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Published Jan 26, 2019
Five-star Cade Cunningham taking recruitment in strides
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Krysten Peek  •  Basketball Recruiting
Staff
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Springfield, Mass - There's not a lot missing from Cade Cunningham's game. The five-star junior can rotate and play the one, two or three comfortably on the offensive end and with his length and quickness, he's able to defend all three positions at the other end of the court as well.

"I just kind of do whatever my team and coach wants me to do. I played point guard on my AAU team in the summer so it was a natural transition for me coming to Montverde," Cunningham said.

Cunningham stays very quiet about his recruitment but schools like Duke, Kentucky, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Michigan and more are thought to be involved early with the top 15 player in the 2020 class.

IN HIS OWN WORDS...

Cunningham has been focused on his high school season playing with powerhouse Montverde Academy down in Florida and hasn't had time to take any visits. He breaks down a few schools that have kept in contact this fall and winter.

FLORIDA: "I went up there with Ryan (Nembhard) and Moses (Moody) to visit Ryan's brother (Andrew Nembhard) in the fall and the coaching staff just wanted to show us around. They were in a few times this fall since Omar (Payne) is going there and I hear from them time to time."

KENTUCKY: "Kentucky hasn’t been down to the school yet. I talk to coach (Joel) Justus a lot but I’m not going to comment on whether or not they’ve offered yet."

DUKE: "Duke came down to see me the first 2 weeks of the open period this fall but I haven’t really heard from them that much since the season started. Of course I've been keeping a little bit of tabs on them. What Zion (Williamson) is doing there this year is crazy."

TEXAS and TCU: "I hear from Texas and TCU a lot and I'm from there so yeah, I'd say they're in the mix. Out of all the Texas schools I probably hear from those two schools the most."

MICHIGAN: "I hear from coach (Luke) Yaklich a lot too. I like what they have to say to me but I'm listening to all the schools and no one's really above anyone else at this point."

TULANE: "My brother's on the coaching staff there and he's like my number one go-to guy when it comes to all of this so any program he’s at is a true contender for sure."



WHAT'S NEXT?

Cunningham stays very quiet about his recruitment but insists it's just not a huge priority at the moment.

"I honestly don’t think about recruiting too much. It’s not like I’m trying to keep things a secret, it’s just that it’s not a focus for me right now," Cunningham added.

One person that he's relying on throughout this whole process is his older brother Cannen who played college ball and coached him on his AAU team this past summer.

"I go to my brother about everything. He’s at the college level now and he’s been there for awhile. He also played at SMU so he has a lot of advice and good insight. He’s just telling me about different systems and coaches that would be a good fit. He thinks to look at things a lot more closely like current rosters and where I would play on the floor," Cunningham said.

The five-star guard said he plans on cutting his list after his high school season and will start taking a closer look at schools and each program over the summer and into his senior season.

When looking how classes develop and who's staying and leaving in different programs isn't a huge factor for Cunningham when making his decision..

"As soon as I know which school is the best for me, I’m going to pick that school. I’m not one to wait and draw things out just because. I know some players like to see where others are going to commit and how the classes develop but I’m not worried too much about that," Cunningham told Rivals.com.




RIVALS' REACTION

It's hard to read Cunningham's recruitment when not much is being said but from the looks of things, there's no shortage of blue bloods and high majors getting involved. The whispers on the recruiting trail seem to think Kentucky, Duke, Michigan, Virginia and Florida are in a good spot. Make no mistake, Cunningham will be an instant impact guy at the next level with his size, high basketball IQ and his jumper behind the arc.

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