In this week’s edition of the Rivals Recruiting Roundup, Rivals.com basketball recruiting analyst Travis Graf looks at the latest with Dennis Evans, gives an update on where things stand with recent Purdue decommit Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn, and explain his FutureCast for Assane Diop to Arkansas.
*****
More: Gehrig Normand talks commitment to Michigan State
2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Top 125
Transfer Portal: Latest news
*****
LATEST ON DENNIS EVANS
Rivals spoke with a source close to Dennis Evans on Wednesday evening, and the programs recruiting the five-star center the hardest right now are Minnesota, TCU, Kansas, San Diego State and Texas, with others coming to the table as well.
Whichever program lands the 7-foot-1 big man will potentially have him on the roster for at least two seasons, as he will be too young to enter the 2024 NBA Draft. Visits are the next order of business for Evans, and that should give everyone more clarity on the pecking order in his recruitment.
*****
PROGRAMS CALLING GIBBS-LAWHORN AFTER DECOMMITMENT
On Wednesday, four-star guard Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn announced his decommitment from Purdue, and his phone immediately began to ring off of the hook. Sources close to the 2023 guard said the first schools to reach out were Gonzaga, Pittsburgh, Texas, Louisville, Villanova, NC State, Memphis, Indiana, Virginia, Wake Forest, Nebraska, and Utah among others.
“My phone’s been blowing up,” Gibbs-Lawhorn told Rivals. “It’s crazy, but I love it. Virginia, Gonzaga and Texas have been my main ones right now.”
Virginia: “They were just asking what type of playing style that I like and were just trying to get to know me. They were mainly just wondering if they had a shot in recruiting me, and I told them yeah, they do.”
Gonzaga: “I haven’t talked to the Gonzaga coaches yet, they’ve been talking to my dad mostly so far.”
Texas: “They talked to my dad as well. I have talked to one of their players, Dillon Mitchell, though. He was saying how the coach was on the phone with my dad for about 30 minutes and they’re already on me hard, so it’s going to be a nice process with them, too.”
Heading into the recruiting process, Gibbs-Lawhorn wants to take his time and go through the whole process. As of now, I’d give Gonzaga the nod as the early leader before visits start taking place.
*****
FUTURECAST: Assane Diop to Arkansas
In July, I entered a FutureCast for Diop’s teammate and cousin, Baye Fall, to commit to Arkansas. After learning that the Razorbacks would indeed take both players, I’ve entered a prediction for the four-star forward to join Fall in Fayetteville.
Diop fits the way that Eric Musselman wants to play and the four-star forward has been enamored with the Razorbacks for a long time. He’s still projected to have awhile left in the recruiting process, but I like where Arkansas stands currently.
