Paolo Banchero was already a coveted prospect heading into his junior travel ball season. After demolishing a number of top ranked prospects, the five-star recruit is now within the conversation for who the best player is in the 2021 class. After a dominant summer, the Seattle native has scheduled five official visits that will bleed into next year.
The fourth ranked prospect in the 2021 class, Washington has hovered over the recruitment of Banchero. The local program was the home for both his mother and father who played collegiately at the school but they will not receive an official visit from him. Although it should be noted, he has taken a number of unofficial visits to the Pac 12 program in recent years.
Instead, Banchero will head eastward for four of his five official visits. He will begin things at North Carolina on September 27 before attending Big Blue Madness at Kentucky on October 11. From there, Duke will host Banchero on October 17, and will complete the month at Tennessee on the weekend of October 25.
Gonzaga has become a destination program for the best nationally in recent years and will kick off the 2020 calendar year by hosting Banchero on January 18. Further unofficial visits could be taken throughout in the future with Washington the likeliest to host Banchero in such a capacity.
A five-star prospect within the 2021 class, rumors have begun to swirl that Banchero could reclassify into the 2020 class. His production is up to par to make such a move but for now, he remains set on enrolling in college in the fall of 2021.
What Banchero brings to the floor is an all-encompassing skillset that wreaks havoc from 20-feet and in. One of the very best standouts on the Nike EYBL circuit, NBPA Top 100 Camp, and at the USA Basketball Mini-Camp this summer, Banchero sets the bar for what a premier frontcourt prospect looks like and would be an immediate producer regardless of his year of enrollment and for which program that he ultimately selects.
