The Early Signing Period begins tomorrow, but there is still a lot of work to do between now and when it ends. In this week’s Twitter Tuesday mailbag, Rivals.com Basketball Analyst Corey Evans evaluates the situations around Hunter Dickinson, checks in on Arkansas’ frontcourt pursuit, identifies landing spots for Adam Miller and more.
MORE: Which teams have the most on the line during the Early Signing Period?
Hunter Dickinson is one of the final top-50 prospects that has yet to make his college decision known. His recruitment feels like it has been going on for years because, well, it has. Dickinson visited Notre Dame and Purdue officially last fall, and both programs have been recruiting him since his freshman season.
He completed his official visit tour over a month ago and is down to a final four of Duke, Florida State, Michigan and Notre Dame. Duke made a late run but I would be very surprised if he chooses the Blue Devils. The same can be said for Florida State.
Notre Dame may be the safest choice seeing that Mike Brey has had such success throughout his tenure with players like Dickinson. However, I believe Dickinson is intrigued enough by Juwan Howard's NBA pedigree that he will ink with the Wolverines.
Chris Moore will make his college decision on Friday. He is down to a final three that consists of Arkansas, Auburn and Memphis. Eric Musselman has found great success of late with the top talent within his state, but I give Penny Hardaway’s squad the edge over the Hawgs.
All will not be lost for Arkansas’ frontcourt pursuit, though. After visiting Fayetteville over the weekend, Jaylin Williams is within sight. Distance could be a factor in his decision, which only plays further into Mussleman’s hands. He took an official visit to Auburn alongside his travel teammate, Moore, two weeks ago, and just canceled his official visit to Texas A&M. He does not plan on signing this week but I expect Williams to end up at Arkansas.
That is the vibe. There was a belief earlier this fall that Adam Miller would prolong his recruitment some and not sign until the spring. That is still true but instead of not committing until next year, Miller will announce his college decision on November 21, the day after the early signing period ends.
Arizona State picked up plenty of steam towards the latter half of the summer but is now no longer under consideration. Illinois has taken over the pole position for the in-state star but don’t count out Arizona. The Wildcats have come on of late and might be right behind the in-state bunch for Miller. Louisville rounds out his final list of three and while I like Illinois’ chances the greatest, Arizona is one that is worth monitoring.
Missouri is going to remain in the thick of it until Josh Christopher comes to his college decision, which likely won’t be until the spring. Down to a final four, the five-star is focusing on Arizona State, Michigan, Mizzou and UCLA. He has already taken an official visit to Howard and just last week, we broke the news that he will take an official visit to Michigan on Nov. 22.
From there, look for Christopher to fit the remainder of his official visits in throughout the winter and spring. It may be difficult to take his official visits during the high school season but Christopher’s intent is to see all of his finalists during the college season.
I like UCLA’s chances the best, but the Tigers have an inside edge thanks to his cousin being on staff as the strength coach in Columbia. However, his brother is also on the Arizona State squad so family ties won’t be the deciding factor in his decision.
The recent situation surrounding James Wiseman's eligibility is going to be another reason why some of the nation’s best high school prospects look even harder at skipping college and going right into the professional ranks. Furthermore, the success that R.J. Hampton is currently enjoying will only enhance professional clubs’ chances with the best here domestically.
Talk continues to swirl around Isaiah Todd and playing professionally instead of enrolling at Michigan next fall. Todd has been an often-discussed professional candidate and despite his college commitment, not much has changed.
Jalen Suggs will either attend college, likely be Gonzaga, or take his own chances by signing a professional contract. There has been rumors that Greg Brown could skip the college route, but I believe he will be on a college campus next year. Jalen Green is another to monitor and if it the appropriate college can’t offer all that he and his family might be looking for, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him opt for the professional ranks. Finally, Cade Cunningham could surprise the nation and try his own hand at that path, but I still expect him to be with Mike Boynton’s program next fall.
I would say that at least two of those listed above will not attend college next fall. There's also Makur Maker, who will sign a professional contract of some sort. Kyree Walker, Karim Mane and Josh Hall are three others to monitor that could potentially enter the NBA Draft if all things align properly. And don’t forget that Marjon Beauchamp has already stated that he will not play in college next year and instead, will train with Chameleon BX leading up to the 2021 NBA Draft.
