Bossi's Best: Summertime risers
Each summer we see players such as 2021 big man Daimion Collins rise from either the back end or outside of the national rankings to become high-major targets. In this week's edition of Bossi's Best, national analyst Eric Bossi takes a look at players from the classes of 2020 and 2021 whose stock has just started to rise or will soon start rising rapidly.
Players are listed in alphabetical order and - save for one exception - all are currently rated as three-star prospects.
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2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150
Why he's rising: What isn't there to like about Collins? He's long, he's growing rapidly, he has bounce and he is rapidly building confidence. He was one of my coworker Corey Evans' breakout performers at last week's Nike Elite 100 and I loved the small town product's upside when I first saw him in April. Reminds me a lot of a young version of Maryland star Jalen Smith.
Current recruitment: Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Tulsa, USC and VCU have all offered in the past few months.
Why he's rising: A long and slithery point guard with wiggle off the bounce, Diggins can easily create for himself and others. His confidence is on the rise and he's starting to mature a bit physically.
Current recruitment: DePaul, Florida, Penn State, UMass, Virginia Tech and Xavier have all offered scholarships within the last week.
Why he's rising: Harris originally signed with Missouri State in the class of 2019, and he could have been a potential player of the year in the Missouri Valley. The guy is just a leader. He wins a lot of games and makes everybody around him better.
Current recruitment: Schools are just figuring out that Harris has gotten his release from Missouri State. Expect high-major offers to flood in during July.
Why he's rising: Want to make yourself more appealing to college programs? Play like Houston does. He's got high energy, is willing to do the little things and can play at both the four and the five. He's a live-bodied athlete with a frame to build on.
Current recruitment: Middle Tennessee State, Murray State, North Texas, Seton Hall, TCU and Tulsa have offered.
Why he's rising: Ranked earlier in his high school career, Key simply wasn't very impressive when I saw him last summer and during his junior season of high school. However, he played his tail off at the NBPA Top 100 Camp. He's tough, does the little things, has some skill and just seems to have that feel for being in the right place at the right time.
Current recruitment: Boston College, Marquette, Ohio State, Pitt, Providence, Rhode Island, St. John's, TCU, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin have all offered since NBPA Camp.
Why he's rising: I saw it firsthand a few weeks ago in Georgia. This guy plays with incredible energy and is a monster athlete. He drives to the rim, makes plays in transition and could one day be an all-league level defender at the high-major level.
Current recruitment: Arkansas, Clemson and Georgia Tech have offered in the last week and a half.
Why he's rising: Murrell is everything college programs who like to incorporate a stretch four man look for in a player. He can shoot from deep, he's mobile, he puts the ball on the floor and he is a good athlete who will try to dunk on opponents if given a slight crease.
Current recruitment: Creighton, Iowa, Loyola (Chicago), Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri State, TCU and Virginia Tech have all offered in the past few weeks.
Why he's rising: The state of North Carolina has been producing a lot of under-the-radar late bloomers over the past few years, and Thomas might be next. He's got good size, can heat it up from deep and has a body that he could grow into.
Current recruitment: Georgia Tech offered in June and East Carolina got on board during his junior season.
Why he's rising: OK, here's the exception. Ware isn't an off-the-radar guy. He's been well known for some time. But, I received more phone calls asking for information about Ware than any other player over the course of the past few weeks. Ware is mobile, quick and skilled and has really started to figure out ways to score on the interior without floating to the perimeter. His recruitment is about to go crazy.
Current recruitment: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Ohio State, Pitt, Providence, Seton Hall, Temple, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest have offered. Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, among others, have watched recently and may be entering the mix soon.
Why he's rising: A long, slender and skilled wing, Watson has been causing a ruckus on the West Coast, where he's been tearing up SoCal summer leagues. He can handle, passes well, has a knack for scoring off the dribble or from deep and is showing big-time potential as a defender.
Current recruitment: Grand Canyon, Long Beach State, Montana, Pepperdine and San Diego State have offered.