Ranked No. 11 nationally, combo guard Hunter Sallis of Omaha (Neb.) Millard North saw his stock soar during his junior season.
While he’s well known among college coaches – and has 30 high-major offers to prove it – he’s relatively mysterious as far as elite prospects go because he’s yet to release a list of finalists and the COVID-19 situation has prevented his highlight videos from really taking off on social media. Those who have seen him, though, know. Pushing 6-foot-5, Sallis plays either guard spot, scores with ease and has explosive athleticism and huge upside.
Today, Rivals.com national basketball analyst Eric Bossi ranks the contenders for a commitment from a still pretty wide-open Sallis.
More Ranking the Contenders: Harrison Ingram | Kennedy Chandler
2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
2022 Rankings: Top 75
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1. NORTH CAROLINA
There has been some behind-the-scenes speculation that North Carolina is a bit of dream school for Sallis, and word has it that Roy Williams made a big impression on him when he offered a scholarship. Current five-star freshman Caleb Love is a potential one-and-done player, but even if Love sticks around, the Heels need more ball-handlers, and Williams’ best teams through the years have featured interchangeable backcourt parts.
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2. KANSAS
Kansas was the first blue blood to get heavily involved, and the Jayhawks have been pretty aggressive in their pursuit of Sallis while pitching the ability to play multiple backcourt spots. They’ve had him on campus, and his ability to play multiple spots in the backcourt is a fit for the way that they play. There will be a lot of minutes opening up with the departure of Marcus Garrett after the 2020-21 season.
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3: CREIGHTON AND NEBRASKA
Should Sallis elect to stay home, things will get really interesting between the Jays and the Huskers. Nebraska had him on an official visit as a junior and the NBA experience of Fred Hoiberg is appealing. So is his willingness to let his guards go. Creighton is the hometown school and also employs a guard-friendly style. Departing guard Mitch Ballock, among others, will need to be replaced and they have a pure point guard coming in to play alongside of in R.J. Nembhard. The feeling here is that Nebraska doesn’t think he would go to Creighton and vice versa, so it will be an interesting storyline to watch.
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5. GONZAGA
Mark Few and the Zags will more than likely see Jalen Suggs leave for the NBA Draft after a year and they got in on Sallis pretty early. They hosted him for an official visit, have name brand recognition and seem to offer the best combination of being able to chart a bit of an unexpected path while also developing him for the NBA and giving him a chance to compete for a Final Four.
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6. OREGON
From his years as Creighton’s head coach, Dana Altman has plenty of roots and name recognition in Omaha. The Ducks were also in on Sallis early and he has spoken pretty highly of them in the past. They like to run and press, which suits Sallis well, but getting him on campus is going to be a huge key in moving forward with his recruitment.
