Wednesday's Leftovers: Kerwin Walton, Karim Mane, G League
There is much to discuss in this week’s Wednesday’s Leftovers including the upcoming commitment of Kerwin Walton, various suitors for Karim Mane, the new G League route and more.
It is a complete guessing game at this point. Kerwin Walton, a four-star wing, is set to commit Saturday. He has been mum on his recruitment up until this point and selecting a clear favorite heading into his decision remains difficult.
His finalists remain Arizona, Creighton, Georgetown, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Vanderbilt. Back in the fall, I was fairly confident in my FutureCast in which it had Walton picking Arizona. That confidence has waned in recent weeks which has coincided with another scholarship opening up at UNC. Walton cut his school list and set a commitment date around the same time as UNC entered the picture.
Maybe it was just random timing, but if not, it would align with Walton picking UNC and recent whispers surrounding his recruitment have said just that. However, with how big of a mystery he has been, I wouldn’t be surprised if he picked Arizona, or even Creighton or Minnesota. For now, his recruitment remains a guessing game leading up to his commitment on Saturday.
This is no inside knowledge, but the commitment of DJ Carton last week to Marquette may have only lessened their chances with Karim Mane. Carton, an Ohio State transfer and former five-star prospect, will likely push for a waiver to play immediately in the fall. Sure, he and Mane could co-exist in the backcourt and if anyone can make it work, it is Steve Wojciechowski. He has an offensively conducive system that will need to replace Markus Howard, which won’t be easily done by just one person.
Marquette and Michigan State have been the most discussed landing spots for Mane but he is in no rush to end his recruitment. Instead, he is fine waiting things out in hopes that the ongoing pandemic will cease to an extent that would allow for visits to be taken beginning in June.
Marquette is the lone school to have hosted him in the official variety this year, while MSU, along with DePaul, Memphis and Pitt, could also bring him to their campus. Don’t discount the chances that Mane takes the professional route, either, in which he could enter his name into the NBA Draft this summer, or also become the next to take the new G-League pathway.
I cannot stress this enough: these G League invites are not being handed out left and right. It a not pathway that is open to anyone. It is specifically entailed for the best of the best that also have the proper make-up that would allow for success under the guidelines of the new program.
It should also be noted, the first year or two of its existence, it is important that these select prospects not only find success with its guidelines, but thrive which will be reflected by their standing for the next draft. Meaning, the G-League is going to be extra critical of who they pursue and further recruit for these limited spots.
Taking a look at the 2021 Rivals150, it is not difficult to pin-point potential prospects that could be candidates for this program. Jon Kuminga is one of those and there is even a chance that he makes the move into the 2020 class later this summer. Moussa Cisse could follow a similar route, though I lean towards him playing in college.
Kennedy Chandler has already said that he has been approached by the G League, though it has not gone past the introductory stages, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Pat Baldwin were also specified.
However, this was created for those that don’t want to attend college but instead, were looking to play professionally during the year between high school and the NBA. How the first rendition of this fares should correlate to the talent that it could enroll in the fall of 2021.
Illinois made good use of its time during the ongoing pandemic by shutting down the recruitment of Luke Goode. I don’t see any other 2021 commitments near for the Illini. They do remain a potential landing spot for Brandon Weston, though the four-star guard is expected to leave Morgan Park High School and played his senior year in New Jersey in the fall. Rafael Pinzon, a high school teammate of incoming guard Andre Curbelo, is one to monitor, as is local product Isaiah Barnes who just landed an Illini offer, Mac Etienne and Franck Kepnang. I don’t see it in the cards with Max Christie or Jaden Hardy, though.
However, a transfer could be up next. Finishing in second in the race for his commitment out of high school, there has been talk that Illinois could be the landing spot for Oregon transfer Francis Okoro. Whether he is eligible to play immediately next season is not clear but the Illini are among the favorites for the frontline weapon.
I broached the subject yesterday some but wanted to revisit further today. First, it heavily depends on what class of prospect we are talking about. If he is a member of the 2020 class and is fully qualified for college in the fall, if he was unable to take visits before the ongoing shutdown, and doesn’t feel properly educated on the schools he is considering, he could always wait until visits are allowed later this summer but that could also see his scholarship be taken by another recruit. Others alternatives would be to attempt to make the best decision possible or, just like we saw last week with Brandon Murray, take a prep year and start his recruitment at ground zero as a class of 2021 target.
For the younger classes, there is no major need to rush. Sure, members of the 2021 class may see some of their peers committing, but unless they know where they want to attend college, do not commit! All things pass and for as hazy of a period this is for all of us, greater evaluation methods will soon come to light which should enable for greater opportunities at the collegiate level.
The Transfer Portal is the most heavily discussed topic in the recruiting world right now, maybe outside of the new G-League path, but a scholarship taken is a scholarship taken, regardless of whether they are immediately eligible in the fall. Could such a prospect take a chance away from a high school prospect? Sure, but most are going to complete most of its roster constructing through the high school platform compared to all others.