Live period Dallas Friday: Bossi's takeaways

DUNCANVILLE, Texas - On the first night of the April live evaluation period there was no shortage of big name players and big-name coaches at the Under Armour Association. But little known - for now - sophomore big man Dain Dainja was one of the biggest performers.

Dainja adds to what could be a strong 2020 class of big men in Minnesota, and he headlines National Basketball Analyst Eric Bossi's Friday night takeaways.

In the class of 2020, the state of Minnesota already has two big men ranked in the national top 100. If Dain Dainja has his way, it is going to be three, and it looks like the North Star State has some excellent depth on the interior.

Minnesota always seems to have a steady supply of big men, and in the sophomore class skill guys Dawson Garcia and Ben Carlson have earned spots in the top 100. A much different style of player, Dainja - who grabbed nine rebounds in a win for Team Sizzle - belongs in the same breath as those guys.

Dainja is a big-bodied kid who loves to handle the ball, attack the rim and clean up on the glass. I was impressed by his willingness to go toe to toe with five-star junior Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and he held his own on both ends of the floor. I'm not going to say he's on the same level as former five-star and current Portland Trailblazer Caleb Swanigan was as a sophomore, but he's got a similar style.

So far, Dainja says that he has offers from Denver (head coach Rodney Billups watched), Hampton and Montana. They'll likely have company sooner than later, as the likes of Baylor, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State, Marquette, UConn and Xavier are all starting to get involved.

One of just seven recruitable players remaining in the 2018 Rivals150, former UConn signee Emmitt Matthews is at the UA Association with Washington Supreme to audition for coaches with remaining scholarships. Despite it being late in the process, I believe that Matthews is legitimately wide open.

A 6-foot-7 wing scorer, Matthews is a smooth athlete with size who can help out many places as a freshman. After speaking with him, it's clear that he'd like to start moving toward some resolution with his recruitment. But he's not going to settle.

West Virginia has done an in home visit and among the others he mentioned as heavily involved are Arizona, LSU (an assistant watched) and Pitt (new coach Jeff Capel was on hand). Matthews has four official visits remaining and said that those four are in good shape to get visits, but he made it clear that he's open to more suitors.

Matthews told me that he would like to use all four of those visits but he didn't rule out committing on the spot if someplace bowls him over. It's all going to boil down to the culture around the program.

"I'm looking for that family atmosphere that wows me," said Matthews. "I'd like to come in and do my thing right away, if possible, but the relationship that can be mind blowing and a place that my family knows is going to support me is what I'm looking for."

Kids always love to tell me that they've been in the gym working on their game and body, but a lot of times I'm skeptical. But I believe five-star power forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

The No. 16 player in the country has bulked up significantly and grown some, as he's now carrying a well-put-together 235 pounds on a nearly 6-foot-10 body. I was struck by how well that added strength served him as he fought around the rim and finished with strong dunks through contact in a 16-point, five-rebound, two-block and four-steal effort for KC Run GMC.

Robinson has always been a high-level rebounder with great hands and nice offensive feel in the lane, but he's stretching his game. He hit an 18-footer on one end and then in the second half backed up an improved-looking shot by nailing a tough step-back 19-footer after losing his initial defender with a crossover.

Bill Self, Bruce Weber and Lon Kruger (plus three assistants at time) were all on hand, as were assistants from Notre Dame, Louisville, Wake Forest, Virginia, Iowa and more. Because of where he's from and the fact that his father Lester Earl played at Kansas, many have chalked him up to the Jayhawks. While they are certainly doing well at this point he's not a done deal to stay at home.

- Freshly minted five-star big man Aidan Igiehon is the best prospect from Ireland that I have ever scouted. He's also the only one that I really remember - but that's irrelevant. After watching him power his way to 18 points and 12 rebounds on Friday night I'm pretty sure he'll become a major priority before the weekend is over. It sounds strange given his ranking, but he's not yet gotten enough national buzz.

- For a half, it looked like 2020's sixth-ranked player Jalen Suggs was going to have a true virtuoso performance. He slowed a little in the second half for Team Sizzle, but the point guard from Minnesota still had an impressive night. A high-major target as a quarterback as well, he plays the point with a football player's mentality. He embraces and seeks contact on both ends and when he sees a hole he hits it and makes a play. He finished with 15 points, five assists and eight rebounds in Sizzle's two-point win over KC Run GMC.

- One of the things that has always intrigued me about four-star guard Zach Harvey is my belief that he can play some point guard at the next level. Friday night for KC Run GMC, the 6-foot-4 junior spent a lot of time running the show, and he looked comfortable doing so. He's got size, navigates the ball screen with poise and is sneaky explosive when he decides to head to rim. When he was aggressive there weren't many answers for him in a 15 point, two-assist and five-rebound effort.

- Finally, I will see them both on Saturday, but two players had coaches buzzing at the UA Association on Friday night: 2020's No. 3-ranked player R.J. Hampton of Mudiay Elite and 2019 Rivals150 wing Jaykwon Walton of Team Thad. Hampton flirted with a triple-double, scoring 28 points while dishing out nine assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Final numbers weren't in for Walton, but after receiving mixed reviews for his junior season he had coaches buzzing over his versatility and motor.