McDonald's Nuggets: Prospects closing in on five stars, commits of the week
In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald discusses five prospects that could make a jump into five-star range at next update and names the top commitments of the week.
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More: One-on-one with 2022 five-star Amari Bailey
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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WHAT’S ON MY MIND: Five prospects outside five-star range to watch in 2022 class
After a busy start to the travel season, our Rivals.com basketball recruiting staff recently huddled up to shuffle around the rankings for the 2022 class. As the shoe circuits play out and college coaches get back on the road starting next month, there is still plenty of room for prospects to move around. Who are some prospects that could make a jump in into five-star range next time? Here are five prospects I have my eye on this summer.
At No. 27, Adem Bona is only a few spots away from making the cut this time for five-star status. You’ll rarely find a 6-foot-10 post player who can run and get off the floor like Bona. He’s also a volume rebounder with strong hands to finish inside. If his skill level catches up to his physical gifts, watch out. Kentucky is working to line up an official visit next month.
Dillon Mitchell jumped up 79 spots this time up to No. 31 overall as he continues his upward trajectory this travel season. The 6-foot-7 wing is an explosive athlete and really skilled. In the last 10 days, he’s added offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Illinois, Miami and Tennessee. I’d expect that list to grow in a hurry starting next month.
Kel’el Ware has been lingering just outside five-star range in the last few updates, but he continues to nudge upwards a little closer each time. He’s a long, athletic seven-footer who can step out and hit a three-pointer now. He’s a really smooth finisher inside as well, but just needs time for his body to add strength and good weight. Arkansas, Baylor, Memphis, Oregon, Texas, USC and many others have offered while Kentucky is also showing interest recently.
Bryce Griggs dropped just one spot in this update to No. 38, but I like the way he’s played so far this travel season. He’s the epitome of a three-level scorer with a strong frame for a guard. As talented and crafty of a scorer as he is, I also think he can make plays for others as well and can be a plus defender. Baylor, Houston, LSU, Memphis and Texas are making a strong move here while Duke and Kentucky are also involved.
And lastly, Jett Howard jumped up 25 spots to No. 40 in this update and is another prospect with good momentum as we head into the summer. At 6-foot-6, he has the size, athletic and versatility that can take his game all the way to the highest level of the sport if he continues to develop. Most believe he’ll follow his father Juwan Howard to Michigan but expect other top schools to at least see if he’ll entertain other options.
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TRANSFER OF THE WEEK: Rocket Watts to Mississippi State
After two seasons at Michigan State, Watts decided to explore other options in the transfer portal to finish up his college career. Earlier this week, he opted to play for Ben Howland at Mississippi State, which is a huge recruiting victory for the Bulldogs. Watts has played over 20 minutes per game for two seasons now in the Big Ten and brings plenty of valuable experience to Starkville along with his ability to score it in the backcourt.
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2022 COMMIT OF THE WEEK: Scoot Henderson to the G-League
It’s not a typical commitment that we highlight in this column, but it’s worth discussing the impact of Henderson’s decision to bypass his last year of high school and college to sign with the NBA G League Ignite for the next two seasons. From a college standpoint, many had him pegged for Auburn to be the next star out of Georgia for Bruce Pearl. Rumors were swirling he could join the Tigers for the upcoming season until the G League option came up a couple months ago.
In the big picture, it signals to the college basketball coaches that it’s not just seniors that the G League will be targeting. They are looking to the junior class to lock up top talent early, which is also what the Overtime Elite League is doing as well. It will be interesting to follow the ripple effects of this change in the sport.