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Starting Five: Decision set for five-star Kris Wilkes

RANKINGS: 2017 Rivals150 | 2017 Team | 2018 Rivals150

Five-star swingman Kris Wilkes has set a date for his decision and Tennessee is on the board in the class of 2017. That, and much more in a Monday Starting Five.

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1. FIVE-STAR WILKES SETS DECISION DATE

Fans at Illinois, Indiana and UCLA won't have to wait much longer to find out their fate when it comes to five-star small forward Kris Wilkes.

The smooth and versatile swingman from Indianapolis (Ind.) North Central announced on Sunday that he will make his decision on Nov. 13.

Wilkes has seen all three campuses and has been the subject of one of the most intense recruiting battles in the country. Of late, word behind the scenes has been that there's a major tug-of-war going on for his services but it is starting to look like UCLA seems to be emerging as the favorite.

2. TENNESSEE GETS FIRST IN 2017

Zach Kent
Zach Kent (Elevate Hoops)

Rick Barnes and Tennessee are on the board with their first recruit in the class of 2017, addressing a major need.

In need of size for the 2017-18 season, the Volunteers landed a much needed big man in center Zach Kent.

From Delaware, Kent is playing his senior season at Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy and is a good athlete with skill at 6-foot-9. He is a bit lean and will need to add weight, but he should be able to help stretch defenses with shooting and he's also an excellent high post passer and good positional rebounder.

Kent told Rob Lewis of VolQuest.com that Barnes and his staff have what it takes to get the best out of him.

“I just feel that in order for me to be the most successful on the court I need a great coaching staff and environment. Both of those are at Tennessee. I can't wait to work with those players and the great staff,” Kent said.

3. WOOTEN DRAWING INTEREST

Kenny Wooten
Kenny Wooten (Modesto Bee)

This weekend, Rivals.com will be in Wichita Falls, Texas, for the annual Elite 14 event at Hirschi High. Based on recent buzz, perhaps the player we are most looking forward to seeing is 2017 power forward Kenny Wooten of Las Vegas (Nev.) Trent International.

Originally signed to Nevada as a member of the class of 2016 out of Manteca (Calif.) High, Wooten has opted to go the prep school route and opened his recruitment.

The past few weeks, things have really taken off. Wooten now claims offers or interest from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Kansas, DePaul, Oregon, Utah and TCU among others.

When Wooten committed to Nevada, we thought that he had the tools to turn into a major steal because of his athleticism. Lately, trusted sources tell Rivals.com that Wooten's skill level has risen to a level that nearly matches his athleticism.

4. LATHON CONTINUES TO DRAW ATTENTION

A little less than a month ago, we profiled three-star combo guard Jordan Lathon. Since then, the product of Grandview (Mo.) High has continued to attract attention and rack up offers.

Lathon picked up his most recent offer from Butler while making an unofficial visit to the Bulldogs in Indianapolis over the weekend. Lathon also dropped by Missouri and while the Tigers haven't yet offered, they have been in to see Lathon twice in a three-week span.

Kansas State and Wichita State have also been in to see him, while Tulsa, Air Force, DePaul and Colorado all offered after evaluating him this fall.

5. GARLAND PICKS UP ELITE OFFER

The Duke Blue Devils are looking to add some elite pieces to their current one-man 2017 recruiting class of shooting guard Alex O'Connell and they had five-star small forward Kevin Knox on campus for an official visit over the weekend.

However, they are also looking ahead to the class of 2018, and they offered elite point guard Darius Garland while he was on campus for an unofficial visit.

A big-time competitor with skill and a level of toughness that is surprising given his slightly built frame, Garland is a leader who can be a primary scorer or distributor.

Garland – whose father Winston Garland played in the NBA – now has offers from Duke, Florida, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Ohio State, Tennessee, Iowa State, Auburn, USC, Virginia, Memphis, Louisville and others.

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