Starting Five: Duel of 7-footers, Reddish comes up big, more

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Two candidates for No. 1 in their respective classes squared off over the weekend, Cam Reddish found his groove at the right time. Those topics plus much more in this week’s edition of the Starting Five.

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I wasn't able to attend in person, but I made sure to watch when Memphis (Tenn.) East and Temecula (Calif.) Rancho Christian matched up over the weekend. Dueling 7-footers, currently ranked No. 2 in the classes of 2019 and 2020 and making cases for No. 1 in their respective classes, James Wiseman and Evan Mobley made it a must watch.

I'll see Wiseman in Springfield, Mo., this Thursday night and I've seen Mobley multiple times this season, but it was fun to watch two really mobile, athletic and high upside big men. Mobley finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four blocks and three steals in a win while Wiseman put together 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks of his own.

Technically still open in the recruiting process Mobley looked a little quicker and like a bit better all around defender -- the way he moves laterally on switches, deflections he gets on top of steals and blocks. Headed to Memphis, Wiseman looks a little bigger and is definitely much stronger. Both can really run and are quick off the floor, and their overall offensive games are about even. I think they each might settle too easily for jump shots, but both are developing nicely as shooters. It was entertaining.

Mobley's class of 2019 five-star brother Isaiah Mobley is committed to USC (where his dad is an assistant coach) and handled the ball much of the game for Rancho. He was very good as well with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of blocks. Also playing extremely well for Rancho was Gonzaga-bound four-star junior combo guard Dominick Harris, who was hot with the jumper and off the dribble. For East, Memphis bound big man Malcolm Dandridge played with tremendous energy and toughness to score 20 and get seven rebounds.

There were plenty of great performances over the weekend, team and individual. But in my eyes, none were more important than Duke freshman Cameron Reddish's 23 against Florida State.

He hit the game winning three, he and fellow freshman R.J. Barrett seemed to score every point with Zion Williamson out (eye injury) in the second half and it was an entertaining game all the way through. The win was important, but for Duke's future getting Reddish going was maybe even more important than a win.

While Barrett and Williamson have generated one headline after another, Reddish has quietly struggled. Headed to FSU, Reddish had only shot .500 or better from the field in two of Duke's 14 games and he had been under .333 in eight contests. On top of that, one of the knocks on Reddish has been that he can shrink from competition when things get tough.

To see him rise to the occasion, want to be the man and then respond with the execution is huge for the Blue Devils. If they get him going on a regular basis, they are an entirely different animal.

Friday night, my 6-year-old daughter Collins and I made the four-hour drive from Kansas City to Oskaloosa (Iowa) High to see 7-foot junior Xavier Foster, who ranks No. 26 overall nationally.

If I was looking for highlights or big numbers, it wasn't the night to see him as Foster finished with eight points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and a pair of steals. But, I'm not really concerned with his stats right now because it's more about taking a look at where he can be three, four or five years down the road.

Foster looks to have grown to a legitimate 7-foot and moves incredibly well. In fact, he reminds me a lot of current Sacramento King Willie Cauley-Stein at the same age for his combination of size and agility. He gets off the floor quick for blocks and he can run. He missed a few jumpers, but his form looks clean. Once he faces competition and size on a regular basis, he should get more consistent with his offense. Bottom line, there's a lot of upside with Foster.

I'll have a full recruiting update on him later today, but he's very familiar with Iowa and Iowa State and has seen both officially and unofficially. He's also seen UCLA and USC officially with many others getting in touch.

Each time I think I've seen it all when it comes to high school basketball, I see something new. Take the case of 2021 star Zion Harmon.

Well-known on social media and YouTube since he began playing varsity ball as a middle schooler, Harmon is a high-scoring guard. He's already done a fair amount transferring schools and switching summer teams. His transfer to Benton (Kent.) Marshall County for his sophomore season caused the state of Kentucky to rule him ineligible.

According to longtime Kentucky sportswriter Larry Vaught, Harmon has found a workaround and will now play for Downey Christian -- from Florida -- while still attending high school at Marshall County.

I'm all for Harmon wanting to play and for today's young players. Plus, I'm sure he would just like to get out there and compete. I'm all for guys who want to prove themselves.

However, this just seems to be a bit on the extreme side, even if Downey is scheduled to play events in Harmon's home state of Kentucky. A move like this isn't allowed in summer ball (NCAA certified events require players be on teams from their home state or a bordering state) and it's a good rule. I don't think it would become a widespread tactic, but the thought of kids attending one school while playing for another a few states over really makes my head spin.

Like any other prospect, I want to see Harmon do well. But, I'm not yet seeing how this setup is beneficial to Harmon or any other prospect who might try to do the same thing.

I want to finish today's column by giving two programs that nobody was picking to be on the top of their leagues at this point some attention. Yes, it's still really early in conference play but South Carolina and Oregon State both deserve a lot of credit for their 3-0 starts in the SEC and Pac-12.

Losers of four of their last five and owning a 5-7 record headed into SEC play, Frank Martin's Gamecocks have fought and scrapped their way to three tough wins over Florida, Mississippi State and Missouri in the last week. It's been a strong effort from Martin on down through the roster and in particular I've liked what I've seen out of senior big man Chris Silva (battle tested vet) and freshman wing Keyshawn Bryant (freak athlete with upside). Hassani Gravett's scoring has also been big. It's a team that looks to be finding its identity and that really looks to be embracing playing together and finding ways to win.

Out West, the Pac-12 has been getting a ton of criticism. Rightfully so, it's the worst I can ever remember seeing it. But, even the most harsh critic would have to be at least somewhat impressed by how Wayne Tinkle has Oregon State playing. In a wide open year, Tinkle has his guys getting after it. Brothers Stephen Thompson and Ethan Thompson have been scoring, Tinkle's son Tres Tinkle is a factor and junior college transfer Kylor Kelley has been impressive while leading the nation in shot blocking.

Again, it's still early but it looks like the Beavs can compete for a Pac-12 title and NCAA Tournament berth this season.