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MORE: Five-star Wendell Moore commits to Duke
In this week’s Twitter Tuesday mailbag, we take a larger look at North Carolina's pursuit of two top-10 prospects, wonder if Indiana can clean up the state again, and break down whether UConn has what it takes to finish with a top-10 class.
North Carolina has already hosted Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Cole Anthony on visits this fall and the Tar Heels hope to snag commitments from both prospects. Anthony has yet to cut his list to single digits, while Robinson-Earl remains focused on a group of five and will complete his official visit tour next week with a trip to Arizona.
Robinson-Earl, whose father played at Kansas under now North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, is nearing a college decision. While he has no timetable for a commitment, I would not be surprised to see him sign during the early period next month. The Jayhawks have been the heavy favorite for him for the past few years, but the Tar Heels have remained a heavy presence. Ultimately, I see Robinson-Earl returning home from his one year at IMG Academy next fall and selecting Kansas.
Anthony, on the other hand, is not done with visits but North Carolina might be the program to beat at this point. He has developed a great rapport with Tar Heels commitment Armando Bacot and by all accounts, greatly enjoyed his visit to Chapel Hill two weeks ago.
I would say there's about a 50 percent chance that Indiana gets both Trayce Jackson-Davis and Keion Brooks, and I expect the Hoosiers to get at least one of them.
Jackson-Davis, the top-ranked prospect from Indiana, just completed his visit over the weekend and all signs point toward the five-star signing early. He has visited Michigan State, Iowa, Purdue and UCLA, but I would be surprised if his final landing spot is not Bloomington. If that is the case, he would bring a tremendous 15-foot and in skillset to the Hoosiers and immediately replace all-league forward Juwan Morgan in the frontcourt.
Brooks is a bit more difficult to read. While the Hoosiers are in a very good spot for him, his recruitment is more of a national one as UCLA, Kentucky and North Carolina are involved, as are regional programs like Purdue and Michigan State. There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for Brooks and he holds the leverage with his recruitment.
Jackson-Davis is a fairly solid bet for the Hoosiers this fall and while the recruitment of Brooks is a fluid one, Indiana sits in just as good of a spot for the five-star as anyone else involved.
I am going to say that UConn gets it done in the 2019 cycle and finishes with a top-10 recruiting class nationally. However, for this to come to fruition, the Huskies have a lot more work to be done in the coming weeks and months.
Luckily, UConn has already grabbed the pledges of two solid backcourt prospects in Rivals150 guard James Bouknight and three-star Jalen Gaffney. Each should contribute immediately in Storrs, but those two will not be enough for Dan Hurley’s first class to finish in the top-10 of the team rankings.
What would push UConn over the top would be commitments from Precious Achiuwa, Tre Mitchell, Qudus Wahab, Akok Akok or Kofi Cockburn. It would probably take more than one pledge from that group - something like Akok, Cockburn or Achiuwa along with Wahab or Mitchell - to give the Huskies their best recruiting class in years.
I don't expect UConn to miss on all three of Akok, Cockburn and Achiuwa. Of the group, I like the Huskies’ chances with Akok the most and if they pair him with Mitchell, a Rivals150 center, UConn would have a fair enough argument for a top-10 class nationally.
Top-60 wing Terry Armstrong is down to a final four of Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Oklahoma and began his visit tour over the weekend by visiting the Wildcats.
Arizona has placed a heavy priority on Armstrong and the fact that he is now at nearby Bella Vista Prep does not hurt the Wildcats’ chances. Sean Miller has been in to see Armstrong a number of times this fall and Arizona could hold the upper-hand with him as things wind down.
However, before any sort of announcement can be made, Armstrong will visit New Mexico in two weeks and could visit Oregon. His other finalist, Oklahoma, is about out of the race for his services as the Sooners have already added five commitments to their 2019 class.
Look for a fall commitment and a signing next month with the Wildcats sitting as the program to beat as New Mexico and Oregon attempt to jostle their way into the favorite’s chair.
