Recruiting Notebook: Three Top 15 Prospects Make Their Commitment

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've entered the part of the calendar year where prospects begin to make their college choices public. Over the last week, we saw three members belonging to the top 15 of our 2027 MD/DC rankings announce their decisions for where they'll play their freshman year of college basketball next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below are the decisions, how the prospect fits and what they need to do to make an impact in 2027-28.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Towson adds another top 10 MD/DC prospect</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Towson head coach Pat Skerry and his staff are excellent when it comes to finding players who fit their culture and play style seamlessly. They've done so over the last 4-5 years and their 2027 class is shaping up to be no different as our No. 8 ranked prospect in the class, [player_tooltip player_id='2454529' first='Junior' last='Mancho'], announced his pledge to the Tigers yesterday. The 6-foot-9 Mount Carmel and [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill'] big man has been the epitome of an anchor in the painted area largely since he entered high school. He's a monster presence on the boards, brings tremendous physicality and communicates at a high level. These are all traits that typically translate to any level of college basketball. To add, Mancho brings a relentless motor and has learned over the years not only how to punish guards with his ball screens, but how to present as a scorer with hard rolls afterwards where he can catch and finish or force the switch before sealing for deep paint position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I see Mancho forcing his way into the rotation from day one and if you told me as a freshman he was playing bulk minutes by the end of the season, it wouldn't surprise me considering the effort, intensity and coachability that he brings to the table.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This gives Towson its second top 10 prospect of the class as [player_tooltip player_id='2353528' first='Kirby' last='Duran'] made his commitment earlier in the summer. The deadeye shooter with underrated playmaking skills is another name that'll carve out a role quickly for Skerry. As they look for one or potentially two more pieces to fill out this year's recruiting class, the staff has a chance to put together a stellar group if the next priority target they move onto decided to wear the yellow and black.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Abass chooses Richmond</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027 DeMatha and Team Loaded forward [player_tooltip player_id='2353578' first='Daniel' last='Abass'] announced last weekend that he'd be attending Richmond and committing to head coach Chris Mooney. He chose the Spiders over other programs like Florida Gulf Coast and St. Joe's. From the jump, it's the positional versatility and long-term upside that is so intriguing with Abass. Standing 6-foot-7 with a plus wingspan, mobility and a budding offensive skillset, he'll likely spend some time playing either forward position as he navigates through his college career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's an active defender who can guard four positions at the high school level, use his length to disrupt attempts around the rim and has shown to be a scoring/passing threat from 15 feet and in. Further polishing his jumper, becoming more secure with the ball out on the perimeter and continuing to sharpen his individual defense will be keys for just how much time he can establish within the A10 program's rotation from day one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Abass ranks as the No. 10 player in the 2027 MD/DC rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>New Mexico State lands another DMV name</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Slowly but surely, New Mexico State is making themselves a presence in the area every couple of years despite being halfway across the country. Two years ago it was Omarr Strong and now, they landed another commitment from a steady combo guard in [player_tooltip player_id='2201951' first='Jacob' last='Canton']. The 6-foot-3 Mt. Zion Prep and New Heights standout is coming off a summer helping his team to the 3SSB title and in between those grassroots summer months, put together productive showings in June for the Scholastic Live Period. More of a scorer than anything else right now, Canton could see significant time handling the offense for the Warriors this winter in the Elite Prep League and The Grind Session. If he's able to show his command as an initiator/floor general type of guard in spurts, that will only give him a better chance of cracking the rotation immediately as a freshman next year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the now, the Aggies secured a strong-bodied combo guard with scoring chops from all three levels who is well-versed in going up against high-level competition throughout his four years of high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Canton ranks as the No. 15 overall prospect in our 2027 MD/DC rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->