Rivals Roundtable: Breaking down flurry of recruiting activity
With the grassroots season firmly in the rearview mirror, 2023 prospects are flying off the board at a breakneck pace. Teams are landing prospects and the future of college basketball is taking shape.
Below, Rivals.com’s national analysts Rob Cassidy and Travis Graf discuss three topics related to that recent activity on the recruiting trail.
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I'VE GOT FIVE ON IT: First-year coaches making recruiting waves
2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Top 125
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1. WHICH RECENT COMMITMENT DO YOU SEE AS A GREAT FIT FOR THE SCHOOL HE CHOSE?
“I’ve been impressed with Michigan State’s haul as a whole. And while five-star Xavier Booker is the headliner, the addition of Coen Carr fits perfectly not only with the Spartans’ style of play but also with the dynamic of the class. Tom Izzo already had the 6-foot-10 Booker and a proven floor general and distributor in Jeremy Fears in the fold prior to landing Carr. What the class needed was a hyperathletic slasher that can create his own offense and use length and elite athleticism to defend multiple positions. The Spartans got all of that and more in Carr, who also happens to be one of the more exciting players in the 2023 class. This is one of Izzo’s most promising hauls, which is saying something when you consider the scope of success he’s had in East Lansing.” – Cassidy
“I wrote about this great fit last week, but for me it’s got to be JoJo Tugler and Houston. Kelvin Sampson’s squad plays a fun style at both ends of the floor, and the four-star Tugler should fit right in from day one. He’s a 6-foot-8 forward that can guard multiple positions on the floor and create chaos at that end due to his 7-foot-5 wingspan. The future Cougar creates so many deflections on the defensive end and he can be used in a variety of ways by the Houston coaching staff. The best part about Tugler’s defense is his versatility, and there’s never really a situation where you can consider him a mismatch due to his length, strength and recovery ability.” - Graf
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2. WHICH NEW HEAD COACH HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST WITH HIS WORK ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL?
“I’ll go with Lamont Paris, who lured former top-ranked prospect GG Jackson to South Carolina, a school that has qualified for one NCAA Tournament since 2004. Jackson won’t change the culture by himself, but landing his pledge is the kind of thing that can start to turn the tide and attract other talented prospects. We’ll see how the next couple cycles shake out, but if the Gamecocks are able to build a little positive momentum on the floor this season other Rivals150 prospects will take notice.” – Cassidy
“For me, it came down to Paris and Jerome Tang here, but for the sake of conversation I’ll go with the new lead man in charge at Kansas State. Since taking over for the Wildcats, he’s swiftly addressed current needs through the transfer portal. In 2023, he’s off to a great start with a nice backcourt of four-stars Darrin Ames and RJ Jones, both of whom should bolster the guard play on the roster from the moment they step on campus. Both can be called upon to score as true freshmen.” - Graf
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3. WHICH PROGRAM’S 2023 CLASS ARE YOU STARTING TO WORRY ABOUT?
“It’s definitely not panic time, as first-year Louisville coach Kenny Payne is a proven recruiter who will see his momentum pick up a bit late in the cycle and in the future, but he’s off to a slower start than most Cardinals fans had hoped. There have been a few high-profile misses on both the recruiting trail and in the transfer market. If top target DJ Wagner lands at Kentucky as expected, things as they relate to the Cardinals’ 2023 class will get even more uncertain. Payne and company have looked to be among the leaders for a number of high-profile players before letting things slip away at the 11th hour, and they need to avoid the same things happening with five-star big man Aaron Bradshaw, who once seemed like a near-lock but is now visiting additional schools and biding his time. There’s plenty more on the board obviously, as AJ Johnson is also in play, but it feels as though Payne needs to go from being in the mix with big fish to actually getting one in the boat in order to ease concerns about the class.” – Cassidy
“Virginia has cause for concern at this point as the Cavaliers sit at 51st in the Rivals team rankings with a lone commitment from three-star big man Blake Buchanan. The Cavaliers are a little bit different than most teams, though, as their best classes of recent years sat in the high teens or low 20s in the class rankings. Tony Bennett doesn’t construct his rosters around numerous blue-chip prospects and he doesn’t need to land a top 10 class to field a good roster. But as of right now, Virginia has missed on some of its top targets and isn’t necessarily trending heavily for any of the remaining ones. If you’re a Virginia fan, you’d like to see the staff reel in one or two of the remaining four-stars on the board to boost the class some.” - Graf