 ranked center. Oregon is the favorite right now, and their Final Four run certainly helped their case. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has publicly said that dominant big men are his top priority for the 2017 class. The Spartans have already gotten five-star power forward Jaren Jackson to sign on the dotted line, but adding McCoy would be a huge recruiting win for Izzo. Expect Michigan State to throw the kitchen sink at McCoy during the home stretch of his recruitment.
Prediction: Oregon
7. Kevin Knox, SF, Tampa, FL
Official Visits🙌🏾‼️ pic.twitter.com/iV8iV5WfNn
— Kev (@KevKnox) September 23, 2016
Knox appears to have his sites set on Duke. He will make his final visit this weekend to Missouri where new head coach Cuonzo Martin will try to make a Hail Mary effort to convince Knox to join Michael Porter Jr. in Columbia next season. Unfortunately for Martin, it doesn’t appear that there is an opening on the coaching staff for Knox’s dad. I’ll be shocked if Knox doesn’t join the Cameron Crazies next season.
Prediction: Duke
12. Brian Bowen, SF, Saginaw, MI
https://twitter.com/20tugs/status/828752357383086080
Fresh off of leading La Lumiere to the Dick’s Sporting Goods National Championship, Bowen’s recruitment is probably the most tightly contested of any uncommitted player in the class of 2017. Arizona and Michigan State appear to be deadlocked in their recruitment of the nation’s third-ranked small forward. Izzo lost out on Detroit native Josh Jackson last year, and another in-state prospect slipping away would be devastating to the Spartan faithful. Bowen’s La Lumiere teammate Jaren Jackson has already signed with Michigan State and will no doubt be lobbying for Bowen to join him in East Lansing next season. Sean Miller and Arizona have made a late push for Bowen, but will it be enough to pry him away from his home state?
Prediction: Michigan State
19. M.J. Walker, SG, Jonesboro, GA
Walker is another five-star recruit whose recruitment is still very much up in the air. He holds offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Maryland and UCLA among others. Florida State and Maryland are the two most likely landing spots for Walker, but Kansas could swoop in if Devonte’ Graham decides to enter the NBA Draft. For now, I’ll give a slight edge to Florida State, but that could definitely change in the upcoming weeks.
Prediction: Florida State
36. Makai Ashton-Langford, PG, Worcester, MA
Stay tuned… pic.twitter.com/jSPiqkHVeV
— makai ashton-langford (@makaiashton11) March 31, 2017
Ashton-Langford signed with UConn back in September, but he announced on Friday that he was decommitting and reopening his recruitment “without limitations.” Providence appears to be the most likely destination for Ashton-Langford but look for a number of other schools to make a late run at him.
Prediction: Providence
40. Jordan Tucker, SF, Marietta, GA
Tucker announced in December that he was narrowing his recruitment to Indiana and Villanova. Indiana appeared to be the favorite, but the Hoosiers may have killed their chance by firing Tom Crean.
Do you understand now why I stayed patient and waited?🤔
— Jordan Tucker (@1jtucker) March 16, 2017
New coach Archie Miller will not doubt plead his case for Tucker to come to Bloomington, but that Tweet can’t be a good sign for Indiana. Josh Pastner and Georgia Tech have thrown their hat in the ring in a late push to keep Tucker in the Peach State.
Prediction: Georgia Tech
65. Jamarl Baker, SG, Eastvale, CA
Baker committed to Cal all the way back in 2015 and signed a letter of intent in December. He announced this past week that he had requested and been granted a release from his letter of intent following coach Cuonzo Martin’s departure for Missouri. Baker has been off the recruiting market for so long that it is hard to predict where he will go from here. Kentucky, Maryland, Utah, Oregon, Arizona, Marquette, Virginia and Arizona State have all reportedly shown interest in Baker.
Prediction: I have no idea, but just for fun let’s go with Marquette.
99. Blake Harris, PG, Chapel Hill, NC
Apparently, Harris is in no hurry to make a decision about his future. He will take official visits to Rutgers (April 8), Michigan State (April 14), UConn (April 18) and Rutgers (April 21) before making his final decision about his future. Izzo appears to have Harris locked up, so look for him to make his commitment to Michigan State official shortly following his sometime in late April.
Prediction: Michigan State