Florida Man: A FutureCast on 2023's No. 1, plus two under-the-radar gems

Each week, Rivals national basketball analyst and very own Florida Man, Rob Cassidy, takes readers around the hoops recruiting world, touching on news, notes and developments that relate to prospects and teams from coast to coast.

This week, he takes a stab at making a Futurecast for the top 2023 prospect in America, regretfully suggests we think long and hard about holding conference tournaments, and introduces a pair of under-the-radar players.

MORE: Georgia picks up second commitment of 2021 class

It’s much too early to assume anything concrete as it relates to the recruitment of newly minted No. 1 overall prospect in 2023 DaJuan Wagner Jr., so this is admittedly a bit of a heat check. The fact that he doesn’t officially have an offer from Kentucky drives that point home either further. Still, I feel pretty confident saying the relationship between the Wagner family and Wildcat head coach John Calipari will make Kentucky extremely difficult to defeat in the battle to land the hyper-talented sophomore.

Anyone familiar with the bond Calipari has built with Wagner Sr, over the years knows that the relationship goes beyond the typical player-coach dynamic, as the story of Calipari demanding his former star leave Memphis to get paid is well-documented. The two remain close to this day and that, in essence, has given the Wildcats a massive head start in the recruitment of Wagner Jr., who is soon to become one of the most sought-after players in America.

I, of course, reserved the right to change this pick if, for whatever reason, Calipari isn’t the head coach at Kentucky when it comes time for the nation’s top sophomore to choose a school. The professional route may be in play here as well, but that picture will clear in the years to come.

Growth spurts have a long and illustrious history of changing recruitments, and the one Washington DC-area guard Jared Turner just underwent may do just that.

Turner has reportedly grown for, 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-7 in the last year, and his reputation as an elite shooter combined with his newfound length makes him an interesting prospect going forward. He garnered a handful of new offers (including one from Penn State) based on the limited number of offseason showcases he was permitted to play, and that trend could snowball further when his high school is permitted to start its season.

As a sophomore a year ago, Turner played roughly 10 games before being shut down due to injury, which led directly into the current pandemic. The situation has limited the three-star prospect’s exposure to say the least. As things stand, St Joseph’s, George Washington and DePaul seem to be the most heavily involved in Turner’s recruitment. Davidson and Notre Dame are also in frequent contact and seem to be mulling offers.

I’m one of few people out there that enjoy conference tournaments more than the NCAAs. My friends and I don’t do an NCAA Tournament pool. Instead, years back we opted for a game that sees each of us attempt to predict the winner of every, single conference tournament from the SEC to MEAC. Going crazy in my living room during a WAC semifinal game at midnight on a Thursday is extremely my jam.

Even as one of the country’s biggest conference tournament fans, I’m not sure it’s in the best interest of anyone to play them in 2021. Hosting multi-team events a week before the sport’s biggest money-maker and most important showcase seems like dangling a bloody foot over a shark tank.

Imagine losing multiple teams to COVID-19 shutdowns days before the NCAA Tournament tips. Imagine Gonzaga having to forfeit a chance at a title run just so it can blow the doors off of a handful of teams it’s already beaten. Taking such chances seems silly at best and reckless at worst. The focus should be on preserving the sport’s marquee event at all costs, even if that costs me two weeks of joy and the chance to root like hell for my pick in an afternoon tilt between Bryant and LIU.

Pandemic management is about limiting risk, and unless the vaccine situation changes dramatically, having teams travel to MTEs just before the NCAA Tournament seems like an unnecessary one.

Last week’s event at the St, James Facility outside Washington DC was loaded with big-time talent. Top-flight prospects like MJ Rice, Grady Dick, Moussa Diabate, Keynote George, Jalen Duren and a long list of others all showed out, but I’ve dedicated a lot of words to those guys in the past.

One of the most pleasant surprises of the event’s final day was the performance of Lewisville (Texas) iSchool forward Matt Reed, a player I’d never heard much about until Monday. Reed went for 16 points and seven rebounds in a double-overtime game against national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, a team loaded with high-major talent, and looked rather versatile in doing so.

The sturdy and powerful Reed functioned as a bonafide weapon in the pick-and-roll game and showed off a decent jumper to go along with his strength under the basket. He’s yet to pick up a major college offer, but that will come in time. The sample size on Reed is limited and it would serve him well to become a more efficient shooter from deep, so his ceiling is yet to be determined. Still, the sophomore definitely has the build and skill to help a number of college programs.

Poor Acie Law. The guy was an All-American at Texas A&M and hasn’t played in the NBA since 2014 but still had to wake up on Tuesday morning to Steph Curry dunking on him. It’s tough out here in the basketball world. Nobody is safe.

Justice for Acie.