Peach Jam is approaching, and the celebrated event marks the unofficial end of the 2023 grassroots basketball season. Once things in the circuit wrap up, a flurry of recruiting activity is sure to follow.
Today in I Got Five On it, national analyst Rob Cassidy takes a peek ahead to lingering recruiting questions that will be answered in the months following the AAU season and provides a way-too-early prediction for each.
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CAN RUTGERS HOLD OFF CHALLENGERS FOR DYLAN HARPER?
Rutgers has been the presumed slight front-runner when it comes to Dylan Harper for a while now and there have been several occasions where whispers that Harper could be nearing a commitment have surfaced. Nothing has ever materialized, however, so the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 Rivals150 remains uncommitted.
The Scarlet Knights landing the nation’s top prospect would obviously be a monumental new story, but head coach Steve Pikiell shouldn’t start counting his chickens just yet. Duke and Indiana are not to be dismissed, and NIL money could play a major role on how the Harper saga ends.
Prediction: Harper probably still picks Rutgers … I think? The longer this goes on the more doubts I have.
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WILL KENTUCKY LET KARTER KNOX GET AWAY?
There was a time not long ago that No. 5 overall prospect Karter Knox seemed like a near-lock to choose the same college as his older brother Kevin. These days, things seem less certain. Groans about John Calipari will grow louder if the Wildcats limp out of the gate with a freshman-heavy roster this season, and such talk could have an impact on Knox.
Add in the fact that the five-star forward seems to be genuinely intrigued by programs such as Louisville, Florida State and Arkansas and things could get interesting late this year.
Prediction: Knox lands in Lexington as long as Calipari is running the show.
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WILL INDIANA LAND A TOP-20 PROSPECT?
The Hoosiers find themselves in several high-profile recruiting battles as we hurl toward July. They are part of the Harper recruitment, as noted above. They also find themselves standing toe-to-toe with Texas in the battle to land No. 8 prospect Liam McNeeley. They’re battling Georgia for five-star Asa Newell and in the mix to some extent with big men Flory Bidunga (No.3) and Derik Queen (No. 19).
IU isn’t seen as the clear-cut leader in any of those battles at the moment, but the odds of the Hoosiers landing one of the bunch seem pretty decent coming off a season that saw Mike Woodson turn guard Jalen Hood-Schifino from an off-the-NBA-radar prospect into a one-and-done, first-round pick.
Prediction: Woodson will land one of them based on the sheer number of irons in the fire. I’m just not altogether sure which one it’ll be.
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WILL JASE RICHARDSON CHOOSE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED?
It’s not exactly rare to see a legacy prospect downplay family ties to a program in hopes of inviting a full recruitment, but Richardson is particularly aggressive when it comes to guarding against the assumption that he’ll follow his father, Jason Richardson’s, footsteps to Michigan State.
The Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman High School star and everyone in his camp never tire of fighting back against such a suggestion and spend a lot of time playing up programs such as Cincinnati, Alabama, Arkansas and Stanford as serious threats to snag Richardson’s commitment.
Whether or not that stuff is noise designed to make things interesting or a real desire to go elsewhere is up for debate. What is certain, however, is that Richardson is surveying his options and giving other programs a chance to make their respective pitches. As long as that’s going on, there’s at least some chance for a program not coached by Tom Izzo to strike the right chord and score an upset … even if that still feels like a longshot.
Prediction: He’ll land in East Lansing.
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WHO WILL CHOOSE THE PRO ROUTE?
Professional leagues have been a real part of the recruiting world for some time, and they certainly aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The fact that Overtime Elite and the NBA G League placed six players in last week’s NBA Draft certainly isn’t lost on prospects in the 2024 class, and there are a handful of players that already seem worth watching when it comes to skipping college.
The names of players that have been loosely linked to the pro route in 2024 is long. Five-star Bryson Tucker, who left IMG Academy at midseason, is worth monitoring. So is four-star guard Vyctorius Miller, who has had preliminary talks with OTE.
Names such as Isaiah Elohim and Naasir Cunningham have also been tossed around as possible pro league candidates. Nothing on that front is likely to clear until after the July evaluation period at least, and dominoes will continue to fall for months to come.
Prediction: Miller lands at OTE. Tucker chooses the G League. A name or two no one expects also take the professional route.
