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Starting Five: Injury won't slow top 40 Courtney Ramey's recruitment

One of the top unsigned seniors in the country, Courtney Ramey suffered an injury; will it impact his recruitment? How good is Arkansas' freshman Daniel Gafford? Five-star junior Matthew Hurt continues his visit tour and much more in this week's Starting Five from national basketball analyst Eric Bossi.

EARLY SIGNING PERIOD: Winners and Losers | Team Rankings

1. INJURY WON'T SLOW RAMEY'S RECRUITMENT

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Late last week, one of the nation's top unsigned players suffered a tough blow when top 40 point guard Courtney Ramey broke his right wrist during a preseason jamboree. The injury could cost Ramey a few months of action, but it's not going to slow down his recruitment or result in anybody backing away from his recruitment.

The No. 2 point guard on the board after five-star Jahvon Quinerly, Ramey's recruitment has been steadily picking up steam since his decommitment from Louisville a few months ago.

Last week Texas head coach Shaka Smart was in and on Saturday UCLA conducted an in-home visit. Villanova offered a few weeks ago and Jay Wright and assistants conducted an in-home visit. Louisville's David Padgett hasn't given up on Ramey, Missouri is involved as are Ohio State, Oklahoma State and others. Don't be surprised if more get involved and nobody is going to be scared away by injury.

2. GAFFORD ON FAST TRACK AT ARKANSAS

Over the weekend I made a trip to Fayetteville to see Arkansas host Fresno State, I was eager to see how the Razorbacks' star freshman, Daniel Gafford, is coming along.

He's ahead of schedule. In fact, through the first three games of the season he looks like he's way ahead of schedule.

Gafford was a guy that we thought highly of coming out of high school, however it was expected that he would have some early struggles in making the adjustment to college ball. He lacked strength and most of all he lacked much in the way of experience, having not picked up the game until he got to high school.

During Friday night's game against Fresno, Gafford looked like somebody who could develop into one of the top big men in the SEC sooner rather than later. Coming off the bench he went for 25 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. He ran the floor, he posted, he flashed great hands, good touch and athleticism at the highest end. Through three games, Gafford is now averaging 16.7 points, five rebounds and two blocks in just 21 minutes per game while converting on 75 percent of his shots from the field.

There will likely be some growing pains with Gafford, but he looks to be as good a big man prospect as there is in the SEC.

3. FIVE-STAR HURT CONTINUES VISIT TOUR

Five-star forward Matthew Hurt hasn't been wasting any time this fall. The high-scoring and skilled scorer continued an aggressive visit schedule by taking a trip to Kansas to check in on Bill Self and the Jayhawks.

Hurt hasn't yet cut down his list, but the junior's recruitment is one that is taking place at the highest of levels. Other visits he's taken during the fall include Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota (where his older brother, Michael Hurt, plays) and North Carolina.

Given that he's now seen many of these programs multiple times, Hurt is a guy that I could see making a relatively early decision.

4. BUZZ BUILDING ON 2019 SAMUELL WILLIAMSON

The class of 2019 talent in Texas is a potentially special one with 11 players from the state already ranking in the Rivals150 and several sitting just on the outside. One of them on the rise is skilled wing Samuell Williamson.

Williamson caught my eye during the summer because of his size, shooting stroke and overall feel for the game. However, I didn't get to see him as much as I would have liked so his initial ranking was done on the conservative side. After speaking with contacts who have seen Williamson recently, I've got a feeling that he'll be on the rise this winter.

Simply put there's a serious buzz about him and word is that he's grown an inch or two, allowing him to play on the wing or even as a small ball four-man. He's visited Kansas, LSU, SMU, Tulsa and Oklahoma and all offered scholarships. TCU, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Marquette, UNLV and others have offered as well.

The name that is getting thrown around as a potential comparison is another Texan, Justin Jackson, who starred at North Carolina before moving onto Sacramento, where he's a rookie for the Kings this season.

5. FOUR-STAR WILLS BEGINS FIRST VISIT

A few weeks ago, four-star shooting guard Bryce Wills decided to move back into his natural class of 2018 rather than take a year of prep school to be a 2019 prospect.

When he made the move he announced a final four of Connecticut, Stanford, Villanova and Wake Forest. Wills currently is on a trip to Palo Alto to check in on the Cardinal. Wills will be on campus until Tuesday and has yet to set any other visits or a decision date.

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