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In this week’s Twitter Tuesday we look at North Carolina's chances with its top front-line targets, Brandon Newman's blooming recruitment and check in on the recruiting efforts of Oklahoma and St. John's.
I don’t see the FBI investigation making an imprint on the recruitment of Matthew Hurt, the five-star forward out of Minnesota. However, I do believe North Carolina is a strong contender for him and Kansas, Minnesota, Duke, Kentucky and Louisville are heavily in the mix, too.
If Hurt is not the front-line prospect that the Tar Heels lands in the 2019 class, the program has made sure to pinpoint a handful of others that could fill that specific need.
Their best chance might be Armando Bacot, a five-star big man that would be a tremendous asset within the interior thanks to his polished skill set. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, a five-star prospect from Kansas, is high on the Tar Heels but Kansas will be tough to beat for his signature.
Will Baker is another name to keep tabs on, a five-star big man from Texas. UCLA looks to be the team to beat, but Texas, Texas A&M and a number of other programs remain in strong pursuit.
Finally, Vernon Carey, the nation’s top 2019 prospect, has North Carolina in his final five. While Duke has received most of the attention, do not underestimate the Tar Heels' chances. They will likely host Carey for an official visit in the fall.
Brandon Newman has seen his recruitment explode in recent weeks and rightfully so. The Rivals150 guard has had a strong showing on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring and by making the move to Montverde Academy in Florida this fall, expect for many outside of his Midwest locale to jump into the mix, too.
Indiana, Purdue and Ohio State became the first three Big Ten programs to offer Newman, a bit surprising seeing that there is a limited amount of two-way guards in the Midwest. Creighton and Xavier were also involved with an offer beforehand but the avalanche of recent attention might just be the tip of the iceberg for him.
Newman is enjoying the newfound recruitment, so don't expect a commitment in the near future. Purdue, Indiana and Ohio State will likely be three of his top suitors at the end of the day but not before more offers come in with the July evaluation periods about to begin. Look for Newman to draw things out further as his recruitment will likely expand before it contracts.
St. John’s has done most of its damage on the recruiting front of late but its 2019 class could be the best that Chris Mullin has put together in Queens.
Their top priority is Precious Achiuwa, a five-star forward whose brother once played for the program. UConn and the Red Storm are his top two contenders. Alongside Achiuwa on the travel and high school circuit is four-star junior Lester Quinones, a shot-making wing that has seen his stock improve of late thanks to his tremendous showing with the Dominican Republic 18-under team last month in Canada.
Scottie Lewis, a five-star wing from New Jersey, recently cut his list to a group of seven featuring Stanford, Harvard, Duke, Kentucky, Florida, Villanova and St. John’s. While the competition for the five-star wing is fierce, the Red Storm should be seen as a top-three contender for his commitment.
On the front-line is Aidan Igiehon, a five-star big man that many see the Red Storm as the team to beat, though Stanford, Oregon and Louisville are heavy in pursuit. Kofi Cockburn is also a front-line target.
In May, Christian Brown seemed to be a step ahead of his peers as he whittled his college list to a group of seven consisting of NC State, Florida, Seton Hall, South Carolina, UNLV, Georgia and Clemson. Outside of an official visit to UNLV last month, not much has changed where Brown may have jumped the gun in narrowing things down.
No visits are scheduled currently and talk of late is that Brown may be open to hearing from other schools not included within his final seven. Through various sources, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Maryland and Georgetown are just a few that have expressed interest in recent weeks with Brown, interest that has made Brown second guess the narrowing of his list.
While things were trending towards an earlier commitment, it looks as if Brown is willing to take a step back and take a larger look at his recruitment. UNLV has a strong chance as his visit to the MWC program went well, and Clemson, the in-state program, should be seen as a strong contender, too, but a commitment should not be expected for a while now with the chance for more suitors to emerge in the race for the top-50 prospect.
Oklahoma would absolutely love to make Jaden McDaniels a member of its 2019 recruiting class. The Sooners are heavily entrenched within his recruitment. Texas, Arizona, UCLA, Kansas, Oregon, San Diego State and Washington have already joined the fray with offers of their own, and Duke and Kentucky have begun to express interest.
Besides McDaniels, Samuell Williamson is close to narrowing his list this month and the Sooners are in position to make the cut. The Big 12 has made him a priority, as have programs in the SEC and Big Ten. The same could be said Malik Hall, and grabbing a commitment from either will be difficult.
Tyreek Smith and Victor Iwuakor, two super explosive power forwards from Texas, remain top targets for the Sooners as they enter the July evaluation periods. Another to keep tabs on is four-star wing Emanuel Miller as Oklahoma and Florida look to be in the best spot for the Canadian.
Tray Jackson remains fairly open with his recruitment following his official visit to Norman last month. Look for more programs to jump into the mix this July. Regardless, Oklahoma remains in a good spot as they already boast the commitment of De’Vion Harmon and Wichita State transfer Austin Reaves.
