The number next to a player’s name in national recruiting rankings won’t help him score points once he steps on a college basketball court. It won’t help him defend or find an open shooter with a pass or make three-pointer with the game on the line. It won’t necessarily help in NBA draft projections, either -- just ask Cliff Alexander.
Where will the 5 best uncommitted college basketball recruits end up?
Don’t put in your preseason predictions just yet. There are still five incoming freshmen who could change the course of next season.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Players lucky and talented enough to be a considered as five-stars prospects do have one major advantage over their peers, though. They’re allowed the luxury of waiting as long as possible to announce a college choice.
The benefits of waiting should be clear enough. It allows players to see who’s entering the draft, who’s transferring and how a program’s remaining roster fits around their skill set. If you’re that talented, even the best programs in the country are willing to wait for you.
When the McDonald’s All-American Game came to Chicago two weeks ago, eight of the game’s 24 players remained uncommitted. Since then, center Thomas Bryant has signed with Indiana, big man Caleb Swanigan chose Michigan State and athletic forward Ivan Rabb picked Cal. Throw in 7-footer Thon Maker (unranked by some services because he’s playing in Canada) and Nike Hoop Summit star Jamal Murray (who could potentially reclassify out of the class of 2016), and there are still seven impact players on the board.
With most of the early entry candidates already off to the NBA Draft, this seemed like a good time to take stock in where each of these players could land. We’ll leave Maker and Murray off the list because their futures seem too uncertain. The rankings next to each player’s name are provided by ESPN.
No. 2 Jaylen Brown
Who is he? Brown is a 6’7, 220-pound wing out of Marietta, Ga.
Who is he considering? Cal, Michigan, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, North Carolina, Georgia, Georgia Tech
The common refrain on Brown is that he might have more upside than any player in the class of 2015. He’s a power wing in the mold of Vince Carter whose biggest advantage right now is he elite athleticism. There isn’t another perimeter player in the class with Brown’s ability to go coast-to-coast for a tomahawk dunk. If Andrew Wiggins is the gold standard for athleticism out of a wing, consider Brown a half-notch lower.
Brown came up through the Adidas circuit and has said in the past he’d like to stick with an Adidas school. It’s worth pointing out that Brown was the only Adidas player at the Nike Hoops Summit and that he’s also playing in the Jordan Brand Classic. Basically, when you’re this good, you can do whatever you want, regardless of the pressure that may or may not be coming from the shoe companies.
Who needs him the most? Kentucky
All seven teams on Brown’s list would love to have him, but it’s a Nike school in Lexington that could use him the most. Simply put, Kentucky is in a rare position of needing more talent. The Wildcats lost their top seven scorers to the draft and have a three-man class coming in with its best player (center Skal Labissiere) possibly facing a fight with the NCAA to become eligible. With Brown, the Wildcats could be a national title contender once again. Without him (or one or two of the other guys on this list), Kentucky might not seem as powerful as we’re used too.
The pick: Who knows!
Brown has really given no indication up to this point. 247 Sports has UCLA has the leader. We’ll see.
No. 4 Malik Newman
Who is he? A 6’4 shooting guard out of Jackson, Miss.
Who is he considering? Mississippi State, Kentucky, Kansas, LSU, playing professionally overseas
In an age when Stephen Curry’s off-the-dribble pull-up game is all the rage, Newman exits high school with arguably the deepest range of any shooter in the class. He might remind you of another gunner out of Mississippi who has been putting up points in the NBA for more than a decade at this point: Mavericks guard Monta Ellis.
Newman won four state championships in high school and a gold medal with USA Basketball last summer. He’s done about all an 18-year-old can do on a basketball court, and yet he’s played his recruitment extremely close to the vest up to this point. Newman’s father recently acknowledged that professional teams overseas have contacted him about following in the footsteps of his former AAU teammate Emmanuel Mudiay and turning pro instead of going to college. There’s reportedly $1.5 million on the line.
Who needs him the most? Mississippi State
Schools like Kansas and Kentucky get five-star prospects every year. Pulling a player like Newman out of its own backyard is basically Mississippi State’s only chance at this type of talent.
