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Rivals Roundtable: Which teams need big year to land recruits?

The #RivalsRoundtable returns with discussions surrounding which teams most need on-court results to help them in recruiting, surprise non-commitments and whether a football gameday impacts hoops recruiting.

MORE: Impact of Quickley to Kentucky | 2018 Rivals150 | 2018 team rankings

1. Which team's 2017-18 season will impact its recruiting the most?

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Romeo Langford
Romeo Langford (GoldandBlack.com)

ERIC BOSSI: The thing about recruiting is that for much of the 2018 class, recruiting will be finished by the time the 2017-18 season plays out. So, the current season impacts the next class (2019) more than it does this class for most teams. With that in mind, I think that 2017-18 is generally more important for coaches in new places who are trying to establish an identity. Just look at the Big Ten, I think how things go for Brad Underwood at Illinois, Archie Miller at Indiana and Chris Holtmann at Ohio State this season will go a long way for setting the tone for future recruiting and expectations. For a guy like Miller, it could give him a great chance to sell the program to a kid such as five-star shooting guard Romeo Langford, who is likely waiting until the spring to decide. The one program it will really impact the most with 2018 recruiting is Kentucky. Odds are the Wildcats will see guys leave after one year for the pros like in the past and shooting guard Hamidou Diallo and combo forward Kevin Knox seem like safe bets to be one-and-done but outside of those guys it's a crapshoot.

COREY EVANS: Shaka Smart has not faced many issues on the recruiting trail since taking over at Texas. Already this year, the Longhorns have been bolstered by the commitments of top-50 wing Gerald Liddell and in-state recruit Brock Cunningham. However, this is a make-or-break season for the Longhorns and after securing a top-10 recruiting class last year and reeling off of an 11-22 campaign, all eyes will be on how Smart utilizes the talent that he has accumulated. If he can implement his Havoc system at UT and showcase the talents of bluechip freshman big man Mo Bamba this winter, all pessimism will be thrown out the door. If the Longhorns struggle, the heat on Smart may become hotter than an August afternoon in Austin.

DAN MCDONALD: Georgia Tech could really use a big year in Josh Pastner's second season. The Yellow Jackets are making strides on the recruiting trail after a surprisingly successful season that led to Pastner being named ACC Coach of the Year, but another good year could prove to his top targets that last year was no fluke and the Yellow Jackets are indeed on the rise. Ashton Hagans is one of the top players in the entire 2019 class and lives about 30 miles east of Georgia Tech's campus. A successful season with an NCAA Tournament appearance at the end could go a long way toward convincing Hagans to stay home for his college career, and he's the type kid who could entice other top recruits to join him.

2. Does gameday atmosphere at football games during official visit season actually matter to basketball recruits?

ERIC BOSSI: I have never felt that it is hugely important to basketball recruits. Smart programs and coaches can overcome a lack of football atmosphere. However, I don't know any coaches who would tell you that they don't prefer a great football atmosphere. The idea is to get kids to have a good time and let's face it, big-time football weekends make for an awful lot of fun on college campuses for 18- to 22-year-olds. So do places like Arizona, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and some others seen as "basketball schools" have to have great football weekends? No. But, it sure doesn't hurt when there is fun surrounding the football programs.

COREY EVANS: This is actually a better question to be divulged upon in a case study asking prospects and college coaches alike what they think. In my opinion, I do believe that it can help in the recruitment of a potential prospect. It is not the end all, be all but if there are empty seats abound and the fan support is not as strong, a prospect, who might value the entire college experience, may take a mental note that if there isn’t good fan support for football, that could be the case in basketball. Is it a determining factor? I doubt that but it sure does not hurt, hence basketball programs attempting to bring their most important visitor to campus for the most important football game.

DAN MCDONALD: This is a really intriguing question that I've thought about for a while now. For schools in the SEC or others around the country with a great gameday atmosphere in football, I think the coaching staffs need to figure out the kid they are recruiting. For some kids, the football game atmosphere can be a big deal. Whether the kid is a football fan or just likes seeing all the attractive sorority girls in sundresses, it clicks for some kids. On the other hand, sometimes those atmospheres can be overwhelming. Some kids might just prefer to visit the campus, hang out with the coaches and players, and watch the team work out. It really comes down to the kid.

3. Which prospect are you most surprised has not committed yet to a certain school?

Keldon Johnson
Keldon Johnson

ERIC BOSSI: That's a great question right there. There are actually two guys that jump out to me. Five-star wing Keldon Johnson and four-star combo forward Will Richardson. With Johnson I'm mildly surprised that he hasn't yet committed to Texas. The Longhorns have been considered the favorites for some time with the high-scoring wing and all accounts are that he has a great relationship with Shaka Smart. With Richardson, I really expected him to commit to homestate Georgia either during or shortly after last weekend's official visit to Athens. Johnson seems to be closing in on a pick while Richardson will end up taking a few more visits. But, I still expect them to end up with the Longhorns and Bulldogs.

COREY EVANS: I would have to go with Luguentz Dort. Oregon has remained in the driver’s seat throughout thanks the time investment that it placed in recruiting Dort, and the Canadian connection on staff in Eugene as assistant coach Mike Mennenga has been luring the best talent from north of the border to Oregon. Dort did visit the Pac-12 program earlier this month and is currently on a visit to Baylor, the potential darkhorse in the recruitment of the top-50 guard. However, no other visits are set outside of his trip to Waco this weekend as it might not be much longer before Dort does the expected, which is give his verbal commitment to the Ducks.

DAN MCDONALD: Last week we were asked which prospect we had on commit watch following a visit last weekend, and I said four-star guard Will Richardson with Georgia. I still feel he ultimately ends up picking the Dawgs, and I'm surprised it didn't happen shortly after the visit. It sounds like he'll take visits to Oregon and Gonzaga before making a decision at some point in October.

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