Twitter Tuesday: Kentucky's Plan B, UConn, Tyger Campbell
Another round of #TwitterTuesday is here as we answer some of your pressing questions facing the college basketball and recruiting worlds, including what Kentucky might do if it misses on Zion Williamson, UConn’s newfound recruiting philosophy and the contenders for Tyger Campbell.
Zion Williamson, the most heavily followed prospect of the social media era, will come off the board on Saturday. Clemson remains the favorite coming down the stretch but it is never a good idea to discount John Calipari when it comes to landing five-star prospects that he covets.
If Kentucky does miss on Williamson, it wouldn’t be a giant surprise to see the Wildcats get involved with E.J. Montgomery. The 6-foot-9 power forward was originally committed to Auburn but backed off of his pledge following the FBI investigation that saw former assistant coach Chuck Person arrested.
The top-10 senior has kept things very tight with his newfound recruitment and getting any information from him has been very difficult.
From a talent perspective, Montgomery checks the boxes. He has put together an awesome senior year for Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) High School and remains one of the best prospects available this winter.
Missouri watched four-star guard Tyger Campbell on Monday, proving that the Tigers will continue to keep an eye on the La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) School product. The 6-foot playmaker recently visited Maryland and will head to UCLA at the end of the month. He has already visited DePaul and Purdue for official visits and Missouri could receive his final official.
Would it make some sense for Missouri to recruit Campbell? Yes, as the Tigers recently saw former three-star guard and freshman Blake Harris transfer out of the program. Campbell would bring one of the top pedigrees from a class of 2018 prospect, someone that was the starting floor general for a national title-winning team.
Campbell is not expected to make a commitment until after his UCLA visit at the earliest, but he could take things a bit further before coming to a final decision. Missouri has a lot of ground to make up in his recruitment but the fact that the Tigers were in attendance for him on Monday shows that they might be willing to take one last stab at the facilitating point guard.
Joe, I see your point as UConn has not reeled in a top-50 prospect in the last two recruiting classes.
While Kevin Ollie would like nothing more than to secure the commitment of a five-star prospect, he and his staff have also begun to value prospects of a different ilk.
Do not forget, Shabazz Napier didn’t come to UConn as a top-50 prospect; neither did Hasheem Thabeet nor Jeremy Lamb nor Amidah Brimah. Ollie and his staff have seemingly started to prioritize grit over immediate ball skills.
UConn's 2017 class is a good example of this. While the freshmen do not sport any go-to scorers just yet, it does look as if Josh Carlton, Tyler Polley and Isaiah Whaley could evolve into quality pieces and help turn the program an AAC contender again.
The 2018 haul is another sneaky group led by a pit bull in James Akinjo, major interior muscle with Lukas Kisunas and a highly versatile wing with Emmitt Matthews, someone the staff is hoping could evolve into the next Lamb.
Will the Huskies ever land another five-star prospect? Yes, but Ollie and his staff seem to be emphasizing fit over flash, no matter the rankings.
MORE UCONN: StorrsCentral.com
Bryan Penn-Johnson's recruitment has not been discussed heavily since he decided to wait out the Early Signing Period.
A 7-foot center with a 7-foot-6 wingspan and 9-foot-6 standing reach, Penn-Johnson has the physical tangibles of a premier NBA back line defender. While he remains in the earlier stages of his development, the Wasatch Academy product has not lacked for worthy college suitors.
Penn-Johnson has two official visits remaining but it looks as if he is done for now. He took official visits to UCLA, Washington and DePaul in the fall. While the Bruins could still take Penn-Johnson, they did secure the commitment of a tough and physical center a few months back in Kenneth Nwuba, and that move could put them behind the Huskies and Blue Demons.
The way things are shaping, Penn-Johnson’s commitment will be celebrated by one of those two programs. No timetable has been set for a college decision.