Wednesday's Leftovers: Hampton, Brooks; prospect to watch in 2019
RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings
We had an overflowing mailbag this week as, in this week’s Wednesday’s Leftovers, we get to your pressing concerns regarding the recruitment of RJ Hampton and Keion Brooks, the favorite for the Champagnie brothers, UConn’s 2020 NCAA Tournament hopes, Syracuse's record setting weekend and an underrated prospect in the 2019 class.
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If playing time was of the utmost importance, then I am not sure those are the two schools that could offer such a path for RJ Hampton to succeed in college.
Kansas will likely return Devon Dotson, Charlie Moore, and maybe Quentin Grimes; Memphis will bring back Alex Lomax, Antwann Jones and Tyler Harris; lastly, Kentucky will enroll Tyrese Maxey and Kahlil Whitney, all while Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley and Tyler Herro could all be back. TCU and Duke offer a much bigger void at the lead guard spot especially if Tre Jones leaves Durham.
A top-five junior, Hampton has the chance to reclassify this summer and thus, enroll in college this fall. He is someone that is best with the ball in his hands and has been adamant about having such a role in college but, at the end of the day, the primary factors in play will be which program can offer Hampton the chance to flourish in college and showcase his abilities in what could amount to be a lone college season.
Kentucky definitely wants to add at least two more in the frontcourt, which makes their pursuit of Matthew Hurt, Keion Brooks and Jaden McDaniels that much more important to its success next season.
However, let’s just say that Brooks is the first to come off of the board, which actually is the likeliest of the three to do so, and commits to Kentucky. While UK will definitely remain in pursuit of Hurt and McDaniels, it could make it a bit more difficult for either to select Kentucky thanks to what would be a more crowded frontcourt.
Compared to Duke, Kansas or UNC for Hurt, or SDSU, Texas or Washington for McDaniels, neither of the respective schools have filled such a hole that would be taken by Brooks at Kentucky. They will remain active in their recruitment but Isaiah Todd, N’Faly Dante, or a grad-transfer might be a likelier path to filling their frontcourt needs.
Members of the 2020 class, Julian Champagnie and Justin Champagnie took their first and only official visit two weeks ago to Pitt. The Panthers have really kicked things up into another gear with the talented twins from New York City. The added twist is that there is a chance that both could and will reclassify into the 2019 class in the coming months, an avenue I believe that they end up taking.
They did just visit St. John’s on Saturday and Rutgers on Sunday as the local programs are definitely doing their best to keep the duo at home. However, it says here that the Champagnie siblings will enroll in the 2019 class and be found at Pitt next year.
While I do like the trajectory of UConn, more is still needed if the Huskies want to put on their dancing shoes next year. One cannot discount the loss that Jalen Adams will leave in the backcourt after this season, but I do feel comfortable with the incoming talents of Jalen Gaffney and James Bouknight.
The frontcourt needs more work. Akok Akok is the complete wildcard and if he plays to his potential, the UConn’s ceiling is raised further. However, if they can nab another cog in the frontcourt in the mold of Tre Mitchell or Precious Achiuwa, then I feel even more confident saying that the Huskies could be found within the bracket of 68 next March.
Seeing the glamour and passion of the Syracuse fan base had to show those in attendance that the Orange is a program that is supported to the fullest and that Jim Boeheim can offer the greatest of platforms to play at.
Winning is super valuable to any prospect whenever it comes to selecting a college home, but so too is finding a place that is given tremendous backing by its fan base, has the chance to place in a tremendous setting and can receive the proper coaching that would enable for the best development and path to the NBA. From first glance on Saturday, it seems as if Syracuse offered each which should have left a strong impression on all of those in attendance.
Let’s stick with available prospects from the 2019 class which brings us to Lester Quinones. The top-50 wing is a heralded one at Rivals.com, but we seem to be ahead of the curve compared to the rest of the industry with the IMG product.
He is down to a final list of schools that includes some of the better ones nationally but he is also someone that, in the right role and system, could excel at any program in America. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a major name for himself next season thanks to his alpha-dog demeanor, work ethic and shot making prowess. Where that will be is up for debate as LSU and Maryland may have the inside track, though Georgia, Indiana, Memphis, Miami and Ohio State continue to pursue.