Twitter Tuesday: Indiana, Hunter Dickinson, Tennessee, Memphis
In this week’s Twitter Tuesday, we look at Indiana’s latest commitment, where Hunter Dickinson might land, Tennessee’s potential 2020 class and who Memphis is in the best position for.
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I don’t see Trey Galloway's commitment having a major impact on Indiana’s 2020 class, but his relationship with travel teammate Anthony Leal could help push Leal toward the Hoosiers.
Leal announced his final two last week, prior to Galloway’s commitment, of Indiana and Stanford. A local of Bloomington that grew up an Indiana fan, Leal is torn on where he wants to attend college but it would still come as a mild surprise if he didn't end up with the Hoosiers.
Outside of that, IU remains a heavy contender for Matt Cross’ commitment but it does not seem as if his recruitment will be ending any time soon. The Hoosiers sit in a good spot with Caleb Love, too, who said that he would be even more interested in the program if it was able to snag other highly-touted prospects.
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We broke the news last week that Hunter Dickinson is down to a final seven of Florida State, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Providence and Purdue. He has already taken official visits to Louisville, Notre Dame and Purdue, but those took place during his junior year so don't rule out return visits.
I am going to stick with Purdue for Dickinson but I am not entirely confident in it. Louisville really piqued his interests and they sit in a good spot; Michigan may be the dark horse and the longer things go, the better off the Wolverines might be with him. North Carolina has done great work with prospects like him, but I think the program's crowded frontcourt could turn him off a little. Notre Dame should not be discounted, either.
Look for Dickinson to play the process out a bit further but I do expect a signing to happen in November.
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Tennessee already sits with the commitment of top-25 forward Corey Walker and by the time Aug. 6 rolls around, I expect the Vols to celebrate the commitment of uber-athlete Keon Johnson. That is a pretty special and dynamic duo in the 2020 class but their work is not done just yet.
P.J. Hall, a top-75 forward, recently announced a final five and while the Vols are one of two or three true favorites for his signature, I expect Hall to pick Florida. Tennessee could strike in the frontcourt with Dylan Cardwell, a quality developmental big man that has made great strides in recent months.
Samson Ruzhentsev is definitely a name to keep tabs on, as is Jaden Springer who took an official visit to the SEC program earlier this year. For now, I don’t see Springer choosing Tennessee but that could change after he sees all of his finalists one last time.
Walker, Johnson and Cardwell is a good three-man group that the Vols could always add to elsewhere, whether it is within the high school circuit, international realm or the transfer market.
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Jalen Green. Granted, he is nowhere near making his college decision but I would be mildly surprised if he does not land at Memphis. If he does not, then it would be due to Kentucky’s work in recruiting him to Lexington. Those two are the top landing spots for Green and while West Coast powers such as Arizona, Oregon and UCLA are also involved, no one has recruited Green longer and invested more time in him than Kentucky and Memphis. Tigers’ assistant coach Mike Miller has developed a strong rapport with Green and his family, but so, too, has Kentucky assistant Joel Justus. Who can close is the biggest question with much riding on their two respective head coaches, Penny Hardaway and John Calipari. In this particular battle, I am going to side with Hardaway but there is still a lot of time left before a decision is made.
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Even though they won't be open evaluation events for college coaches, there are still plenty of events that are worth following between now and Sept. 8. The Steph Curry Camp will take place in Oakland, Calif. in early August and will be immediately followed by the Nike Skills Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Both events will host top high school and college prospects and there will be a lot of NBA front office personnel on hand.
Beyond that, it is more of a rest and recovery mode for everyone involved. This year was a different one with the proliferation of two high school events during the last two weekends in June. Thrown in along with the Nike Top 100 Camp, NBPA Top 100 Camp and USA Basketball trials last month, and the many events taking place throughout July, and a little time off of the road for the coaches, prospects and the recruiting industry, as a whole, is probably a good thing.