Rivals Roundtable: Akot's decision, Bowen predictions, more
Rivals.com's basketball recruiting team answers a trio of questions on current topics in the high school recruiting world.
MORE: 2017 Rivals150 | Eric Bossi's Starting Five
1. Obviously Emmanuel Akot's reclassification is good for Arizona, but is it good for him?
ERIC BOSSI: I always worry some about a player choosing to enroll earlier than expected, but the 2017 move has been in the works for a while and 2017 is Akot's natural class so he's basically choosing not to attend prep school for a year instead of skipping a grade. I think it will be a good move for him. While I project him long term as a small forward prospect, Akot could be a major mismatch as a hybrid four man at the college level. If he wants to play strictly on the wing, it's not going to be easy to steal minutes from Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins. However, I could see him really finding a niche being used in a way similar to how Kansas used Josh Jackson during his one year in Lawrence.
DAN MCDONALD: If Akot's goal is to make it to the NBA, which I'm guessing it is, I think this is a good move for him. Playing against higher-level competition and playing for Sean Miller will only help him. With Rawle Alkins and Allonzo Trier coming back, Arizona's backcourt is pretty loaded and may make it hard for him to see significant minutes as a freshman, but it will be good for him in the long run. Coming in this year will have him more prepared to take on a big role in the 2018-19 season.
KRYSTEN PEEK: This might mean Akot will spend two years in Tucson now and anytime you can take an extra year to learn from a coach such as Sean Miller it is a positive move. Akot needs to get stronger and work a little more on his ball handling but his outside shot (especially the corner three) is there and he has a high basketball IQ. Akot will have to fight to get playing time especially with guards Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins coming back next year, but he's a long small forward who will find his place in Arizona's guard-heavy offense.
2. Where do you think Brian Bowen ends up?
BOSSI: It sure seems like Bowen is close to making a decision and the recruitment of the five-star from Michigan who played his last couple of years at La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere has been a roller coaster ride. I think the return of Rawle Alkins and Emmanuel Akot enrolling early rules out Arizona and with Miles Bridges back at Michigan State, the Spartans look to be out as well. Texas and NC State have been listed by Bowen but they seem unrealistic and I'm not sure the hiring of Bowen's coach from La Lumiere – Shane Heirman – as an assistant at DePaul is enough to move it into the final mix. For most of the last two months I've thought that Bowen would end up at Creighton. The ability to play a Doug McDermott-type role in a high-speed offense seemed to fit and the Bluejays have worked him really hard. However, Oregon just really got into the mix and fresh off of a Final Four run with all of Dillon Brooks minutes opening up, I think the Ducks have emerged as the team to beat.
MCDONALD: Waiting it out until the end of May has certainly given Bowen an advantage. He's been able to see where all his peers in the 2017 class ended up and also monitor NBA decisions of players at the schools he's considering. Arizona looks to be out with Rawle Alkins returning and it would be hard to see Michigan State being the choice with Miles Bridges coming back. That leaves Creighton and Oregon as the two most likely choices. As this one has dragged out, momentum seems to be pointing toward the Ducks.
PEEK: It's been a whirlwind recruitment for Brian 'Tugs' Bowen and it appears he's finally nearing a decision. I like that he's taking his time and watching all the pieces fall into place before making his decision. With Rawle Alkins coming back to Arizona and Miles Bridges choosing to stay an extra year at Michigan State, that pretty much eliminates them from the game. Five-star Oregon commit Troy Brown has been making a push for Tugs to join him up in Eugene dating all the way back to the McDonald's All-American game before the Ducks were even in the mix. After an unofficial visit, Oregon started making a push for the five-star wing. Creighton seems to be the team to beat right now but at the end of the day, I think he ends up an Oregon duck.
3. Who is a 2019 prospect you're most excited to see in July?
BOSSI: There have been a lot of top-end 2019 prospects playing up this spring so I've had the chance to see most of the big names. However, due to injury, I've not been able to see the No. 6 player in the class, Matthew Hurt. So, I'll have to go with him. I'm curious to see if he still projects as a highly skilled faceup four man or if he's able to play full-time minutes on the wing or as more of a combo forward. Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, Louisville and others are heavily involved.
MCDONALD: This is an easy call for me. Since I haven't seen the Nike EYBL yet, I haven't seen R.J. Barrett in action this year. By all accounts, he's been tearing it up so far this travel season and justifying his No. 1 overall ranking in the 2019 class. I'm looking forward to checking him out at some point in July to see what all the hype is about.
PEEK: Due to scheduling, I haven't seen any of the adidas teams play this spring and I'm really looking forward to seeing The Game Elite 2019 team play in July. It has a ton of young talent including five-star Christian Brown and four-stars Ashton Hagans and Josh Nickelberry. It just added four-star C.J. Walker to the team last week and all four of these players are racking up early offers. The entire team is playing up a division and is 7-1 in a very competitive division on the adidas Gauntlet.
MORE: Class of 2019 rankings