Jamie Shaw breaks down the latest in college basketball recruiting, including two significant pickups by USC and Duke.
It was an eventful week in college basketball recruiting as many pieces across the country fell into place. This is the time of year where recruiting classes take shape as coaches find out about their targets who they have invested time, money and resources into over the previous months.
Not every program can make every cut list. As schools are cut from contention for their top targets, they have to move down the hierarchy of their board. This is the time of year where recruiting focuses can change on a dime. One day a team might think they lead for a prospect, and the next he commits somewhere else.
Here are the biggest storylines from last week’s college basketball recruiting trail.
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Recruiting Roundup Commitment of the Week
USC lands 5-star Iwuchukwu
Andy Enfield popped a significant commitment on Friday. Rivals150 No. 15 Vincent Iwuchukwu pledged to give Southern Cal its next anchor in the post. The Trojans have now inked a 5-star commitment in four of their previous five classes.
Kevin Porter, the No. 16 player in the 2018 class, was the one who started the trend. Since Porter’s commitment, USC also landed 5-stars Onyeka Okongwu and Isaiah Mobley in 2019 and the 2020 No. 4 overall Evan Mobley. This is a significant haul of NBA-ready big men.
Within the context of this class, the Iwuchukwu commitment is significant. Iwuchukwu, the No. 2 center in the class, was thought to be a Baylor lean for most of the process. Iwuchukwu’s final group also included Texas, Kansas, and UCLA.
Southern Cal beat out a who’s who of college programs to get the elite big man. The Trojans have had a significant recent run with bigs, especially ones who move well. This is an important win for the Men of Troy.
Other notable additions
Houston gets late-blooming NBA prospect
Terrance Arceneaux started the summer as the Rivals150 No. 94 prospect and finished the summer at No. 30 and still may be rising. Arceneaux is a long-armed wing who is a lock-down defensive player at his core. The Beaumont (Texas) High wing has great timing both in the passing lanes and in blocking shots. He is switchable defender who can guard up and down a lineup.
Offensively, Arceneaux has developed into a catch-and-shoot threat while providing spacing on the floor. Through the Nike EYBL Bubble and in the NBPA Top 100 camp, Arceneaux showed he could create his own shot from the wing. During the EYBL bubble, Arceneaux showed his full skill set. Playing for John Lucas’ JL3 (Tex.) EYBL team Arceneaux averaged 20.7 points, shooting 58.2 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three. He also added 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks per game.
If Arceneaux continues to improve, a 3&D NBA wing could be his baseline pro projection moving forward. However, if his confidence increases and creation develops, more positive descriptors could be added for the future Houston Cougar.
Huge July lands Dunn with UVa
Ryan Dunn’s name was swirling around Adidas events throughout July. Minnesota was the first high-major school to jump in for the NY Jayhawks (N.Y.) 3SSB wing. They were followed immediately by the likes of Marquette, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and California. The 6-7 Dunn finished with upwards of 24 offers, with all 15 high-major offers coming after July 4th.
Dunn is Virginia’s fourth Rivals150 commitment of the 2022 class. He has a high basketball IQ, with great length, and a smooth deep-range jump shot. Dunn recently entered the 2022 Rivals150 as the No. 112 player. The late bloomer has the skill set to continue to rise. Tony Bennett has an archetype, and he continues to bring in those players.
Jasen Green fits Creighton
Green, a 6-8/210-pound forward, chose Crieghton over a final group that included Colorado, Iowa State, and Nebraska. His skill set is what intrigues here, especially with Creighton’s pace-and-space system. Green is big enough to guard forwards and bigs and is strong enough to rebound in traffic. He is also skilled enough offensively to play on the wing, with the ability to shoot, handle, and pass. Green’s Omaha (Neb.) Millard North High School is 15 minutes away from Creighton. The versatility the local prospect brings to the floor looks to be a seamless fit for Creighton’s style of play.
Recruiting Roundup Mid-Major Commitment of the Week
4-Star Fernandez to George Mason
In Kim English’s first class as a head coach, he signed Rivals150 4-star Justyn Fernandez. This is the first 4-star George Mason has signed since 2011 and only the second since 2002. Fernandez, a Richmond, Va. native, is a high-flying wing who will play his senior season for the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Post-Grad team. This gives English significant momentum heading into Year 1.
Shaw’s 2023 Commitment of the Week
Top 10 Caleb Foster to Duke
Foster’s Duke offer went public on July 31. Since that offer went out, it was widely thought Foster was a Duke lean. The 2023 Rivals150 No. 11 prospect visited Duke officially the week of September 4-5 and committed this Friday. Foster is originally from the Charlotte, N.C. area and currently plays at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy. He is a true point guard with positional size at 6-5 with a smooth shooting stroke. Duke is on a roll right now and this is a huge way to get the 2023 class started.
Header image courtesy of Caleb Foster’s Instagram account.