RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings
In this week’s Wednesday’s Leftovers, analyst Corey Evans addresses Oregon’s chances at defeating UNC for Cole Anthony, Pitt’s next target in the 2019 class, how Georgetown can add to its strong senior group, and the recruitment of Keion Brooks and Scottie Barnes.
MORE: Twitter Tuesday | Three-Point Play
There have been whispers that Cole Anthony is beginning to favor in playing his college ball in Eugene and not Chapel Hill. Many had assumed that this was a done deal for North Carolina, and while UNC may still win out, there is much more work to be done before he comes to his decision.
Anthony has completed all of his official visits and while he has a final list of six programs, I see Georgetown, Miami, Notre Dame and Wake Forest more as window dressing rather than legitimate landing spots. There was talk that Anthony could be coming off of the board last month, but January came and went and he remains an uncommitted man.
I would be surprised if he decides this month, but things are beginning to come to a close. His father, Greg Anthony, has been much more present at his games in recent weeks, so there is a better opportunity for the five-star guard to discuss the pros and cons of each program with his family. If everyone can get on the same page, then Anthony could enter decision-making mode. Do not discount the Ducks, as this is a dead heat as things wind down.
Most of the talk surrounding Keion Brooks lately has funneled toward Indiana and North Carolina. The longer the process goes, things seem bleaker for the Hoosiers, as the thought in the fall was that Brooks was leaning toward giving his pledge to the in-state program. Still, as Brooks told Rivals.com this weekend, Archie Miller has done a great job of recruiting him and his family, and his relationship with fellow five-star and former travel teammate, Trayce Jackson-Davis, should only bolster the Hoosiers' chances.
UNC does have a gaping hole that it would love for Brooks to fill on the wings, which he also discussed. That's a selling point that seems to be heavily weighing on his mind. Kentucky should not be discounted, and neither should Michigan State, as the Spartans have seemingly made up major ground this winter. Purdue rounds out his final five, and even though I would select Indiana for his eventual landing spot, I'm not overly confident in that prediction.
It was definitely a sting when Qudus Wahab selected Georgetown over Pitt last week and while the Rivals150 center would have squelched some of their frontcourt concerns, all is not lost for the Panthers. They are heavily in the mix for three-star center Karim Coulibaly, and while he might not possess the attributes of Wahab, he would be a solid piece down low. Next is Gerald Drumgoole, a Rivals150 wing who will visit the program this weekend, and it looks as if the Panthers may be the team to beat. Christian Brown, a four-star forward, could visit in the coming weeks, but defeating NC State may be difficult. The Panthers could also attempt to reclassify brothers Julian Champagnie and Justin Champagnie, and will likely be very active this spring as decommitments follow coaching changes and the grad-transfer waters open up.
Scottie Barnes has completed two official visits to Florida State and Oregon, and with a potential trimmed list on the way, he is not going to reclassify into the 2019 class. The five programs that will likely be in it until the very end would be Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Miami and Oregon.
The in-state programs in Florida offer proximity to home and a comfort factor, while Kentucky can present the blueblood path and playing with some of his best friends that he has cultivated relationships with on the travel circuit and with the Basketball. However, Oregon may be the one to watch, as the program was his favorite growing up and Barnes also has some family in the state, which could only help the Ducks pluck one of the most unique prospects out of Southwest Florida and bring him to the Pacific Northwest in the fall of 2020.
I do not see it happening with Cole Anthony, as I have already discussed n this column: Oregon and UNC are the two programs to beat. Damion Baugh is not in much of a rush, and while the Hoyas were involved earlier on, the Rivals150 guard has seen new programs enter the picture, which will only make it more difficult to land the versatile guard. This brings us to Terrence Shannon. He told Rivals analyst Eric Bossi over the weekend that he will likely decide in April, and while in-state programs DePaul and Illinois have been discussed the most often, don't discount the Hoyas. Texas Tech is a solid dark horse to keep tabs on, too.
Georgetown celebrated the commitment of Qudus Wahab last week, and he should bring an immediate infusion of energy and toughness down low. The Hoyas already boast the commitments of Timothy Igohoefe and Malcolm Wilson, and do not forget about NC State transfer Omer Yurtseven sitting out this season. I don't see the Igohoefe or Wilson decommitting, but rather one of them taking a redshirt season to offset the number of big bodies battling it out for limited minutes. In all, the Hoyas are in a good spot and have some wiggle room to work with as spring approaches.
