Rivals Roundtable: Early matchups, Freshman of the Year, Yohan Traore
Each week, Rivals.com analysts Rob Cassidy, Dan McDonald and Jamie Shaw discuss three topics from the world of basketball recruiting. Today, the trio breaks down early-season matchups, offers their pick for Freshman of the Year and discuss the recruitment of Yohan Traore.
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1. WHICH EARLY-SEASON GAME ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AND WHY?
Cassidy: Duke-Gonzaga is the easy answer for a recruiting reporter because it features top 2021 prospect Chet Holmgren squaring off against Duke’s Paolo Banchero, who ranked second in the class. I’ll go another direction, though, as Memphis vs. Alabama is a game capable of telling us a lot about what we should expect from a Memphis team led by NBA Lottery hopefuls Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates. The Tide represent the type of team Memphis will have to get by in March, if this touted group is to live up to expectations and I could see the game going any number of ways.
McDonald: Duke against Gonzaga at the end of November is the one I’ve got my eye on. Chet Holmgren taking on Paolo Banchero will be must-see TV for fans and for NBA scouts. It’s not just those two studs, though. Both Duke and Gonzaga are loaded with talent around those two incoming five-star prospects, which should make for an awesome game.
Shaw: South Carolina vs. Florida State. Why this game, because it was the first college basketball game I was involved with putting together. Taking place at the new Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in Rock Hill, S.C., the inaugural No Room for Racism Classic will be held Dec. 10-12 with the South Carolina vs. Florida State game happening on Sunday, Dec. 12th. Tune in!
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2. WHO IN THIS LOADED 2021 CLASS WILL WIN THE USBWA NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD?
Cassidy: I’m sticking with Chet Holmgren here, but the pool of possibilities is large. Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren teaming up in Memphis makes both candidates to steal this award. Jamie Shaw’s horse, Paolo Banchero, is certainly a threat to elevate Duke and make his mark as well. At the end of the day, however, I still think Chet Holmgren will prove to be the best freshman in the country. The fact that he’ll be leading one of the best teams in the country won’t hurt his case, either. Holmgren’s skill set is just so rare, and the number’s he’ll post in the WCC should be so eye-popping that he’ll have an inside track on the hardware.
McDonald: I’ll go the easy route here and say Chet Holmgren. He’s going to be on a really good Gonzaga team and will put up huge numbers. He’ll have plenty of high profile games in non-conference play to build up the momentum needed to win this award. There are quite a few good options this year, but Holmgren is the right choice.
Shaw: It is hard for me to envision a scenario where this award does not go to Paolo Banchero. He will be the best player on one of the biggest brands in the game. With all eyes on Coach K's final season, the marketing will be behind Banchero as well. Hat tip to Kennedy Chandler at Tennessee, and Patrick Baldwin will certainly have the opportunity to put up numbers at Milwaukee.
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3. THE YOHAN TRAORE SWEEPSTAKES APPEARS TO BE WIDE OPEN BUT IF YOU HAD TO PLACE A BET, WHICH SCHOOL ARE YOU TAKING?
Cassidy: This is a tough one because visits are going to determine so much in Yohan Traore's recruitment. I’ll use a bit of a cop out on this front and go with either Texas or UCLA. I’m not confident enough to put in an official pick for either school just yet, but based on past conversations those two programs seem like the most logical guesses. I’ll give the slight edge to the Bruins if I have to choose right now. Could all this change after he takes additional trips? Of course, but that’s where my head is for now.
McDonald: Taking the opportunity of going pro out of this one, I’d put some money on Texas coming out on top here. The Longhorns were one of the first high-major offers from the five-star post player and it’s really hard to count on Chris Beard and his staff in any recruitment right now. This will likely be one of the more fascinating recruitments in the 2022 class.
Shaw: This is a recruitment I am currently in the dark with, he has a top 10 out, so there is a one in 10 chance for me here. He recently took a visit to Texas Tech, and in talking with Traore, they have been a constant in his recruitment for some time. However, I would also not sleep on UCLA with this one.