This week in Bossi’s Best, we take a look at 10 of the most intriguing recruitments in the class of 2020.
Now, it would have been easy to just pick 10 of the most highly ranked players and call it a day, but I wanted to add a twist. So, I’ve picked one player from each 10-player increment (1-10, 11-20, 21-30 etc.) in the top 100 to discuss.
MORE: Kentucky's 2020 targets | Bronny's new super team
2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150
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What he does: One of the smoothest scorers in the senior class, Boston is a long and rangy two guard who projects as an instant impact guy. He needs strength and is somewhat streaky as a shooter, but he has all the tools to make waves early. He just moved from the Atlanta area out to the West Coast.
Who's chasing: Boston visits Kentucky officially this week and is thought to be neck and neck with Duke. Auburn and Florida are also chasing while Oregon was just added to his final list a few weeks ago.
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What he does: One of the most skilled guards in the 2020 class, Thompson consistently frees himself for open jump shots by creating off the dribble or his outstanding movement away from the ball. He has terrific size for a college guard and passes the ball just as well as most point guards.
Who's chasing: There is intrigue here as Kansas’ Bill Self and North Carolina assistant Steve Robinson both coached Thompson’s father in college. We may be headed towards a battle between the two. He’s been to Michigan State officially and locally Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and his father’s alma mater Tulsa are doing all they can to keep him local.
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What he does: A true throwback to the days of massive, space eating centers, Dickinson takes his time to set up on the block and does all of his damage on the interior. He is strong, he is tough and he has great hands and soft touch. You just don’t see many guys like him in college hoops these days.
Who's chasing: Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence and Purdue all got visits out of him and he seemed to be good there with the Cardinals and Boilermakers perhaps holding an edge. However, North Carolina offered during the summer and could be disrupting things.
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What he does: Steward is exactly the type of guard who has been thriving in the college game. He can play some point at times but is most effective at the two, where he can bomb away from deep or use his above average speed and quickness to elude defenders and create buckets off the dribble with consistency.
Who's chasing: Steward took a June official visit to Texas and has been to Illinois and Louisville. Many others had been involved, but headed into June they looked to be the upper tier. Then in July both Duke and North Carolina offered and now the situation has gotten harder to read.
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What he does: A seven-footer with mobility, Foster can really run the floor and he shows promise as a shot-blocker who can handle being switched onto smaller players in space. He has a good-looking jump shot and appears to be a guy with a lot of upside. Injuries in big evaluation settings have kept us from getting a true feel for him, though.
Who's chasing: At the end of the day, it’s getting harder and harder to see him leaving his home state. That leaves Iowa and Iowa State as most likely destinations, but nobody seems to have any idea which one he is leaning towards.
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What he does: Having sat with coaches as they’ve watched Curbelo run the show, it’s all about his leadership and ability to judge what the game calls for that makes him so coveted. Curbelo’s feel for whether he needs to play the role of primary scorer, setup man or be a defensive stopper that sets him apart.
Who's chasing: Here’s where things get interesting because Curbelo has given no hints about any possible leans and he has an extensive offer list. Maryland and Texas Tech are the most recent to jump in the mix while others like Boston College, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, TCU and many more are chasing. This guy needs to set some visits so we can start to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
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What he does: One of the top, if not the most promising, rim protectors in the class of 2020, Kalkbrenner is a slender seven-footer who runs the floor very well. He lacks for strength but not toughness and he’s just scratching at the surface of what he’ll be able to do offensively thanks to his soft touch and ability to face the rim and shoot.
Who's chasing: Illinois has been on him hard and so have Missouri, Kansas State and Stanford. Ohio State, Saint Louis (where his mom played), Purdue, Pittsburgh and others have jumped in while bluebloods have been sniffing around. Illinois and Mizzou have been fighting hard to keep St. Louis talent relatively local. Can one of them do it with Kalkbrenner?
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What he does: Cross scores the ball with skill and he’s got a mean streak in him. He can shoot jumpers from deep, is pretty good at putting the ball on the floor and is a mobile combo forward that allows a coach to go big with him on the wing or small with him at the four.
Who's chasing: Cross is currently on an official visit to Florida and has previously visited Butler, Indiana, Miami and South Carolina. Next, he’s supposed to visit Texas A&M officially. Cross also looks to be close to a decision and headed into these latest visits, the thought was Indiana and Miami led. Can he be swayed late?
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What he does: Eason seems to be an ideal college four man for a team that wants to play fast and pressure the ball. He’s very mobile, rebounds at a high rate and is showing more and more that he can be a shot-creator and decision-maker when attacking off the dribble out of the high post.
Who's chasing: Washington State offered early and then saw a coaching change. Cincinnati, Colorado and USC have been putting in a lot of work lately. Who is going to make him a true priority? Will Washington get heavily involved with the local prospect?
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What he does: Bridges is a big wing from West Virginia who was originally in the class of 2019 before deciding to take a year of prep school. He makes shots from the wing, is a physical driver, rebounds and because of his size and strength is capable of both defending the four and playing it on offense which allows coaches some wiggle in how they would use him.
Who's chasing: Marquette appeared to be doing great and Bridges had a visit set for early August. But, since assistant Brett Nelson took the Holy Cross job, Marquette’s chances could be slipping. Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Xavier have had him on campus and could get return official visits while others like Indiana, Miami and West Virginia are strong in the mix.