DMV Roundtable: HBCU Trend, June Headlines, Favorite 2021 Commits

<p>We are now in the month of July and it’s been established that no live evaluation periods will take place. With all of the big shoe circuit tournaments cancelled, smaller independent showcases have emerged around the country. It’ll still be a few more weeks until we have any live action to evaluate around here in the DMV. For this roundtable, we’ll take a look at multiple questions surrounding the latest happenings not only in our immediate areas, but the country as a whole.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>1. Do you all think we will see a trend in elite prospects choosing a HBCU?</strong></span></p> <p><em>Giacubeno:</em> While I do think that we’ll see one or two of the top 100 players in each class select an HBCU program, I don’t see a complete turnover like the social media hype is making it out to be. Makur Makur nearly broke the internet after selecting Howard over the likes of Kentucky, Memphis and UCLA. While it looks to be the start of a new trend, let’s not forget that Makur hasn’t officially pulled out of the NBA Draft. Other nationally coveted prospects such as 2023 guard Mikey Williams has pushed the narrative of him committing to an HBCU program, but until he signs on paper and walks out on the floor with the respective program’s jersey, I’m skeptical of that happening as well. What I do enjoy is HBCU programs getting the recognition. If in fact more elite prospects start to commit and boost revenue, they’d be able to put the right people in place to eventually make those schools contenders. But for now and the foreseeable future, the power 5 schools reign supreme. They have the facilities, strength and conditioning programs/staff and connections to give these players the opportunity of reaching their dreams.</p> <p><em>Ayalew:</em> Unfortunately, I do not. Right now, schools in power 5 conferences simply have better resources to help elite prospects reach their goals of playing at the highest level. By the time the playing field is evened, it’s likely that the 1 and done rule will be no more and those elite prospects will be able to make the jump from prep to pro. </p> <p><em>Wilson: </em><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is very cool to see what Makur did over the weekend by choosing Howard over some of the most elite basketball programs in the country but I do not think this will be a trend. We don’t even know if Makur is going to enroll at Howard as his name is still in the NBA Draft. A power 5 school has so much to offer that a HBCU school simply doesn’t have and has much more proven success in helping prospects reach their end goal. I would be shocked if we saw this trend continue.</span></p> <p><em>Herron: </em>I do believe that we’ll see a trend of HBCUs getting elite players, but my question would be is this just a fad or is it going to continue for a long time? With everything going on, I love the idea of HBCUs getting some of the top players, but if the guys who chose them over elite programs don’t come back with glowing reviews you have to think about how that will affect the trend moving forward.<br /> <br /> First off, I still have questions about Makur Maker and whether or not he’ll set foot on a court at Howard, as he’s still NBA draft eligible and still in the draft process from what I’ve heard. Sharone Wright choosing to transfer to Morgan State from Wake Forest isn’t exactly new as HBCUs have always reaped benefits from the transfer portal, but that could be something we see more and more of moving forward. Nate Tabor to NSU after reclassifying up is another thing I could see prospects do, instead of spending a fifth year in HS just to play as high as they could go, choosing to go the HBCU route early.<br /> <br /> It will be interesting to see which HBCU will be the first one to start to start stockpiling talent to be able to compete on a national level, and it will be interesting to see if any big name coaches decide to take a job at an HBCU as well.</p> <div dir="auto"> </div> <div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>2. Even though there was no basketball being played, there is still a lot going on, locally what do you think the biggest headline was in June between transfers and recruitment? </strong></span></div> <div dir="auto"> </div> <div dir="auto"> <p><em>Giacubeno: </em>Every year on June 15, Division I programs can officially reach out to the rising junior class, which usually leads to a slew of offers and interest announcements. One wrinkle that I noticed was that even with the major shoe circuits being cancelled, certain AAU programs were still flexing their muscles. Now that social media is what it is, it’s easy to see the similar schools "offering" prospects on the same AAU team. What is a tangible offer? The way that I look at an offer is whether or not that prospect could call the respective coaching staff and commit today. Would they accept their commitment? If so, that’s a tangible offer. There are many offers that are just used to keep a connection between a college coaching staff and AAU program strong. It’s not a subject that many like to bring up and make public, but this whole notion is what stood out to be the most since we still have no live action to report on.</p> <p><em>Ayalew:</em> I think the biggest headline has been the challenges both coaches and prospects are facing during social distancing. With coaches having no opportunity to evaluate in person, their decision making process has been altered, and so has the recruiting landscape.</p> <p><em>Wilson: </em><span style="font-weight: 400;">June 15 was a crazy day in basketball recruiting and one that I have never seen before since being in this industry. There were a slew of offers handed out left and right to prospects from the 2022 class and many phone calls reported to 2022 prospects. I don’t recall that particular day being so hectic in previous years and I think part of that is due to the pandemic as coaches are just trying to engage in as many prospects as possible right now because of the dead period.</span></p> <p><em>Herron: </em>I’m going to take a cop out on this one, and go with the fact that Bryant offered so many prospects in the DMV area in the 2022 and 2023 class on the first day they were able to contact 2022s. The strategy isn’t exactly new for the school, and I think it’s an easy way to get exposure by offering big name guys they may not necessarily have a chance at getting, but their institution name were plastered all over social media because of it.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/05/Williams-Benny-Head-Shot.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1005023" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/05/Williams-Benny-Head-Shot-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></p> </div> <div dir="auto"> </div> <div dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>3. Of the early commitments we’ve seen in the 2021 class, which in your opinion is the best fit for both the player and what the respective program needs. </strong></span></div> <div dir="auto"> </div> <div dir="auto"> <p><em>Giacubeno:</em> There hasn’t been a ton of commitments in Maryland regarding the top prospects, but one that I will definitely monitor as the years go by is [player_tooltip player_id="902001" first="Ryan" last="Conway"] to Seton Hall. Conway is a natural scorer who really saw his stock rise after his play on the EYBL Circuit last summer. Scoring against some of the top players in the country at an efficient clip helped high major programs confirm that he can do it against top competition. The transition to the Big East will still be a huge challenge for Conway, but if he gives it time and allows himself to transition, I think Seton Hall is a great fit for any scoring guard.</p> <p><em>Ayalew: </em>I think [player_tooltip player_id="836476" first="TJ" last="Gadsden"] is a great fit at George Mason. He is a proven winner who at about 6-foot-7 can impact the game in many ways on both ends of the court. Coach Paulsen and his staff have done a great job recruiting this area and landing Gadsden is their latest coup. </p> <p><em>Wilson: </em><span style="font-weight: 400;">[player_tooltip player_id="531243" first="Benny" last="Williams"] to Syracuse. Syracuse made Benny a top priority for the longest time and they were rewarded with his pledge in early June. Benny has great length standing at 6’8 and should excel in the zone Jim Boeheim runs.</span></p> <p><em>Herron: </em>I think around me one of the biggest commitments in 2021 was John Marshall point guard [player_tooltip player_id="798691" first="Jason" last="Nelson"] choosing to stay home and go to the University of Richmond over Vanderbilt, his last two schools. The move seems to be a good one, as U of R has had tons of success with sub 6 foot guards and Nelson is one of the best smaller guards on the east coast. He’s a guy with a terrific skill set and understanding of the game on both ends and he’ll have a chance to thrive in that system.</p> </div>