McDonald's Nuggets: Hoops' brave new world, top commits

In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald discusses the new world of college basketball as well as his Transfer of the Week, his Commit of the Week - and even a bonus Commit of the Week.

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MORE: Standouts from the first two days of Peach Jam | Five prospects who should rise in the Rivals150

2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Top 30

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It’s quite common to see lists come out this time of year that rank the top coaches in college basketball. Some slant toward the best recruiters and some slant toward the better in-game coaches. However, the most undervalued and underappreciated trait in a college basketball coach these days is the ability to be flexible and adapt to the constantly changing sport.

The sport has changed more in the past year than at any time in my 32 years. The one-time transfer rule was finally approved. At the beginning of this month, athletes were able to start profiting off their name, image and likeness. And because of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility that allowed stars like Kellan Grady to spend an extra year in college at Kentucky or Brady Manek to put in a year at North Carolina. The new transfer rule allowed them to do that and be eligible right away.

So, the next time you see a list ranking college basketball coaches ask yourself if it accounts for the coach’s ability to stay ahead of the curve. Just look at the coaches in the Final Four this past season. Scott Drew, Mark Few and Kelvin Sampson were three of the coaches who saw the impact of using the transfer wire to upgrade their rosters before their peers caught up. Few has always looked outside of the borders of the United States to add players as well. The junior college route has been beneficial to both Drew and Sampson. Those three coaches have also generally done a good job of retaining the players and coaches in their program until the point where the player had to go pro, like Davion Mitchell at Baylor.

Player retention and the ability to acquire talent through any avenue possible - whether it’s high school, junior college, the transfer portal or going overseas - and coaches that can be flexible will determine which schools have success going forward.

Any questions about Hubert Davis being able to recruit should be put to rest. The new North Carolina head coach knocked it out of the park with the addition of Marquette transfer Dawson Garcia last week. The 6-foot-11 sophomore averaged 13 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a freshman last season, and he looks like a future NBA player. He’ll likely only spend one year in Chapel Hill, but it should be a highly productive one that helps the Tar Heels get back toward the top of the ACC.

Again, Hubert Davis is flexing his muscles on the recruiting trail with a huge early addition in the 2022 class. Washington, the No. 26 prospect in the Rivals150, had a long list of schools coming strong, but in particular Purdue made him a priority before he chose North Carolina. The relationship with assistant coach and former UNC star Sean May, a fellow Indiana native, was key here as well for the Tar Heels. Washington will be an early impact player for North Carolina with his versatility and skill level at 6-foot-8.

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And just because we skipped this column last week - and because I think this is such a good fit - let’s highlight Epps and his decision to choose Illinois. Epps, the No. 68-ranked prospect in the 2022 class, is one of the best point guards I’ve seen this travel season. He’s a shot maker and a really good decision-maker. With Brad Underwood’s success with point guards in his coaching career and the addition of former Illini point guard Chester Frazier to the staff this offseason, look for Epps to be a star in the Big Ten.

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