Ask the experts: Surprise choice
Rivals.com basketball recruiting analysts Jerry Meyer and Eric Bossi weigh in on four current topics.
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Meyer: The Kendrick NunnClick What commitment has been the biggest surprise to you of the last month?Here to view this Link. commitment to Texas A&MClick What commitment has been the biggest surprise to you of the last month?Here to view this Link. surprised me. It just felt that his recruitment was just getting started and that nearly every school would eventually be after Nunn, who is one of the top guards in the 2013 class. For Nunn, who attends Chicago (Ill.) Simeon High School, to commit to Texas A&M prior to his junior season was surprising.
Bossi: For me, this one is pretty easy, 2013 four-star Kendrick Nunn picking Texas A&M. Looking back, just the fact that he was taking a visit down there should have been an indicator that he was much more serious about the Aggies than most believed, but I don't think there was anybody out there who saw a commitment coming. Billy Kennedy and his staff have to be excited about the tough shooting guard who had an outstanding summer and has a winner's pedigree.
What will be the toughest decision in the next rankings?
Meyer: Finding the right order for the elite talent in 2013 will be a challenge. There is a lot of star power at the top of that class and a lot of attention will go into the ordering at the top of that ranking.
Bossi: I don't know that there is any one tough decision that stands out. But, in looking back from the summer I feel like I saw more guys who I felt either needed to be moved into the Rivals150 or have their ranking go up than I did guys who I felt shouldn't be in the 150 or who need to have their ranking drop a little bit. Some tough decisions are going to have to be made with his who gets in, who drops out and then settle on those five- and four-star and four- and three-star separations.
Is there a prospect that was relatively absent from the summer circuit, and it hurt him?
Meyer: Jordan Hare was a guy whose name showed up on a lot of rosters but then he was never in attendance at the events. It really would have been nice to have gotten an evaluation on him.
Bossi: As a rule, we don't drop a guy just because we didn't get to see him. For instance, Steven Adams has stayed the same over the last year because we felt pretty strongly that he was a quality player and now he's likely going to rise pretty far even though he wasn't out there. But, what can happen is that the longer we go without seeing a player, the less we know about them and their development in comparison with the guys that we are seeing. Now after rambling, I'll get to my answer. Nino Jackson is a guy that is going to be tough to rank. He's got tons of ability, but we haven't been able to evaluate him or figure out exactly what he's got going on. That could end up hurting him in the long run.
Meyer: Technically, I had heard his name but I really didn't know anything about 2014 prospect Justise WinslowClick Who is a prospect that you had never once heard about until the summer circuit, but now you've got your eye on him?Here to view this Link., other than he was former Houston Cougar Ricky Winslow's son, before I saw him play in July. Concerning the prospects I saw for the first time this summer, Winslow is right at the top as far as making a positive impression on me. He looks like he is ready to play in college right now, but yet still has a ton of upside.
Bossi: Previous to watching him in Las Vegas and then Anaheim in the latter part of July, I'd never heard of Jordan Loveridge. Now, the 6-foot-6 combo forward from the class of 2012 is definitely on the Rivals.com radar and he's somebody that we'll be discussing seriously for a spot in the post-summer Rivals150. He shoots it well, competes and has a very well-balanced game.
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