Meet the 5-star college basketball recruits you need to know this year

July is the biggest month on the calendar for the players and coaches at the center of the weird world of college basketball recruiting. For three straight weekends, coaches are permitted to be in the gym to watch the best high school basketball players in the country compete for scholarship offers. It amounts to a massive open audition with huge stakes for everyone involved.

As the July evaluation period begins, the class of 2018 remains wide open at the top. Only one player in the top 17 of ESPN’s rankings has made his college choice. Blue bloods like Kentucky, Duke, and Kansas don’t have a single commitment yet. It’s setting the stage for a thrilling stretch for the biggest prospects in the sport.

College recruiting classes are like NBA draft classes in that they’re often judged by the star power at the top. In that sense, the class of 2018 is reminiscent of the 2015 class: There’s one potential superstar — with Marvin Bagley III as this year’s Ben Simmons — followed by a tight crop of elite prospects below him.

These are the five-star recruits you need to know as recruiting season approaches.

I’m tempted to say Marvin Bagley III is the best player I’ve seen at this level since I began covering recruiting in 2013. The scouts and recruiting analysts I’ve talked to all agree Bagley would be in contention for No. 1 in any class.

What makes Bagley special? He’s a 6’11 big man with the athletic fluidity of a wing and the comfort on the perimeter of a guard. The way he pushes the ball up court off rebounds will remind you of Simmons. His finishing ability is reminiscent of Anthony Davis. He can also shoot the ball from three-point range and defend both on the perimeter and at the rim.

Simply put, Bagley is a 6’11 mega athlete with very few holes in his game. It would be shocking if anyone else is the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. Until then, Kentucky, UCLA and Arizona feel like the leaders in the clubhouse for his one season of college basketball.

It’s possible Zion Williamson is the most famous high school athlete since LeBron James. His incredible dunking ability made him a brand name before he could ever attend junior prom. He’s had the top play on SportsCenter, Drake wears his jersey, and he’s closing in on a million Instagram followers. He just turned 17 years old last week.

This was supposed to be the Summer of Zion. Instead, he suffered a bruised knee in April and hasn’t really played since. The good news is Williamson appears healthy and is back on the court, which means it’s only a matter of time before he’s taking over your social media feed once again one windmill at a time.

We know Zion can dunk. How well-rounded is the rest of his game? That’s the big question. Like many young players, his jump shot and his handle will need to improve. Scouts will wonder if he’s quick enough to defend small forwards and long enough to defend power forwards. There’s no point in worrying about this now. What we know is that he’s historically explosive for a 6’7, 230-pound teenager. Time will tell whether he really deserves the No. 2 overall ranking in this class that he currently holds on ESPN and Rivals.

Until then, just enjoy the show.

Bol Bol — son of the late, great Manute Bol — always seemed like more of a prospect than a player to recruiting analysts. That changed this spring when Bol blossomed into one of the most productive players in the country. He finished third in Nike’s EYBL circuit in scoring at 24.1 points while also averaging 10 rebounds and five blocks per game. Now he’s rated as high as No. 3 in the class rankings and every school in the country is after him.

What makes Bol so tantalizing is his rare combination of elite length and three-point shooting. He reportedly stands 7’3 with a 7’8 wingspan now. He also went 22 of 45 from three-point range this spring (48.9 percent), making him one of the best shooters in high school basketball. That three-point stroke is what separates Bol from someone like Texas’ Mohamed Bamba — another absurdly long big-man prospect one year older than Bol who should be a top five pick in the 2018 draft.

At this point, Bol is his own player, not just the son of a legend. You’re going to be hearing about him incessantly for a long time.

No state has a greater tradition of high school basketball than Indiana. Romeo Langford is poised to go down as one of its all-time leading scorers.

A 6’5 off-guard, Langford has the ability to put the ball in the basket from all three levels. He’s been popping off for 40-point games since his sophomore year and recently made the USA U19 team that won bronze under John Calipari at the FIBA World Cup. Back injuries have slowed him down this year, so it will be interesting if he can regain his buzz as coaches and analysts pack the gym in July.

Langford also has one of the most interesting recruitments in this class. Louisville has made him its No. 1 priority for years. Indiana desperately needs him to make a splash under new coach Archie Miller. Duke and Kentucky are in the mix, too.

Reddish has ideal measureables for a wing at 6’7 with a 7’1 wingspan. He finished the spring as the fifth-leading scorer on the EYBL at 22.6 points per game, but he shot only 40.3 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three. If there were any concerns about his efficiency as a scorer, he put them to rest with a terrific showing at the U19 World Cup.

As the youngest player on Calipari’s U.S. team, Reddish was also one of the most productive. He scored in double figures in five of the seven games while hitting 54 percent (13 for 24) of his three-pointers.

Duke is thought to be the heavy favorite Reddish’s recruitment. He would fit nicely into Coach K’s developing lineage of one-and-done wings, from Jabari Parker to Justise Winslow to Brandon Ingram to Jayson Tatum. Expect Kentucky to put up a fight, too.

Jordan Brown: A 6’10 big man from California with some crafty post moves, Brown averaged 21 points per game on the adidas circuit this spring. Cal, UCLA, Oregon Arizona are fighting for him.

Moses Brown: Brown is an incredibly long center prospect who is just growing into his body and his game. Expect Kentucky and Kansas to be in the mix.

Tre Jones: The younger brother of Tyus Jones, Tre has built is own reputation as arguably the best point guard in this class. He led the EYBL this spring with 8.3 assists per game. As you would expect, Duke is in tight.

Simisola Shittu: A 6’9 Canadian pogo stick, Shittu can play above the rim on both ends of the court. Oregon is supposedly to be in tight with him.

Immanuel Quickley: Quickly looks like the best NBA prospect of any point guard in this class because of his size (6’4) and athleticism. His jump shot is the big question, but he’s made big strides with it this summer. His final four is Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, and Miami.

Darius Garland: A shifty 6-foot point guard, Garland looked terrific all spring in the EYBL. It will be interesting to see if the Nashville native stays local or goes to a national powerhouse.

Naz Reid: A 6’10, 230-pound big man from New Jersey, Red is an interior bruiser who also has a nice jump shot. His final seven is LSU, Kentucky, Louisville, Seton Hall, UCLA, Arizona, and Kansas.

Louis King: King is one of the best shooters in this class. He averaged 18 points per game this spring on the EYBL while hitting over 38 percent of his threes. He’s the type of player Kentucky has needed for a long time. Expect Kansas to be involved, too.

Ayo Dosunmu: A 6’4 point guard from Chicago, Dosunmu is a gifted scorer who has no trouble creating his own offense off the dribble. He finished the spring fifth in the EYBL in scoring at 23.2 points per game. Illinois, Xavier, and Northwestern all want him.

Keldon Johnson: A big time 6’6 scorer from Oak Hill, Johnson averaged over 20 points per game on 51 percent shooting this spring.