The hoops recruiting rumor mill never stops, and recent weeks have brought with them a surge of innuendo and rumors. Major prospects are inching closer toward college commitments and buzz about where they may land is building quickly.
This week, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy shares some of the whispers surrounding the recruitments of four high-profile prospects.
Roundtable: Weighing in on July stock-risers
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OREGON MAKING MOVES WITH WINTERS GRADY
One of the top stock-risers of the last year, four-star forward Winters Grady has seen his offer list grow over the course of the last several months. Grady recently trimmed his list to nine programs, but Rivals' intel suggests Oregon might be the current front-runner of the bunch, making Grady’s Oct. 12 visit to Eugene a pivotal moment.
Grady grew up in Lake Oswego, Ore. and was a fan of Oregon State, but all that changed when he became a recruitable athlete and more familiar with the Oregon program.
Michigan, Colorado and Oklahoma are the other schools in his final nine worth monitoring closely. Still, it seems as though the race is the Ducks’ to lose at this juncture.
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ILLINOIS TRENDING FOR BRANDON LEE
Four-star guard Brandon Lee has well-established ties to the Illinois program. Illini assistant coach Orlando Antigua played under Lee's father, Marquette standout turned NBA player Butch Lee, in the Puerto Rican league. Antigua and Brandon Lee have already built a strong rapport and now it seems like the Illini are closing quickly with the East Coast-based guard.
Lee plans to get on campus in Champaign this month for a trip that feels pivotal to his recruitment. Seton Hall is the most notable competitor still in the mix, but most expect Lee will ultimately suit up for Antigua and head coach Brand Underwood down the road.
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KOA PEAT COULD STAY IN-STATE
Arizona-based forward Koa Peat has plenty of options. North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Baylor, Texas and Houston are certified serious players when it comes to Peat, but there has been significant buzz growing around in-state Arizona as of late.
Peat, who has spent his entire life in the Grand Canyon State, plays his high school hoops just 99 miles away from Tucson and has visited campus on multiple occasions already. He plans to take a fall official visit before announcing a decision.
North Carolina feels like the biggest threat to snap Peat away from the in-state power, but the Wildcat staff has had quite a head-start when it comes to solidifying their relationship with the five-star forward. Houston and Texas shouldn’t be ruled out, either, but it seems Arizona would be the betting favorite for the time being if odds on such a thing existed.
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BYU A GROWING THREAT TO LAND A.J. DYBANTSA
No. 1 overall prospect A.J. Dybantsa has narrowed his list to include just seven programs. Kansas, Kansas State, BYU, Baylor, Alabama, Auburn and North Carolina are the programs still standing to land the five-star wing. Notable in their absence are blueblood options such as Kentucky, Duke, UConn, but the most intriguing bit of chatter surrounding the trimming of Dybantsa’s list relates to which program may project as a leader.
The buzz surrounding BYU has been growing for months and has only gotten louder in the wake of Dybantsa’s recent transfer to Utah Prep. The hiring of a new head coach Kevin Young has energized the fan base and donors in Provo, which seems to have resulted in a big push for top-ranked Dybantsa, who plans to decide in February. Rumors of a massive fund-raising effort in an attempt to lure the future pro to Provo are difficult to confirm but seem based in reality if you listen to whispers coming from people in the know.
Obviously, it won’t be easy for Young to hold off more storied programs and more accomplished coaching staffs, but the Cougars should not be taken lightly as they are clearly one of the more serious players in the Dybantsa sweepstakes and may well have the necessary capital to actually land his commitment.
