Twitter Tuesday: Kansas, 2019 projections, Arizona, Maryland
In this week’s version of #TwitterTuesday, we examine Kansas' chances with five-stars Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes, project which of 2019's top three players will emerge as the better pro player, break down the Terps' class and more.
Already in possession of a commitment from five-star big man Silvio De Sousa, Kansas still has plenty of wants and needs for its 2018 class as it could be faced with filling as many as six spots. Of course, five-star guards Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes are two that they would like to figure prominently into those plans.
Since he just wrapped up his official visit a little over a week ago, I’ll start with Dotson. The hard-charging, in-your-face floor general reminds the Kansas staff a lot of the departed Frank Mason and the Jayhawks are very much in the mix. The biggest competition appears to be Florida and Maryland here. Prior to his visit to Kansas, I had seen the Jayhawks as a big favorite but I was underestimating the Gators a bit. This weekend, he’ll visit the Gators and we’ll know a lot more on Dotson. He could end up setting more visits – certainly one to Maryland wouldn’t surprise – but I’m seeing this as a very tight race between Florida and Kansas that is currently too close to call.
As for Grimes, he’s also got Arizona, Baylor, Kentucky, Marquette, Texas and Texas A&M in his top seven. The high-scoring and skilled combo guard hasn’t yet set his official visits, but they should be set before week’s end. This is one where I think Bill Self and his staff are considered the leaders headed into visits and I like where they stand.
So, to answer your original question, there’s a decent chance that Kansas could get both Dotson and Grimes. If it doesn’t get both, though, I’d be pretty surprised if it didn’t get at least one of the two.
What a great question regarding our top three players in the 2019 Rivals150. Currently, Vernon Carey is No. 1, James Wiseman is No. 2 and Charles Bassey is No. 3.
Before an answer, let’s do a real quick rundown of their games. Carey is a physically strong and skilled big man who is by far the best shooter of the group. Wiseman is probably the most athletic, has the most length and is more of the “upside” guy of the group. Bassey is strong, rebounds well, has a great build and is the best interior defender.
If we are talking strictly college, Carey is the guy. He’s the most skilled, most polished and he has a college-ready body. If we are talking pure professional upside at this point, then I would go with Wiseman. He can really run, is in the process of expanding his game and his athleticism and length are tough to ignore.
For those that aren’t aware, four-star shooting guard Torrence Watson recently decommitted from Ohio State and it’s expected that the St. Louis product will make a decision sooner rather than later.
Right now, I see this is a two-horse race between Missouri and Saint Louis. Travis Ford has done an outstanding job of locking down local talent since taking over at SLU so he is not to be underestimated here and if this is truly about being closest to home, then the Billikens will be hard to beat. However, if Cuonzo Martin and the Tigers can get Watson on campus within the next few weeks and prove to him that they have a spot for him, then they can win out.
Sean Miller and the Wildcats currently have 2018’s top-ranked recruiting class featuring five-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly, five-star power forward Shareef O’Neal and four-star point guard Brandon Williams. The way I see it, they will look to sign at least two more players and they could land as many as three more. They have a long list of five-star targets.
Arizona looks pretty set with guards so that leaves 2018’s top player R.J. Barrett (visits Sept. 21), talented big man Bol Bol, tough wing Nassir Little, forward Simisola Shittu and center Moses Brown as just a few of the five-stars on the Wildcats' radar. They’ve also made inroads with four-star Nate Laszewski. Another five-star big man, Nazreon Reid, is scheduled to visit this weekend, but LSU is considered the big favorite.
Bol stands out to me as the best chance for the Wildcats. He’s very close with O’Neal, likely to stay on the West Coast and has been positive about Arizona. After that, I’m not sure which of the remaining targets is most likely to commit but adding Bol and anybody else would be monstrous.
Just a little over a couple of weeks ago, Jordan Brown’s father Dion revealed to us that the five-star power forward is down to California, Gonzaga, Louisiana Lafayette, Nevada, Oregon, St. John’s and UCLA.
Throughout Brown’s entire recruitment, we have figured that Cal will be tough to beat. However, Cuonzo Martin leaving did open the doors a bit for others as the Brown family wants to see how things will be run under Wyking Jones. Nevada could be a sleeper here, St. John’s has always been well regarded in the recruitment while Gonzaga is charging. UCLA and Oregon have certainly been cleaning up in recruiting as it is.
Brown isn’t expected to sign early, and he and his family want to see these teams play this year. All of that being said, I would still consider California to be the favorite. As he starts to set visits we’ll see if that assessment is correct and if Jones and his staff can close out on what would be a monster recruiting win.
Maybe the biggest surprise in Silvio De Sousa picking Kansas was that he did so without even visiting College Park. Because after his visit to Lawrence it was pretty apparent the Jayhawks had moved into strong position but it was figured he would at least make it to College Park. That’s the recruiting game though and the Terrapins are already off to a great start with five-star big man Jalen Smith and high-end four-star shooting guard Aaron Wiggins, giving them a 2018 class that ranks No. 6 nationally at this point.
The Terps will likely look to add at least two more players and still left on their radar are five-star big man Moses Brown, five-star point guard Devon Dotson, five-star wing Keldon Johnson and four-star point guard Eric Ayala, among others. The way things stand, they look to be in the best shape with Brown and many behind the scenes think they could be the leaders. Johnson is figured to be a Texas lean, but his last official visit is scheduled for Maryland on the weekend of Sept. 21.
The guy I would really keep an eye on is Ayala. The Terps are a little later to his recruitment and will have to do some work between now and his Oct. 20 planned visit, but they have some nice ties to him. His move to IMG where they scored Bruno Fernando from last year should be helpful in their hunt to land him.