Today in the Three-Point-Play national analyst Eric Bossi takes a look at Cam’Ron Fletcher’s top five and upcoming official visit. Also, there’s another super team being formed in Los Angeles and Seton Hall’s fast start for 2020.
MORE: The Bossi Awards from Adidas Gauntlet
2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150
1. Fletcher set for first visit
The No. 37 player in the class of 2020, St. Louis (Mo.) Vashon small forward Cam’Ron Fletcher is down to a final five of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan State, Missouri and North Carolina.
So far, the high flyer has seen Tom Izzo and the Spartans officially, been to Missouri for unofficial visits and he also saw Kentucky in June. On Aug. 1, Fletcher will head back to Kentucky for his next official visit.
The return visit to Kentucky so soon is interesting because there has been some speculation that perhaps John Calipari and the Wildcats weren’t really all that interested in Fletcher. I find that hard to believe. If there wasn’t interest, why get him back on campus so soon? Also, my understanding is that the Wildcats are in constant contact with Fletcher, his family and his coaches and that they see huge potential for him.
I’d look for Fletcher to set some more official visits soon, but the Kentucky visit is certainly one to monitor as I feel UK and home state Missouri may currently hold a slight edge on the rest of the field.
2. Bronny James will be on L.A.'s third super team
What a summer it’s been for basketball in Los Angeles. NBA free agency has totally changed the look of both the Lakers (Anthony Davis joining LeBron James) and Clippers (Kawhi Leonard). For a lack of a better description, high school free agency is totally changing the look of grassroots basketball in the area. Especially at Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon.
Don’t get me wrong, Sierra Canyon has been building into a power for some time now. It wins open division state titles in California and some of its most recent graduates have included Sacramento King Marvin Bagley III and Duke freshman Cassius Stanley. Things were already looking good with Rivals150 forward Terren Frank and potential top 25 sophomore Amari Bailey returning to lead the 2019-20 team. Then, LeBron James Jr. elected to enroll for his freshman year and since the addition of Bronny, the reinforcements have been on the way.
First, Zaire Wade – the son of Dwyane Wade – decided to move from Florida for his senior year and now the heavy hitters are following. Top 10 senior wings Ziaire Williams and B.J. Boston are in the fold as well. Williams is local and had been rumored to be transferring for his senior year, so an enrollment from him isn’t too surprising. But, getting Boston (who officially visits Kentucky this week) to move from the Atlanta area is definitely an eye-opener.
Let’s not be naïve here. Clearly there is a lot of attraction in playing with Bronny James and Sierra Canyon appears fully committed to becoming a true national power. It'll be at least a top five team in the high school polls and its games are going to draw celebrities, recruiting media such as myself and all of the attention that these kids could possibly want. I’m curious to see how it works out and I’m also curious to see who else ends up there because I get the feeling that it isn't done building a high school super team.
3. Fast start for Seton Hall
Since taking the job at Seton Hall, Kevin Willard has done really well with the Pirates. There were a few lean years to start as he and his staff rebuilt the program, but they’ve got it rolling now and have made four straight NCAA Tournaments.
Not surprisingly, their recruitment has picked up steam as well. Don’t get me wrong, Willard has done a nice job recruiting. He’s been able to land five-stars such as Isaiah Whitehead and he’s also done a great job of identifying and developing lower-end Rivals150 talents such as current star Myles Powell. He and his staff are still doing a great job and I really like how they’ve started their 2020 class with point guard Jahari Long and wing scorer Dimingus Stevens.
Long is a big, strong and steady point guard who dictates pace, doesn’t get rattled and can score. He’s going to be in the mix for a re-entry into the Rivals150 when we update it next month. Stevens is a pure scorer with some pop in his legs and a let-it-fly mentality when it comes to shot selection. He may need some fine tuning, but his instinct to score should play well.
The Pirates recently made the top six for rugged Philadelphia forward Elijah Taylor and remain in the mix for other high-quality prospects such as star Canadian guard Karim Mane. We’ll see how they finish things out, but Willard and his staff are proving that they can get results on the floor and with their recruiting.
