Another round of #TwitterTuesday is here as we assess the current recruitment of five-star guard Anfernee Simons, what Jairus Hamilton’s commitment could mean for Boston College and where five-star Indiana guard Romeo Langford stands.
Nothing much has changed with Anfernee Simons when it comes to selecting a college to attend, or in his particular situation, making the final decision to jump straight to the NBA. Simons is playing a year at IMG Academy after graduating from four years of high school, and he will be 19 at the time of the NBA Draft, so he will be draft eligible.
This past weekend, Simons took his first official visit to Tennessee as he was on hand for the Vols’ statement win over Kentucky. I would expect that game would have greatly impressed Simons with the fan support and atmosphere.
Unfortunately for Tennessee fans, a college commitment is not imminent. Simons has been consistent with remaining patient with the process the second time around after decommitting from Louisville in the wake of the FBI investigation.
Look for a few more official visits to be set in the coming weeks as South Carolina, Florida and NC State are discussed the most. A final decision pertaining to which college he might attend or if he will head directly to the NBA is not expected until spring.
Jairus Hamilton, one of the top remaining prospects from the 2018 class this winter, has put together a tremendous senior campaign. A 6-foot-8 forward that is an ideal small-ball four-man in today’s game, Hamilton has kept his recruitment close to vest over the past few months but we do know that Boston College is heavily in contention.
Hamilton took three official visits in the fall as he saw the campuses of Maryland, Mississippi State and BC. Since then, MSU has taken the commitment of Robert Woodard, a similar player in the mold of Hamilton and that could put the Bulldogs lower in the pecking order, though he did say that they remain in the picture.
Villanova is another school that has continued to communicate with Hamilton, but at this point, an offer or visit has not been scheduled. This all brings us back to Maryland and Boston College. Last week, the Terps lost Justin Jackson to a season-ending injury. Prior to the season, most believed Jackson would leave early to the NBA. Could this setback change Maryland’s approach with Hamilton, seeing that Jackson may be more than likely to return to College Park? That remains up for debate.
If Hamilton does decide that Boston College is where he is meant to be, as Rob had stated, the Eagles become a sneaky ACC unit next season. Will they compete for a league crown? No, but they will have three quality pieces in Jerome Robinson, Jordan Chatman and Kyran Bowman. Toss in a solid freshman punch in Hamilton and underrated frontcourt talents of Nik Popovic and Steffon Mitchell, and an NCAA Tournament bid isn’t totally out of the picture.
At this point, Moses Brown remains in the waiting stages, a stance that many elite prospects who do not commit during the Early Signing Period take. Instead of selecting a college now, Brown is better off waiting until the spring to see who leaves the respective programs that continue to remain in contention for his commitment.
Speaking of such, Kentucky, Florida State, Maryland and UCLA are the four that have been the most involved dating back to the fall. The Terps were the perceived favorite for him once the FBI sting hit at Louisville leading to Rick Pitino’s ouster. Brown, just as he is now, remained patient, which enabled others to get into the picture.
Brown had talked about potentially setting a visit to Duke, though it sounds as if the mutual interest has tapered off some. FSU may be the dark horse and while Maryland would love to nab his commitment as it could potentially lose stud freshman Bruno Fernando earlier than expected to the NBA, a decision is not expected any time soon.
The top guard available this winter, Romeo Langford has remained rather focused on his high school season as he continues to trek up the Indiana state high school scoring record list. He is now top 10 all-time in the famed Hoosier State.
There was a chance that Langford could sign during the early period in November but instead, he decided to cut his list to a final group of three. Langford will play at Kansas, Indiana or Vanderbilt, and while each is continuing to hastily pursue and recruit the elite scorer, he is also in no rush to make a college decision.
Kansas may lose a few early departures to the NBA Draft; what you see is what you’re going to get with Vanderbilt and Indiana. Each have already put together a nationally ranked recruiting class and outside of transfers, neither unit is expected to lose anyone early. That should give Langford a better understanding of what he will be walking into next fall at either program.
Do not expect a college decision for the next few weeks as Langford continues to dominate his opposition and go down as one of the top scorers in Indiana state history.
