Starting Five: Monk making decisions
Most of 2016's top players have started chopping their lists of finalists and setting up visits, but so far things have been quiet with five-star shooting guard Malik Monk. That should change very soon, though. We take a look at Monk and some others making waves in this week's Starting Five.
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1. Monk setting visits soon
For the most part, things have been quiet when it comes to five-star senior Malik Monk. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Bentonville (Ark.) High who ranks No. 6 overall in the 2016 Rivals150 has yet to release a list of finalists or announce any visit dates.
That should be changing very soon.
Rivals checked in with Monk's older brother, Marcus, about the status of his younger brother's official and in-home visits. According to Monk, that information will be released early this week.
Most likely, the list will be cut down to somewhere between five and seven programs but the two to keep the closest eye on are Arkansas and Kentucky. Arkansas is the home state school, he has been on campus countless times and his older brother was an athlete there. Kentucky has been the top program in the SEC for a while now and is in search of an elite backcourt player.
Others that have been involved include Florida, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, North Carolina and Oregon but nobody has ever given a program other than Arkansas or Kentucky much of a chance. Once Monk announces who will be getting in-home and official visits we will at least be able to see if anybody has a chance of upsetting the perceived top two.
2. Bamba to focus on school
Currently ranked No. 4 overall in the class of 2017, 6-foot-11 big man Mohamed Bamba has his choice of practically any program in America.
While he won't be cutting his list anytime soon, the five-star prospect did take in a pair of programs over the weekend. Munch Williams, the program director of Fall's PSA Cardinals summer team, confirmed to Rivals.com that Bamba made weekend stops to Duke and Wake Forest. Williams also added that Bamba, who hails from Harlem in New York City, recently tripped to nearby St. John's .
Now that those trips are out of the way, Bamba looks to be done taking visits for a while. The athletic frontcourt player returns to Westtown (Pa.) School for his junior year on Tuesday and the plan is to focus on academics and getting stronger.
For now, Bamba is wide open and other involved programs include Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Syracuse and many more.
3. Change of plans for Waters
Lindy Waters Jr., the father of 2016 Rivals150 guard Lindy Waters III, confirmed to Rivals that his son was down to Butler, Harvard, Houston and Oklahoma State.
There's been a change of plans for the 6-foot-5 shooting guard, who was set to make a move to four-star status in this week's update to the 2016 Rivals150.
Rather than take his visits and make a fall decision, the Norman (Okla.) North standout will instead graduate in the spring and spend a year in prep school, meaning that he will now be a class of 2017 prospect.
According to his father, the decision was made because his son would like another year to get stronger and mature physically in preparation for college. All of the schools recruiting him have been made aware of his change of heart.
4. Roberts picking up steam
When the class of 2017 rankings were expanded to 100 just before the July evaluation period, point guard C.J. Roberts just missed the cut.
After playing his best ball during the month of July, the athletic 6-footer from North Richland Hills (Texas) Richland is a lock to make the updated rankings next week and it won't be just because they are expanding from a top 100 to a top 150.
Thanks to a strong finish to the summer, Roberts is set to debut in the rankings as a four-star prospect. He's a big-time athlete who loves to attack the rim, plays the game at full speed and showed an improved jump shot during July while putting up big numbers.
College programs have certainly taken notice and Roberts is busy checking out programs. According to Roberts' father, Craig, the floor general has checked out SMU, Baylor and Houston during August. He's looking to visit Virginia Tech, Miami and USC during the fall and has fielded recent calls from Kansas, Oklahoma, TCU, Indiana, West Virginia and Oklahoma State in addition to hearing from the programs that he has either visited or is planning to visit.
Roberts currently holds offers from UT-Arlington, SMU, TCU, Baylor, Virginia Tech, Illinois, Miami, Colorado State, Wichita State and Kansas State. Judging by the recent flurry of activity more should be on the way soon.
5. Cain emerging in Michigan
During July, 6-foot-6 small forward Jamal Cain caught the attention of Rivals with his play.
The class of 2017 prospect from Detroit (Mich.) Cornerstone hit the road with Ty Lofton's Detroit Stars program and impressed. A long and lanky wing athlete, Cain showed pop in his legs during transition rim runs, the ability to maximize space creation with two dribble attacks and a very workable jump shot with range to the three-point line.
The thin junior is a very serious candidate to crack the 2017 Rivals150 next week and college coaches have taken notice of Cain's talent as well.
According to Lofton, Cain has now received offers from Oakland, Washington State, Southern Miss, Oregon, Detroit and Cleveland State. Memphis and Dayton are also involved but have yet to offer Cain. He should continue to add offers this fall if the way he played during July is any indication of what to expect in the future.
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