McDonald's Nuggets: Top five 2022 commits, a visit to watch
In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald recaps a really busy week of commitments around the country and highlights a visit to watch in the SEC this weekend.
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RELATED: Recruiting class will shape Duke's future for years to come
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Rivals150
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STARTING FIVE: Top commitments of the week
It was Duke’s turn to win the week and the Blue Devils did so in a big way. Dereck Lively (1), the No. 2 prospect in the 2022 Rivals150, opted for Jon Scheyer’s program over Kentucky, Michigan and Penn State, which is his mother’s alma mater. Lively will team up with fellow five-star big man Kyle Filipowski to make for a dominant frontcourt next season in Durham.
Houston’s Final Four run last season only added to the momentum Kelvin Sampson and his staff had built up in previous years. This week, the Cougars were able to secure a commitment from Terrance Arceneaux (2), the No. 30 prospect in the 2022 Rivals150, over several high-major offers from around the country.
USC added another significant piece to its 2022 class with the addition of Vince Iwuchukwu (3) this week. The five-star prospect currently comes in at No. 15 overall and joins top 50 big man Kijani Wright in the frontcourt for the Trojans in this class. Arizona State, Baylor, Florida State, Kansas and UCLA had also been involved in his recruitment. Iwuchukwu’s upside is the draw here as he’s a legitimate 7-footer with athleticism and a work ethic to hopefully reach that potential.
Shawn Phillips (4) announced a commitment to NC State earlier this week to get the class started for Kevin Keatts. The four-star prospect will give the Wolfpack one of the biggest and strongest post players coming into college next year. He’s fairly polished for a young post player as well in that he has strong hands, soft touch and knows how to use his big body to seal off defenders.
Michigan State reached out to the West Coast this week to land one of the more skilled post players in the class in Jaxon Kohler (5). The Utah native had programs from all over the country chasing after him, including Arizona, Gonzaga, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, UCLA and USC.
With so many commitments this week, we’ll add a bonus to this week’s list, with Baylor adding Joshua Ojianwuna. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound center has been a standout for the NBA Academy Africa the last couple years and is in the mold of other high-upside big men that have flourished under Scott Drew.
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VISIT TO WATCH: Julian Phillips visits Tennessee
The recruitment of five-star small forward Julian Phillips has been one of the more intriguing ones to follow in the 2022 class. He took official visits to Clemson, Florida State, LSU and Wake Forest this summer, and most recently completed one with USC. This weekend, Tennessee gets its chance to try to sway him its way as he works toward a decision. There is a possibility of a visit to UCLA in the near future, but that’s not set in stone yet. USC has a lot of momentum in this one lately and likely has the edge right now.
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2023 COMMIT OF THE WEEK: Caleb Foster to Duke
It wasn’t just Dereck Lively that gave Duke good news recently. Last week, five-star guard Caleb Foster decided to commit to the Blue Devils as well. Foster collected scholarship offers from top programs from all over the country, but he never hid from the fact that the offer from Duke was one he really wanted. The only question at this point is whether he’ll stay in the 2023 class or try to move up into the 2022 class and join Duke’s team next year. Currently No. 11 in the 2023 Rivals150, the North Carolina native is an elite playmaker and scorer with great size in the backcourt at 6-foot-4.