Each week, Rivals recruiting analysts Rob Cassidy, Jamie Shaw, Russ Wood and Dan McDonald tackle several topics about college basketball and hoops recruiting. In this installment of the roundtable, they discuss players they are excited to see this offseason, of No. 1 overall prospect Emoni Bates will play a single game of college basketball and which bubble teams they’d most like to see sneak into the NCAA Tournament.
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Fact or Fiction: The Big 12 is the second-best league in the nation
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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1. WHICH PROSPECT THAT YOU’VE ONLY SEEN ON STREAMS OR TAPE ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING IN PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SPRING/SUMMER?
Cassidy: There are more obvious answers here, but I like to go off the beaten path so I’ll stay true to form. I’ve long been intrigued by French import Mady Traore. We took a bit of a risk on him ranking him just outside the top-100 based on streams and video, but he seems to be living up to his billing since arriving in America. People I trust have raved about how he’s looked live and he’s starting to seem like a relatively rare prospect.
McDonald: I’ve really liked what I’ve seen out of Keyonte George this season in the few times I’ve watched him and really want to see him in person. I’m really curious to see how he does on the shoe circuit this summer and where his recruitment goes from there. I love his overall skill level and how easy he makes it look scoring the ball. He’ll probably have his choice of school at the next level or potentially the option to make good money playing in the G-League if he wants to go that route. He has a ton of upside with his size and skill in the backcourt.
Shaw: DJ Wagner. This is the easy answer for me as he is the only elite high school prospect I have not sat courtside to get a full viewing of yet. His lineage should be enough to get him into the “elite” conversation, his father, Dajuan, was an elite prospect who once scored 100 points in a high school game and ended up the No. 6 pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He is also the one who first connected World Wide Wes and John Calipari. DJ's grandfather, Milt Wagner, won an NBA championship and an NCAA championship as he was a second-round draft pick. DJ's film is impressive, and his 22 points per game all live up to the “elite” billing, but nothing beats the eye-test, sitting courtside to get a true feel for a player.
Wood: Hillcrest Prep 2022 center Mustapha (Momo) Cissé. The 7-foot, 245-pounder from France already holds offers from Arizona State, Georgia and a few mid-majors. He is still adapting to the American game but has the makings of an elite rebounder and shot blocker.
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2. WILL EMONI BATES PLAY A SINGLE GAME AT MICHIGAN STATE?
Cassidy: I can’t see it. The allure of the G-League is too strong and reports that the decision has been made are already starting to surface. Things could certainly change if God forbid an injury strikes or things don’t go well for current prospects on the G-League Ignite roster, but it’s starting to seem like college fans will miss out on seeing him play in East Lansing. Money talks and, when it speaks loudly, people listen.
McDonald: I’m going to guess Emoni Bates ends up going the professional route and doesn’t play at Michigan State. He’s clearly headed for a career in the NBA and I think he’ll decide that spending a year in the G-League is probably more beneficial to getting him ready to be the face of a franchise as the No. 1 overall pick than going to college for a year.
Shaw: No. In talking with a lot of the elite prospects, they are watching closely what Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Isaiah Todd are doing right now with the G-League Ignite program. Green and Kuminga have all but solidified themselves as top-five picks, while Todd has boosted his draft stock in the program as well. The strategic moves Bates, and his advisors, have made suggest there is shoe/endorsement backing there, his clips go viral, his games are on television, the market is in place for him to take the pro leap.
Wood: There is certainly a lot of speculation out there about this but it isn’t coming from anything Emoni or Elgin said. Unless I missed something. Right now I think Bates will play at Michigan State. My opinion on the matter could change if the 1.) NBA changes its Draft eligibility rule or 2.) Tom Izzo retires.
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3. WHICH CURRENT BUBBLE TEAM WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO SEE MAKE THE CUT ON SELECTION SUNDAY?
Cassidy: It’s gonna take a lot of work and a little bit of luck, but I’d love to see Duke find a way to get in. The chorus of angry fans accusing the program of getting the benefit of the doubt because of their logo would be delightful. No program gets people bent out of shape like the Blue Devils, and it wouldn’t be March without watching people irrationally hate them online. I know I’m not likely to get my wish here, but a guy can dream.
McDonald: I hope Michigan State finds a way to make it in. It just wouldn’t feel right having an NCAA Tournament go by without a Tom Izzo team playing. They’ve proven lately they can beat really good teams, which gives me hope they could be a Cinderella team as crazy as it sounds to say that about Michigan State. They have a talented roster that has started to come together the last few weeks.
Shaw: It would be great to put some mid-major in this space, on who will defy all the odds and to get into the tournament at the last hour and make an improbable run. However, let us be real about it, star power sells. What bigger star power is there than Duke? Sure, it would be a huge storyline for them to not make it into the tournament, but that story only lasts for a 24-hour news cycle, Love them or hate them, Duke squeezing its way into the field, would last from selection Sunday until they drop out of the tournament. Ratings do not lie, and people tune in to watch Coach K and his Blue Devils.
Wood: Duke. Oh wait. You asked who I would most like to see MAKE the cut on Selection Sunday. Definitely Wichita State. Six players transferred out of the program following last season, there was an investigation, then Gregg Marshall resigned EIGHT days before the season started. Isaac Brown is handed the keys to the program and all he does is lead the team to a first place finish in the American Athletic Conference during the most challenging college basketball season in forever. Still, the Shockers might need to win its conference tournament and get the auto-bid in order to get into the tournament.
