In this week’s #TwitterTuesday, we assess the two-team battle for five-star center Moses Brown, Mike Hopkins' first few months at Washington and the mystery around Talen Horton-Tucker.
There isn’t much known about five-star center Moses Brown outside of the fact that he visited Louisville at the beginning of the month and recently visited Maryland this past weekend. What comes next is anyone’s guess, though we can provide our own thoughts.
Kansas had continued to hover around Brown, but after landing the commitments of interior prospects Silvio De Sousa and David McCormack, it seems safe to assume the Jayhawks will no longer be involved with Brown. Who else could swoop in and make a run at him this fall? Despite its distance from Brown’s New York locale, UCLA would make a lot of sense as it needs to find a replacement for outgoing senior big Thomas Welsh.
Arizona and the local schools, including Seton Hall and St. John’s, could make a run, but it is all looking like a two-horse race at the moment between Louisville and Maryland.
The Cardinals must replace Anas Mahmoud after this season and could also lose Ray Spalding a year early to the NBA Draft, while the Terps will see Michael Cekovsky graduate this spring and the team will have a giant hole to fill down low.
Horton-Tucker is primed to be an early contributor because he can initiate his team’s half-court offense, defend different positions and score from all three levels on the floor.
Where he will play his college ball remains up in the air.
Despite the commitments of both Tyrese Haliburton and Zion Griffin earlier this month, Iowa State remains in a good spot for the ultra-versatile wing. Xavier is another school that can offer a soft landing spot for the Chicago native. Michigan boasts a strong four-man class and remain the dark horse for Horton-Tucker. Finally, Illinois has made Horton-Tucker a priority despite their continued strong pursuit of five-star guard Ayo Dosunmu.
Outside of Iowa State, Xavier, Michigan and Illinois, Horton-Tucker is also considering Kansas, Florida State and Missouri.
It is anyone’s guess, though, as to when a commitment might happen as Horton-Tucker has yet to set a single official visit.
So far, so good for Mike Hopkins at Washington. While the Huskies have not landed that blue-chip recruit, such as a Markelle Fultz, they have hit on versatile prospects that have the chance to thrive under the proper development and in the right system. It is evident that Hopkins values multi-positional ballplayers that can defend more than one spot on the floor and, most importantly, extend the defense with the perimeter jumper.
The new staff at UW went to work quickly, flipping Hameir Wright and Nahziah Carter back into the 2017 class this summer and each have already enrolled. They have also cashed in with the commitments of high upside wing-forward Ed Chang and Elijah Hardy.
With Hardy and Chang in the hopper, the next step for the Huskies is landing a frontcourt prospect and their main target is Bryan Penn-Johnson. UW didn’t miss a single game of his this past summer and was also the first power conference program to offer before his stock soared. The Huskies sit in a great spot but it will not be easy, as Arizona, DePaul, Wichita State, UCLA and a handful of others are also in the mix.
No one is going to nitpick much that Gregg Marshall does, either on the sidelines or on the recruiting trail, but with Wichita State's recent move to the American Athletic Conference, the Shockers have changed their recruiting pitch and geographic focal points. Sure, Wichita State is going to continue to scour the nation for blue-collared and, as they say, ‘Play Angry’-type of prospects, but they have begun to pursue more highly-touted ones and also recruited more heavily the states of Florida. Where might the Shockers sit by the time the first signing period rolls around in November?
Conner Frankamp is set to exhaust his college eligibility this winter and Landry Shamet, if he does what everyone expects him to do and recovers from the foot injury he suffered this summer, could also be gone, leaving a giant void at the lead guard spot. Marshall has relied heavily on his guards to set the tone, hence why he has prioritized Alex Lomax this summer and fall. One of the top prospects from Memphis, the Rivals150 guard has taken just one official visit thus far, a trip that took him to Wichita three weeks ago. Ole Miss, Memphis and Missouri remain in the mix, though the Shockers may be the favorite.
Wichita State has also continued to keep tabs on fellow Memphis guard Tyler Harris and tough-minded playmaker Neftali Alvarez. Landing one of the three is vital and so is adding a running mate to either of their point guard targets for next year.
The Shockers hosted Keyontae Johnson two weeks ago for an official visit. He has yet to show his cards as to who might be in the lead, but Wichita State is definitely squarely in the mix.
In the frontcourt, Wichita State has made a priority out of Bryan Penn-Johnson and Morris Udeze. Penn-Johnson, one of the top upside centers in the 2018 class, would be an immediate paint presence at Wichita State. Washington, Arizona, DePaul, UCLA and several others remain in the mix, so landing him will not be easy. However, Udeze, a 6-foot-9 center at IMG Academy, is set to make his college commitment Wednesday. The Shockers are in a great spot for him as they continue to battle Butler for his commitment.
Others to keep tabs on include Vince Williams, Vincent Lee, Keyshawn Bryant and Jared Rhoden.
By the time November rolls around, look for Wichita State to land a lead guard coming - likely either Lomax or Alvarez - along with a big in the mold of Penn-Johnson or Udeze, along with another wild card.
