Twitter Tuesday: Ramey's future; fixing Pitt; IU's top targets
Following a tremendous opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament, we get to your questions in this week’s #TwitterTuesday as we take a quick look at how Pitt goes about rebuilding, Indiana’s chances of locking up the top in-state junior prospects, the favorites for Courtney Ramey, and where Kansas stands with Romeo Langford.
RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position
Courtney Ramey, a top 50 guard in the 2018 class, has shown no urgency in coming to a college decision. While he visited Texas and Oklahoma State in December, he has remained open to the process. Ramey helped his team to a state championship on Saturday. Now that his high school season is over, look for things to pick up, though selecting a favorite remains hard to do.
Texas and Oklahoma State both dispatched their head coaches to see Ramey within the past two weeks and each remains among top contenders. However, the competition for him is not short as other head coaches from SMU, Ohio State, Missouri and Illinois have each seen Ramey during his playoff run, as have assistants from South Carolina, Oregon and Missouri.
Missouri has a nice chip thanks to the signing of Torrence Watson, a 2018 wing that played travel ball alongside Ramey for the past few years. The Tigers have begun to prioritize Ramey, reflected by Cuonzo Martin’s multiple viewings of him within the past six weeks, though they remain in catch-up mode. Look for a few official visits to be set in the coming weeks and a commitment to be made some time during the late signing period next month.
News came out Friday that eight members of the Pitt men’s basketball program would be asking for their release to transfer. Bryce Golden, its top 2018 recruit, asked for his, as well, and this is all coming off a winless ACC campaign. How does the new staff regroup and make the program a contender?
I would not rush anything. That is super important. The last thing that Pitt wants is to endure another slew of years like what it had just been put through. Similar to how the tanking teams in the NBA are going about things, would one rather be just average for several years, or have a few mediocre campaigns but also a handful of others where you’re competing for a league title? I fall toward the latter.
With all of that in mind, the new head coach needs to persuade the current roster to stay. Marcus Carr, Shamiel Stevenson and Terrell Brown are each solid building blocks. Attempt to sway seniors Jared Wilson-Frame and Ryan Luther to stay, too, where experience is the most difficult thing to replace in college basketball.
From there, hit the junior college level for a few additions and check in on the best available lists from the 2018 class. Do not take a transfer just to take someone, which would only put the program behind the eight ball even further. Building the proper foundation, while it may take an extra few years, is vital.
From there, the focus should be on the 2019 and 2020 classes. Unfortunately, the 2019 class is arguably the worst in sheer of depth and elite talent that I have seen in recent time. However, the proper in-roads must be made. If Pitt can hit on the appropriate targets in those two years, enrolling each alongside the junior college prospects taken this summer, it could be the appropriate mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen.
The top state of Indiana junior prospects, Keion Brooks and Trace Jackson-Davis, remain priority recruits for the first-year staff in Bloomington. Archie Miller has done a phenomenal job of making the Hoosiers a favorite for each as the chances of landing both sits around 60 percent.
It would be a major, major shock if Indiana does not land at least one of the two. Practically the entire Big Ten has offered the top 50 prospects, as a slew of others outside of their Midwest locale have come calling.
Brooks has been a heavily coveted name since stepping foot onto a high school playing floor. Indiana and Kentucky are the likeliest of landing spots for the 6-foot-7 forward with the Hoosiers having a slight upper hand.
Jackson-Davis, the son of former NBA big man Dale Davis, has seen his stock soar in recent months. He has grown another inch and developed his skillset and athleticism to the point that he is evolving into a five-star prospect during our next ranking update. Indiana is the favorite here, too, as it may have an even better chance with the 6-foot-8 big man compared to Brooks.
The top-ranked senior available, Romeo Langford, is now on commitment watch. After completing his senior year of play this weekend, the five-star guard remains focused on a final three of Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Indiana. The talk has surrounded Langford waiting until April to decide, which should only help KU’s chances.
Like most elite prospects that decide not to sign during the early period in November, they tend to wait until the spring to see who might be leaving and who might be staying regarding NBA decisions. Seeing that Vanderbilt and Indiana are likely to see no one leave early for the NBA Draft, Kansas is the remaining final suitor that could see early departures to the league.
Kansas will lose Svi Mykhailiuk and Devonte Graham to graduation, and could also see Malik Newman and LaGerald Vick opt for the NBA. KU will enroll five-star guards Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes, and will also see the eligibility lifted on transfer Charlie Moore.
Indiana remains the program to beat with Vanderbilt not far behind, but with a decision that isn’t expected until April, the Jayhawks might just have enough in them to eke out another five-star commitment this spring.
