How things stand with the top available 2018 big men
The early signing period begins Wednesday and the pool of available high level big men isn’t very deep. It looks like No. 3 overall Bol Bol will make an early decision, but what’s in store for the other top ranked bigs and where might they be leaning?
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Contenders: Kentucky and Oregon.
Favorite: Oregon.
Chances of signing early: 90%.
For a while, it looked like Kentucky might be the team to beat for Bol, but as his recruitment nears an end, things are starting to look like he’ll stay out West. A seven-footer with skill, incredible length and huge upside, Bol hasn’t yet set a commitment date. However, the expectation is that he will decide soon and that he does it early.
Contenders: North Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Favorite: Vanderbilt.
Chances of signing early: 80%.
Originally, the plan for Shittu was to wait until the spring and sign. But the way his recruitment has worked out, there’s no need to wait. He’s down to the Tar Heels and Commodores and should have a decision soon. However, that choice will have to come later in the signing period as Shittu doesn’t take his official visit to North Carolina until next weekend. For now we give the slight edge to Vanderbilt -- who set a high bar with Shittu’s visit in October -- but how things go in Chapel Hill will be make or break his recruitment.
Contenders: California, Gonzaga, Louisiana-Lafayette, Nevada, Oregon, St. John’s and UCLA.
Favorite: California.
Chances of signing early: 15%.
Brown has said this fall that he’s in no hurry to sign and the way his recruitment has unfolded, it would be a surprise to see him make an early commitment. He’s taken visits to UCLA and St. John’s and while California has been considered a leader for a while, the reality is Brown’s commitment should be considered wide open. Though he’s got his group of seven, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see some new programs jump in depending on how things go during the early period.
Contenders: California, Florida State, Maryland and UCLA.
Favorite: Maryland.
Chances of signing early: 40%.
Brown has indicated in the past that his intention is to sign late and for that reason, we put the odds in favor of him waiting. However, with official visits to Louisville (who is out after the ouster of Rick Pitino), Florida State, Maryland and UCLA under his belt, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him go ahead and decide early. For now, we’ll leave the Terrapins as the leader but the Bruins are making a push.
Contenders: TBD.
Favorite: TBD.
Chances of signing early: 5%
The status of Williams is unclear after he was arrested and charged with sexual battery and false imprisonment on Oct. 18. Since then, Williams has been released on bond and entered a plea of not guilty. Prior to the arrest, Williams had visited Oregon and LSU officially and had plans to visit Florida. His recruitment is likely on hold until the legal process plays out.
Contenders: Baylor, Florida State, North Carolina and others.
Favorite: None.
Chances of signing early: 5%.
A skilled big man, Montgomery decommitted from Auburn in September after assistant coach Chuck Person was arrested in the federal investigation into college basketball corruption. Since then, information regarding his recruitment has been tough to come by. No favorites have emerged and there’s been scant discussion of who has or hasn’t been in to see him. A potential McDonald’s All-American, look for him to emerge as a major spring target.
Contenders: Arizona State, California, Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John’s, Stanford, Washington
Favorite: None.
Chances of signing early: 15%
Brooks is another whose initial commitment – to USC – was rescinded in the wake of the college hoops corruption scandal. Since opening things up, he’s been on campus at nearby Washington and this weekend he’ll take an official visit to California. For now, this one is wide open and he’s another who we’ll learn much more about throughout the spring.
Contenders: DePaul, UCLA, Utah, Washington and others.
Favorite: Washington.
Chances of signing early: 80%.
So far, Penn-Johnson has seen the campuses of UCLA, DePaul and most recently Washington for official visits. A seven-footer with huge upside, he’s expected to make a decision in time for the early period.
Contenders: Baylor, SMU, Texas A&M, TCU.
Favorite: SMU.
Chances of signing early: 70%.
While some like Hunt as a wing, we like him as a combo forward who is a dangerous small ball four man because of his quickness, scoring and upside as a matchup problem. Hunt initially committed to TCU but backed out on the Horned Frogs a few weeks ago. Since then, Hunt has kept a low profile, but word behind the scenes has been that SMU has emerged as the team to beat.