2022 Top 20 Uncommitted Prospects and Where They Stand

Yesterday our No. 10 player in the 2022 player rankings, [player_tooltip player_id="1110545" first="Cortez" last="Johnson"], announced his commitment to UNC-Greensboro. That leaves us with two available prospects in the 1-10 range and five from 11-20. It seemed like a good time to take a look at each player and breakdown their current recruiting situation as it stands today. Darren Buchanan Jr. | Woodrow Wilson Ranking: No. 5 Buchanan has been the top unsigned prospect for bit, but there could be some light at the end of the tunnel here in terms of ending his recruitment sometime in the near future. George Washington has been the program recruiting him the longest and the staff has done a great job being consistent throughout the past calendar year. Virginia Tech came in late and offered while Buchanan was on an unofficial visit. The connection with former DeMatha head coach Mike Jones and the rest of the Hokies’ staff has become a valid threat to earning the 6-foot-6 do-it-all wing’s verbal commitment and I would say sits in the driver’s seat at this point. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Tyson-Commander-2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1362544" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Tyson-Commander-2-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="837919" first="Tyson" last="Commander"] | John Carroll Ranking No. 9 Commander has announced that he will be doing a post-grad prep year at Mt. Zion next fall. With how our rankings work, we know things are never official until the player actually steps foot on campus as a student, so for at least the remainder of the high school season, Commander will stay in the 2022 rankings. He’s put together a solid senior campaign with big performances against high-level competition that has caught the eyes of Division I programs who will likely monitor as he moves forward as a 2023 prospect. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Cesar-Tchilombo.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1168081" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Cesar-Tchilombo-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1215151" first="Cesar" last="Tchilombo"] | John Carroll Ranking No. 11 Tchilombo has done much of the same this season as he did last season for the Patriots, which includes playing with a high motor, being a presence in the paint defensively and show off his improved jumper from range. While his offensive game still need improvement, there aren’t many guys his size at 6-foot-8 that play as hard throughout the course of a game. He holds offers from Howard, Mount St. Mary’s, USC-Upstate, Siena, and Longwood but other programs such as Wagner, Marist, Quinnipiac and Loyola (MD) have entered the fold, but have yet to offer. Don’t expect a commitment from Tchilombo any time before the season ends, as he plans to take visits before making a decision. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Elijah-Jones.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1362538" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Elijah-Jones-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1110544" first="Elijah" last="Jones"] | Mt. Zion Prep Ranking: No. 12 Jones is putting together a nice season for the Warriors, who are considered the No. 2 prep team on some national rankings. When Jones is locked in, he’s extremely active around the rim and can be a violent finisher. He’s also displayed some improved confidence operating off of 1-to-2 dribbles and capability of knocking down mid-range shots with consistency. Austin Peay is the program recruiting Jones the hardest. Others such as Hofstra and Old Dominion remain in the picture. I recently caught up with Jones and he told Prep Hoops that he wants to plan visits soon, but remains pretty open with is recruitment overall.   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Gavin-Walsh.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1329569" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Gavin-Walsh-300x221.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="221" /></a>   [player_tooltip player_id="904648" first="Gavin" last="Walsh"] | Loyola Blakefield Ranking: No. 13 Walsh’s recruitment has been somewhat of a difficult one to track. There were some low-to-mid major programs invested in him in the fall before he made his transfer back to Loyola from Bishop Walsh, but there is also a chance that Walsh explores the post-grad prep route to give himself another year to polish his overall game and mature further into his body. [player_tooltip player_id="904682" first="Kyle" last="Pulliam"] | Good Counsel Ranking: No. 16 Pulliam is one of the more intriguing available prospects in my opinion thanks to his size at 6-foot-5 and ability to score or pass. The southpaw is a smooth operator with good basketball IQ and can play either on or off the ball. He’s an underrated defender who can keep perimeter threats at bay with his length. He currently holds two Division II offers from St. Thomas Aquinas and Millersville with a slew of Division III programs still actively recruiting him. It’d be smart for Patriot League programs to inquire if looking for a good-sized guard who provides some balance. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Vavers-Rihards-Head-Shot.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1215544" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Vavers-Rihards-Head-Shot-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="954641" first="Rihards" last="Vavers"] | Archbishop Carroll Ranking: No. 20 Rounding out our list of the available top-20 prospects is Vavers, a 6-foot-6 deadeye three-point threat. He’s a newer name to the area and with that being the case, there hasn’t been a ton of schools to offer yet. What I can say is he poses great size at 6-foot-7 and offers the premium skill of shooting the basketball with great range. He’s the type of player who can quickly net a handful of three’s and shift the momentum of games.