Published Oct 29, 2018
Starting Five: Decision time for Boogie?
Eric Bossi  •  Basketball Recruiting
National Analyst
Twitter
@ebosshoops

One of the top remaining guards in the class of 2019, Boogie Ellis has completed his official visits. Could a decision be coming soon? National Analyst Eric Bossi breaks down Ellis' options and much more in this week's Starting Five.

MORE: DJ Jeffries commits to Memphis

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1. DECISION TIME FOR BOOGIE ELLIS?

After a weekend trip to Durham to visit with Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils, Boogie Ellis of San Diego (Calif.) Mission Bay has now completed all of his planned visits.

A high-scoring combo guard who is one of the country's best shooters, Ellis has previously seen Arizona, Georgia Tech, Memphis, North Carolina, Oregon and San Diego State in one capacity or another. He hasn't yet set a decision date, but he did tweet that he'll have a final five on Tuesday and all signs are pointing to him knocking out his college choice sooner than later.

Over the last month or so, the growing feel has been that Ellis will head across the country to play his college and as his recruitment winds down I don't think that has changed. His last visit prior to Duke was North Carolina and I see the two ACC foes battling it out for his services. His recruitment appears to be a pretty tough battle between the Heels and Blue Devils, but coming off of his visit to Duke I would probably put things slightly in their favor if I had to predict where Ellis plays his college ball.

2. TOP 50 JUNIOR TORRENCE IN THE MIDST OF OFFICIAL VISITS

One of the most competitive defenders and guards in the class of 2020 could have something cooking on the recruiting front.

Tough-as-nails guard Symir Torrence just wrapped up an official visit to Butler over the weekend and he makes his way to Marquette on Monday. Next weekend, Torrence will be on the move again when he takes an official visit to Cincinnati.

There was a lot of buzz surrounding Torrence and the Bearcats after he made an unofficial visit during the summer. Can Mick Cronin lock him up on this visit? Can Butler or Marquette get him before he makes it to campus or is he just making effective use of rules that allow juniors to make official visits? I would look for some clarity on that in the near future.

3. THIS TIME IT'S MISSISSIPPI ST. FOR ELIAS KING, BULLDOGS DOUBLE UP

For the third time in about 10 months, sweet shooting wing Elias King is off the board.

After previously committing to Georgia (when Mark Fox was coach) and Xavier, King committed to Ben Howland and MIssissippi State on Saturday. This time, the decision looks like it should hold and the Bulldogs are getting a very intriguing talent.

King has tremendous size and length and he is skilled. He can play as a big wing who shoots the ball with range and passes it at a high level or in today's game of pace and space he could be a mismatch four man. He'll need to get stronger and continue to be more consistent, but when he's on and locked in, King plays to a level higher than his current No. 70 national ranking. His upside as a college player in Starkville is tremendous.

The Bulldogs weren't one-hit wonders over the weekend. They also nabbed a commitment from 2020 big man Bayron Matos-Garcia. A native of the Dominican Republic, Matos-Garcia came on strong during the summer and saw his recruitment take off. He's a bit raw when it comes to skill but has a strong body, is plenty athletic and looks the part of a legitimate SEC big man who will be able to help control the glass as a rebounder.

4. FLORIDA STATE LANDS SEVEN FOOTER

Some positive news for Balsa Koprivica. After being identified as the player Christian Dawkins was soliciting money for from LSU coach Will Wade during the FBI college hoops corruption trial, the skilled seven-footer committed to Florida Sate this weekend.

A big man who can move and who has legitimate range as a shooter all the way out to the three point line, Koprivica may have as much upside relative to his current ranking as any player in the class of 2019. If he embraces the tough style that Leonard Hamilton demands in Tallahassee, he could start to produce more regularly and become a true recruiting steal for the Seminoles.

He joins potential big-time wing Patrick Williams, junior college wing Nathaniel Jack and athletic frontcourt player Zimife Nwokeji in a class that is full of size.

5. JAHMIR YOUNG COULD BE PG TO BUILD AROUND FOR CHARLOTTE

Ron Sanchez has his work cut out for him at Charlotte. It's been since 2005 since they made the NCAA Tournament and they are coming off of a 6-23 season. Welcome to the world of head coaching, Ron.

But, if he's going to turn things around in the Queen City, Sanchez found a terrific building block in point guard Jahmir Young.

Young has toughness, he has a pedigree of winning and he's played with so much talent at Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha and with Team Takeover in the summer that it's possible he's been a little underrated and overlooked. Charlotte is certainly hoping that's the case.

In Young I see a guy who runs a team, defends with intensity and who is capable of making plays off the dribble. I won't be surprised if he ends up starting for three or four years in college and if there is going to be a turnaround, he'll be a big part of it.