Newman’s father, Horacio Webster, played at Mississippi State. New coach Ben Howland once helped Russell Westbrook go from a little known recruit at UCLA to the most exciting player in the NBA. Newman has given little indication of which way he’s leaning, but the Bulldogs have to be happy they’re still in the mix at this point.
The pick: A professional team overseas
It’s hard to turn down $1.5 million.
No. 10 Stephen Zimmerman
Who is he? A 7-foot, 230-pound center out of Nevada
Who is he considering? UNLV, Kentucky, Arizona, Kansas, UCLA, Louisville
Zimmerman played at Nevada’s Bishop Gorman High School alongside another five-star center, Duke commit Chase Jeter. It’s worth noting that Zimmerman is more than a year older than Jeter, but that should only mean he’ll be ready to make an instant impact when he gets to college.
Zimmerman showed off impressive athleticism at the McDonald’s Game dunk contest and also has a nice face-up jump shot. He’s the last true center left in this class who could step in and start from day one.
Who needs him the most? UNLV
The Runnin’ Rebels plucked a McDonald’s All-American out of the class of 2014 in Rashad Vaughn, but he’s already declared for the NBA Draft after one injury-riddled season in college. Dave Rice did find a nice replacement in wing Derrick Jones, a high-flyer ranked as the No. 3 small forward in the class by ESPN. If 6’11 forward Christian Wood returns to school and Zimmerman picks UNLV, Rice will be set up for a big run next season.
The pick: UNLV
No. 11 Cheick Diallo
Who is he? A 6’9, 225-pound power forward from New York by way of West Africa
Who is he considering? St. John’s, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky
Diallo has the least-refined offensive game of any of the elite uncommitted prospects, but he makes up for it with length, speed and hustle. The McDonald’s Game MVP has the chance to be a special defender, capable of guarding four or five positions. His non-stop motor will help him offensively early in his career since he should be able to get points in transition, off cuts and from offensive rebounds.
This is thought to be a two-horse race between Chris Mullin’s St. John’s Red Storm and Fred Hoiberg’s Iowa State Cyclones. Then again, we should know better than to ever count out Kentucky this late in the process.
Who needs him the most? Iowa State
Hoiberg has had a ton of success at Iowa State -- March’s upset loss to No. 14 UAB notwithstanding. Just about the only thing he hasn’t done is secure the services of a five-star prospect. The Cyclones should be loaded next season with a team built around Georges Niang and Monte Morris. Throw Diallo in there, and ISU is a legit preseason top-five squad.
One thing to watch: Will Diallo sign with Hoiberg before the NBA comes calling for the coach?
The pick: St. John’s
Mullin is going all out in his early days as a college coach to get the most talent possible. He’s likely to do anything in his power to keep Diallo in New York.
No. 12 Brandon Ingram
Who is he? A 6’9, 195-pound wing out of North Carolina.
Who is he considering? North Carolina, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky
Ingram looks like he’s from another planet when he steps onto a basketball court -- and that’s a compliment. He’s so tall and long and skinny that watching him run around screens and hoist three-pointers really is a sight to behold. The Kevin Durant comparisons were unavoidable as soon as Ingram turned himself into a reliable outside shooter, but let’s not get carried away. Ingram still has a long way to go, but he has does posses a ton of upside as a long-term prospect.
Ingram said he likely would have picked North Carolina already if not the NCAA punishment hanging over the program’s head. Now that Duke has lost three freshmen -- including wing Justise Winslow -- this could be a heated recruiting battle between the two most historic rivals in college basketball.
Who needs him the most? North Carolina
UNC was getting preseason No. 1 hype before J.P. Tokoto’s surprise decision to enter the NBA Draft. That isn’t a death blow for the Heels even if Tokoto was a nice player: UNC could use more shooting on the wing, and a player like Ingram would provide exactly that. With Ingram in the fold, Roy Williams could have himself a national title contender.
The pick: Duke
Luke Kennard and Chase Jeter are already on board. Add in Ingram and Duke’s class of 2015 won’t be as good as the one that won the 2015 national title, but it still might be as good as any group in the country.
SB Nation presents: Duke is the NCAA champion once again
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