In the class of 2023, Kwame Evans Jr. is already establishing himself as one of the nation’s top prospects. Who has offered? How big of a steal does Iowa State have in Tyrese Hunter and an intriguing Rivals150 senior is down to six.
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1. Rising sophomore Evans has 15 offers, including Kansas
One of the best prospects in the class of 2023, Baltimore (Md.) Poly forward Kwame Evans Jr. is in the running to debut as a five-star prospect when we release 2023 rankings.
Pushing 6-foot-9, Evans is a long and lanky combo forward who is a fluid athlete and a skilled ball handler and shooter for his age. He also has genetics on his side. His father Kwame Evans Sr. is a Hall of Famer at George Washington after a standout career during the 90’s.
“I play defense and rebound, I value playing defense as much as offense,” Evans said. “I run the floor and rebound. I try to play a Jayson Tatum or Kevin Durant style of game. Pull-up threes, walk downs, running floaters.”
A member of the Team Durant summer program, Evans already holds offers from Auburn, DePaul, George Washington, Georgetown, Kansas, LSU, Maryland, Mississippi State, St. John’s, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Xavier. He doesn’t yet know much about many of the schools recruiting him but discussed a few.
Auburn: “I don’t know a lot about them yet other than they play hard. That’s the thing about most colleges, they play so hard.”
Kansas: “Rock Chalk. They play hard, they play defense, they run the floor. Everybody knows them.”
Maryland: “My father is close with one of the assistant coaches (Bino Ransom). They like to run on the break, they shoot a lot of threes.”
Evans Jr. is still a few years away from making his choice but when he does, he’s looking for a place where they’ll have some flexibility in the way he is used.
“Atmosphere and then the position I’ll be playing. Will I be able to be versatile or will I be locked into one position?"
2. Iowa State gets a steal in Hunter
Iowa State stole one. It really did.
Four-star point Tyrese Hunter from the class of 2021 is going to put his imprint on the Cyclones program and the more I see him play, the more I think it will happen early.
Currently ranked No. 90 in the Rivals 150, the six-footer from Racine is one of the biggest stock boosters of the summer and set to make a major leap the next time we update our rankings. So what makes him so good?
No. 1 on the list is speed. Hunter is as fast as they come and while it is one thing to have blazing speed, it is another thing to be able to harness it and play under control while at full speed. Hunter does that. I’ve now been able to watch him online multiple times this summer and I haven’t seen anybody who can stay in front of him. Defensively he’s a major pest because of his quickness and on the break he’s as exciting a finisher as there is in the class.
Hunter is working hard on his jump shot and does need to add more strength. That’s all stuff that can be addressed. Bottom line, though, Hunter looks like a potential day one starter and eventual All-Big 12 type floor general in Ames.
3. Castro down to six
Rivals150 senior Rafael Castro has announced his finalists.
The 6-foot-9 power forward from Dover (N.J.) is now down to Dayton, George Mason, Miami, Providence, Seton Hall and VCU.
A thin and bouncy frontcourt player, Castro has impressed with his ability to make an impact on the game without a bunch of plays being run for him. He is a smart offensive rebounder, he runs the floor well, he isn’t afraid of contact despite his lean frame and he holds lots of defensive upside because he’s able to scramble and recover while also being a good positional shot blocker.
If you are looking for a favorite, well that gets a little tricky. There have been some whispers that Miami may lead and Seton Hall has been doing well in the 2021 class. Dayton can sell what they just did with Obi Toppin and so on. Now that he’s down to six, the picture should become a little more clear but for now it is a little too early to project a leader.
