Where things stand with 2019's uncommitted Rivals150 centers
The early signing period for hoops is only three weeks away. As Nov. 14 draws closer, the available pool of talent is shrinking.
This week we'll be taking a position by position look at where the uncommitted members of the 2019 Rivals150 stand. Who are the contenders? Will they sign early or late? What's the latest?
We finish things off with a look at the centers. The top three centers -- led by No. 1 overall Vernon Carey, Jr. -- are all still available and there is more uncertainty about the intentions of this group than there is at any other position.
More: Where uncommitted power forwards stand | Guards | Small forwards
Contenders: Final five of Duke, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan State and North Carolina.
Early or late: Late.
Breakdown: Carey officially visited Michigan State during his junior season and plans to see the Spartans again before making his choice. He visits hometown Miami (where his dad played football) this weekend and has already been to Duke and Kentucky. North Carolina gets a visit next weekend. Even though he won't likely sign early, Carey should decide before the New Year and headed into the final few visits it looks like the Spartans and Blue Devils may be a little ahead.
Contenders: Final five of Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis and Vanderbilt.
Early or late: Late.
Breakdown: Like Carey, Wiseman probably won't decide in time to sign early, but he should have a decision sometime before the new year. By now, everybody knows that Memphis is coached by Wiseman's former summer and high school coach Penny Hardaway. He's making his official visit this weekend and has seen all of his other finalists. The feel is that this is still a two-horse race between the Tigers and John Calipari's Kentucky program, yet there have been murmurs that the other three in the mix are legitimate contenders.
Contenders: Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse, Villanova and Washington.
Early or late: Early.
Breakdown: Stewart has really seemed to be all over the board during the process. He had a final six, added Kentucky to it and visited. Took an unannounced visit to Syracuse and has also seen Washington and Michigan State officially. Duke should get an official as well but as of today the prevailing thought is that Michigan State and Washington may have created a little bit of distance from the pack, though Kentucky and the Blue Devils should never be discounted.
Contenders: Georgetown, Texas, Stanford and UCLA.
Early or late: Early.
Breakdown: A skilled seven-footer who can shoot with range, it's a bit surprising that Baker isn't off the board yet. He's been done with his official visits for a while and should be deciding early even though he hasn't set a date. Look for him to stay home to play for the Longhorns or follow his film school dreams at UCLA.
Contenders: Final eight of Connecticut, Florida State, Illinois, Kansas, LSU, Pittsburgh, St. John's and Syracuse.
Early or late: Late.
Breakdown: A massive, throwback style five man, Cockburn takes his first official visit this weekend when he checks out UConn (who he has also seen unofficially). He could be a big feather in Danny Hurley's cap during his first year in Storrs and the Huskies do appear to be in pretty good shape. But, a decision isn't expected anytime soon and others will get a chance to present their case.
Contenders: Arizona State, Georgetown, Memphis, UCLA and others.
Early or late: Late.
Breakdown: When Marial first hit the seen as a ninth grader, he had a huge buzz. However, he's had some injury issues and moved around high schools, so things have quieted down. He's got programs in contact, but Marial is going to be one of those guys for whom we'll have to wait and see who prioritizes him before making any predictions on his recruitment.
Contenders: Attracted early offers from Georgetown, St. John's, USC and others.
Early or late: Late.
Breakdown: Similar to Marial, the recruitment of Lewis has been pretty quiet to this point. He's transferred from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas for his senior year and is another where we will have to see who jumps in during the winter time.
Contenders: BYU, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Oregon and Utah.
Early or late: Early.
Breakdown: Johnson has taken official visits to Utah, Ohio State and Oregon. He will take a mission following graduation meaning that he won't be enrolling until 2021-22 year. He's skilled and has big upside as he gets stronger. If there's a leader, it could be Utah. However, the Utes have to be at least a little worried of the competition since he didn't commit as rumored after his official visit.
Contenders: Baylor, Florida State, Gonzaga and others.
Early or late: To be determined.
Breakdown: Koprivica was named in the FBI college basketball corruption trial as a player Christian Dawkins was trying to secure money for from LSU coach Will Wade. Because of that, Koprivica's recruitment has been relatively quiet. He did take an official visit to Baylor back in the winter and Florida State does seem to be making a move. If he were to pop early, the Seminoles appear to be in a good spot.
Contenders: Connecticut, Illinois, Notre Dame and others.
Early or late: Late.
Breakdown: Mitchell has good skill, good size and should be ready to play important minutes pretty early in college. Notre Dame has gone all out for him and are in pretty good position and UConn and Illinois are certainly factors. The feel here is that he will wait to sign and that his recruitment could still be fairly open.
Contenders: Final five of Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
Early or late: Early.
Breakdown: A promising big man who can run the floor, block shots and rebound, Wahab should be nearing the end of the recruitment process. He's got a visit coming up to Pitt the first weekend of November and the Panthers seem to have made some headway with him as most of the other talk has surrounded Virginia Tech and UConn.
Contenders: Florida State, Kansas State, New Mexico, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Washington State and others.
Early or late: Late.
Breakdown: January has moved around a bit during his high school days, but he had a big summer that turned some heads. He's big, athletic and pretty skilled with upside. If he can prove to be a consistent performer this winter, he could see a tremendous boost for his already strong stock.