Twitter Tuesday: Josh Christopher, Memphis, Kentucky
In this week's Twitter Tuesday mailbag, Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst Corey Evans looks at Memphis' five-star pursuit, discusses how Oklahoma State could complete its 2020 class and predicts where Kentucky strikes in the 2021 class.
Related: Baylor-Kansas lives up to hype, Futurecast picks and more
2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
2022 Rankings: Top 75
I have been writing about Josh Christopher ending up at Michigan since early January. I even placed a FutureCast selection for him at a time when many had believed that he was more likely to end up at either Arizona State or Missouri. Last week, I broke down Michigan’s momentum with the five-star prospect despite the Sun Devils hosting him later on that day.
Could Christopher make me look like a fool and pick Arizona State? Sure. I have been wrong before and I'll be wrong again, but the credible information that I am basing my reporting on has only gotten stronger by the week. All signs point toward him committing to the Wolverines.
I think I know where he will end up, but I don't know when. It could happen at any time, but it would not surprise me if a decision isn't made until later next month.
While everything still needs to play out, Memphis is in a great spot for both Jalen Green and Greg Brown.
There has been a lot of talk recently about Auburn overtaking Memphis in the hunt for Green. Bruce Pearl's Tigers have certainly made up some ground, but Memphis is still the program to beat. For Brown, Texas has seemingly led his recruitment for the past year but the Tigers looks to be a slight leader right now.
Others that could join them in the 2020 class include: Moussa Cisse, a top-10 junior that might reclassify later this spring, but LSU may be the team to beat; William Jeffress, who just reclassified a few weeks ago; and Karim Mane.
In the 2021 class, if Cisse does not reclassify, look for the Tigers to be one of his top suitors. Khristian Lander is another they have their eyes on, as is JD Davison, a top-25 junior. The Tigers are also are in contention for Moussa Diabate, another possible reclassification prospect, Mason Miller, the son of Mike Miller, Memphis native Deebo Coleman and Harrison Ingram.
After the commitment of Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, the Pokes are going to continue to monitor who might emerge late in the year or pop up via decommitments thanks to the coaching carousel.
Oklahoma State remains involved for four-star forward J.T. Thor but, just as we stated earlier last week, it looks as if he could potentially move back into the 2021 class and attempt to leap directly to the NBA. Another to keep tabs on is Adama Sanogo, who could reclassify into the 2020 class, though the Pokes have more work to do in catching up to his others suitors. Oklahoma State is in a good spot with Donovan Williams and I expect the four-star to visit Stillwater before committing.
That brings us to the transfer realm. Mike Boynton, like most of his peers, has been very active with transfers since his hiring three years ago and that should remain the case in the coming weeks.
If Oklahoma State can enroll two knockdown shooters, it could compete for a Big 12 title and attain even greater success in March 2021.
I have written some in the past about Paolo Banchero wanting to team up with Kennedy Chandler in college but I don’t see this as a package deal where, if Banchero were to commit somewhere, that would immediately lead to the commitment from Chandler, or vice-versa. However, I do believe the two have forged a strong friendship and they understand that in order for the two to reach the success that they want at the next level, it would be much easier if they were teammates and not opponents.
Over the weekend, Chandler took an unofficial visit to Kentucky. The Wildcats are one of the early favorites for the five-star but I don’t foresee an early commitment. He has a ton of leverage thanks to a rather slim pool of elite point guards in the 2021 class and with many of the bluebloods and national entities needing someone in his mold. Duke remains my pick for Chandler, though don’t underestimate Tennessee, nor should one count out the Wildcats, Memphis or North Carolina.
Is there a chance that Chandler picks Kentucky in the end? Yes, but I actually like the chances of Hardy and Banchero together at UK, rather than Chandler and Banchero. Kentucky holds my FutureCast selection for both Hardy and Banchero and, if there is one prediction that I am most confident in, it is Hardy selecting UK.
Expect for the recruitments of Chandler and Banchero to be drawn out while I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kentucky get on the board earlier rather than later with Hardy being the likeliest to get the Wildcats going in the 2021 class.
A credible prediction for Will Jeffress? That remains a bit difficult at the current moment. Despite Jeffress reclassifying earlier this month and then, as we reported on Sunday, narrowed his school list to a final 10, his focus remains on the high school season and a potentially deep run in his state’s playoffs.
Jeffress has not yet completed a single official visit and, better yet, has not scheduled one. However, I expect for Jeffress to be rather thorough with the recruiting process in the spring and that a commitment won’t take place before his completes all of the visits that he will have planned.
Down to a final 10 of Baylor, Memphis, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Villanova, and Virginia, the Panthers may be slightly in front thanks to the time they have invested and the relationship that he has with the staff compared to all others. However, that could all go out the door once he begins his visits, ones that are expected to be made next month, leading up to a signing in the spring.