Bossi's Best: Programs that can score big with late signings
The Late Signing Period is fast approaching and only 19 members of the 2020 Rivals150 remain undecided.
At least three – five-star Makur Maker and four-stars Marjon Beauchamp and K.J. Martin – are likely to explore options other than college. So, the available talent pool is pretty shallow. However, there are still teams that have a good chance to make big moves in the 2020 team rankings with strong finishes.
This week in Bossi’s Best, Eric Bossi takes a look at which teams could score big from the multiple remaining Rivals150 prospects and some from just outside that remain on their radar. And yes, they are going to have to beat each other's brains in to make moves.
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MASTER CLASS - TOP HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS: Nos. 81-100 | Nos. 61-80
2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
2022 Rankings: Top 75
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ARIZONA
Current rank: No. 34
On the Wildcats' radar: Four-star shooter Kerwin Walton was thought to be leaning toward the Wildcats entering the winter, and they are still under consideration. However, whether or not the commitment of Canadian four-star Ben Mathurin changed that is up for debate. The main remaining target, though, is five-star wing Ziaire Williams. Arizona's primary competition for him appears to be USC and Stanford.
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ARIZONA STATE
Current rank: No. 53
On the Sun Devils' radar: The Sun Devils only have one commitment in 2020, but five-star wing Marcus Bagley is a good one. They’d love to add some help and are in the thick of it for big-timers Josh Christopher and Clifford Omoruyi. Christopher has been on campus plenty, and he has an older brother on the team and plenty of reasons to pick ASU. Many think he could be leaning to Michigan, but ASU still has a chance. Set for his official visit, Omoruyi is a punishing big man with rapidly developing skill. The Devils are in his final five and have a strong shot here.
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AUBURN
Current rank: No. 19
On the Tigers' radar: Bruce Pearl and his staff aren’t satisfied with a top 20 class and are greedy for more. And, perhaps more so than almost any other program in the country, they have a chance to make a big move in the Late Signing Period. They’ve been making up big ground on No. 2 Jalen Green. Top 10 Greg Brown is high on them. Top 40 Clifford Omoruyi is looking at coming back a second time and 7-footer Kai Sotto is very interested. Add any one or more of these guys to a class headlined by five-star point guard Sharife Cooper and the Tigers are serious players.
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GEORGETOWN
Current rank: No. 55
On the Hoyas' radar: The Hoyas are just a few days away from learning their fate with Canadian four-star Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, who visited earlier this month. D.C.-area native Darius Miles is a four-star who has always been high on the Hoyas and they’ve turned up their pursuit of three-star wing Kobe Clark, who ranks just outside of the Rivals150. If 2021 five-star Moussa Cisse reclassifies, they could be in the mix there as well.
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GEORGIA
Current rank: No. 31
On the Bulldogs' radar: Big man Kai Sotto plays his high school ball in Atlanta and has the Bulldogs under consideration. Another Atlanta-area four-star, J.T. Thor, has consistently mentioned them. Tennessee big man Akeem Odusipe could be a guy they turn to, and the Bulldogs are still very much in it with four-star center Dylan Cardwell. Another name to keep an eye on is four-star point guard Eric Gaines, who may be too good not to pursue as an in-state kid.
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KENTUCKY
Current rank: No. 1
On the Wildcats' radar: Yes, UK has the top-ranked class in the country. But, it could still get much better, and the Wildcats are involved with too much high-end talent to go without mentioning. Five-star forward Greg Brown recently visited and has the Wildcats among his finalists. Clifford Omoruyi is going to visit and they are on again/off again with J.T. Thor. At some point, players from 2021 are going to start moving into 2020 and John Calipari and his staff are already mentioned with many of them, including No. 1 Jonathan Kuminga and Moussa Cisse, among others.
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MEMPHIS
Current rank: NR.
On the Tigers' radar: Penny Hardaway and the Tigers are going to have to make big moves late because they are without a recruit in the 2020 class. There are two important targets here, and at least as of today, they have an outstanding chance with both Jalen Green and Greg Brown. In fact, many consider the Tigers the team to beat - or at least co-leaders - for each of the elite talents. They are another who could be in the mix for Moussa Cisse if he were to reclassify.
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OKLAHOMA STATE
Current rank: No. 8
On the Cowboys' radar: For a while, the Cowboys looked like locks to end up with four-star combo forward J.T. Thor. What’s happening there is a bit unclear, but what isn’t unclear is that the Cowboys may be a slight favorite to land four-star Canadian Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe on Friday. Also, Mike Boynton and his staff have made a recent play for four-star shooting guard Donovan Williams.
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RUTGERS
Current rank: No. 60
On the Knights' radar: Because they are in the final five with some big-name programs for Clifford Omoruyi many are discounting Rutgers' chances. But make no mistake, the Knights have a very legitimate shot and the big man would be a true game-changer for them. Four-star wing Darius Miles has mentioned the Knights and former Rivals150 point guard Noah Farrakhan could be an option. High-upside big-man Josh Gray is another player in the mix.
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VANDERBILT
Current rank: No. 90
On the Commodores' radar: The good news is that things can only get better for Jerry Stackhouse as he tries to bring the Vanderbilt program back from the brink. Four-star shooter Kerwin Walton and four-star big man Dylan Cardwell are still seriously considering the Commodores, and they have also emerged as a potential landing spot for Rivals150 combo guard Tyrin Lawrence.