Sting Factor: Tyger Campbell

NEW RELEASE: Small Forwards | Shooting Guards | Point Guards

The recruitment of Rivals150 four-star guard Tyger Campbell has come to an end as the elite facilitator committed to UCLA on Tuesday. How might DePaul, Maryland, and Purdue, his other three finalists, respond to missing on the La Lumiere product? We explore.

STING: 9

This one hurts badly for the folks in Chicago as the Blue Demons remained in the thick of it for Campbell ever since he decommitted from the program in September. Very rarely does a prospect who had originally committed to a program pledge back again after a decommitment. Thanks to the hiring of his former head coach at La Lumiere, Shane Heirman, the Blue Demons picked up the top-100 guard's commitment during the summer. Even though Campbell eventually backed off of his pledge, DePaul was still able to secure an official visit and was heavily thought of as a favorite for over the past two months.

The sting is severe because of his ties to the program, the time invested in his recruitment and all that Campbell would have met for Dave Leitao’s bunch. The bright side for DePaul is that the program loses very little to graduation after the 2017-18 season and will enroll former top-50 guard and Illinois transfer Jalen Coleman-Lands.

STING: 6

This one hurts some in West Lafayette as Campbell would have been the ideal floor setter for a team that will see 80 percent of its starting lineup graduate in the spring. While P.J. Thompson was a lightly recruited prospect, the in-state standout has developed into a four-year contributor and one of the top perimeter shooters in college basketball. How the Boilermakers replace Thompson may be difficult and while Carsen Edwards is more than capable of running the lead guard spot, at the end of the day his primary strength is putting the ball through the basket.

Purdue does have the commitment of 2019 guard Isaiah Thompson, P.J.'s younger brother, but how the Boilermakers address the point guard position is a question that remains unanswered at this point.

STING: 3

Landing Campbell was not a pressing need for Maryland. The Terps will welcome back Anthony Cowan next year, and he will likely be one of the best point guards in college basketball as a junior.

The Terps have also put together a top-20 recruiting class this winter, headlined by the pledges of do-it-all wing Aaron Wiggins and four-star guard Eric Ayala.

Maryland’s biggest need is in the frontcourt, but even there the Terps did some quality work scooping up five-star big man Jalen Smith in the fall before recently celebrating the transfer commitment of Mississippi State center Schnider Herard.

Campbell would have allowed Cowan to be used off of the ball in smaller lineups but the sting is light and the need was just as minimal. Maryland has the chance to enter the 2018-19 season as a top-15 unit as long as all of the pieces expected to return do so.