Mailbag: Recruiting, Ranking Implications, Top Unsigned Seniors

We’re back! Another week of folks turning in some questions that can be addressed in mailbag form. As I stated last week, I’d like to make this a regular article because I think it can give the reader some insight into how scouts think about a variety of topics. This week, I’ll tackle a question about the recruiting process, a wrinkle in how rankings are formed and take a look at some top unsigned seniors in the MD/DC area. 1. How much do connections play in the recruiting process? (IG: alexpiraino4) Great question, here. I won’t say connection have everything to do with the process, but they certainly play a key role. It works similarly to real life relationships. For example, if you consider someone a friend that owns some type of business and you trust them, you’re more likely to invest in what their product. Now, that product needs to be proven in helping you be successful in order to make you go back for more and become a regular customer. In basketball terms, when certain programs develop players who are ready-made for a particular program, it’s very common to see that college program come back in the next years to see if they can get another player. Once that relationship is established the high school or AAU program already know what to expect with the recruiting process of said school, so they can prepare their player for what they’ll experience. All in all, it’s a good thing, but it can also force college programs to have tunnel vision and either miss out on other under-the-radar guys or feel as if they have to recruit players from a specific high school as a favor, for lack of a better term. 2. Do head-to-head matchups count when doing positional rankings? (IG: miaa.memes) As many know (or at least I like to think they know), there’s plenty that go into the ranking process. However, getting the chance to watch two players go head-to-head is always a treat. For me, it allows me to see who really wants the bragging rights and who has that competitive edge to them. In all honesty, that’s how players should approach every game, but let’s say the no. 10 player is going up against the no. 1 prospect. The no. 10 prospect should approach that game as if there’s a point to prove. On the other side, the no. 1 player should approach it as he wants to dominate and show why he’s the top dog. So all in all, yes head-to-head- matchups are certainly considered, but they don’t carry enough weight to swing a ranking solely based off who won that matchup. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Elijah-Hawkins.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1040649" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Elijah-Hawkins-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> 3. Best unsigned seniors (IG: hollywood_nas) Seniors continue to fall off the board and make their college announcements, but a few that made the top-20 in our updated 2021 player rankings remain available. [player_tooltip player_id="712742" first="Bez" last="Mbeng"], a 6-foot-3 guard from Good Counsel, holds offers from Bryant, Canisius, James Madison, La Salle, Robert Morris, St. Francis (PA) and Towson. Mbeng is a combo guard who is a reliable scorer and versatile defender for his position. DeMatha floor general [player_tooltip player_id="775338" first="Elijah" last="Hawkins"] has the argument as the biggest diamond in the rough as the 5-foot-8 point guard can impact a game in a multitude of ways. Any program would be lucky to snag Hawkins and get a heady, competitive point guard who knows how to facilitate a winning program. [player_tooltip player_id="902022" first="Day’sJuan" last="Waters"] is a 6-foot-3 guard from Good Counsel who presents admirable upside as a college prospect. He’s an explosive scoring option from all three levels which is why the likes of East Tennessee State and Stony Brook have extended offers. [player_tooltip player_id="902015" first="Ahmad" last="Harrison"] is a 6-foot-1 point guard who made the move to National Christian after they named Kenny Johnson as their new head coach. I see Harrison’s recruitment seeing a boost in the next few months as he’s improved drastically both on the court and with his body. Reservoir forward [player_tooltip player_id="902032" first="Bobby" last="Hill"] rounds out our top-20 remaining unsigned and in my opinion, underrecruited in general. Hill is a 6-foot-7 lefty who could develop into a viable wing or a productive stretch four option at Division II or in some cases, the low Division I level.