Top KU Recruiting Targets to Visit for Late Night in the Phog
The basketball tradition at Kansas is second to none. Names like Naismith, Phog, Wilt, Lovellate, Manning, and Pierce dot the halls of the Booth Hall of Athletics and Allen Fieldhouse. More recently, Dr. Naismith’s original rules were enshrined at the state of the art DeBruce Center. A more recent tradition is Late Night in the Phog, where fans get their first look at the basketball team. It has evolved into a tremendous recruiting tool as well. Just in the last several years, blue chip recruits Wayne Selden, Joel Embiid, and Kelly Oubre have cited Late Night as a key reason they committed to play at Kansas. The 2016 edition of Late Night in the Phog also has a star-studded group of visitors.
Guards and Wings
PG Trevon Duval – News broke Thursday morning that point guard Trevon Duval would visit unofficially. Unofficial visits can be difficult to confirm, but we managed to do so independently. Duval is an explosive point guard with all the physical tools you look for in an elite guard. Duval has very good size, at 6’3” with a 6’8” wingspan. Duval is explosive with the basketball in his hands, and is at his best in isolation against smaller or slower defenders. He is an adept penetrator, with the athletic ability to finish at the rim, even in traffic. Duval needs to develop a more consistent jump shot, but it isn’t broken, and will get better. He’s also a questionable decision-maker at this point, though running the point in a more structured system would help.
Duval’s recruitment has been odd to say the least. He has a strong relationship with Under Armour, and UCLA was perceived as the leader because of it. Duval very publicly cut UCLA this fall, leaving him considering Arizona, California, KU, Maryland, Oregon, Seton Hall, St. John’s, USC, and Villanova. Duval is pretty wide open at this point, and Kansas is in much better position than most realize. Look for Kansas to put on the full court press for Duval if they miss on other targets.
PG Collin Sexton – Sexton has long intended to visit Lawrence for Late Night, and seems to be high on the Jayhawks. It’s very possible that he has surpassed Trae Young as the staff’s top point guard target in this class, and it’s easy to see why. Sexton is an explosive scorer, probably the best in the class. He showed off his skills in international play this summer while playing for the U.S.A. U17 team in FIBA play. He’s a very good passer, and has solid court vision. Sexton has a knack for getting to the rim, though he needs to work on finishing. Sexton occasionally gets Frank Mason syndrome, where he gets tunnel vision while driving and gets stuck under the basket. He is a good defender, and able to use his length (6’7” wingspan) and athleticism to stay in front of most guards. Sexton would likely play the role of Frank Mason at Kansas, playing some on and some off the ball, with his primary responsibility being to just score. There is considerable talk that Kansas has made up significant ground with Sexton, but Alabama is probably still the leader here. Late Night could change everything. Sexton is likely announcing before the start of his senior season.
PG Tremont Waters – Waters is a more recent addition to the Kansas recruiting landscape, especially with Duval, Sexton, and Young still uncommitted. He’s more of a traditional point guard than those three, and has a very good feel for the game and basketball IQ. At only 5’11”, he possesses only average athleticism, and may struggle defending bigger guards in college. He’s a very good shooter from everywhere on the floor, and a surprisingly good finisher at the rim. Word is he nearly committed to Kentucky on his visit there two weeks ago, but will take all of his visits. Waters going anywhere but Kentucky would be a surprise.
SF Troy Brown – Brown is the only 2017 wing target visiting for Late Night, as Chaundee Brown visited over Labor Day weekend. Troy Brown is Mr. Versatility, able to play and defend at least three, and possibly four, positions on the floor. He’s an outstanding ballhandler for his size, as some schools are recruiting Brown as a point guard. He possesses elite point guard level court vision and passing ability, and is a weapon in the open floor in transition. His size (6’7” with a 6’10” wingspan) allows him to be a very good defender. He’s especially instinctive when attacking passing lanes, and can use his length and athleticism to be a disruptive force on the defensive end. The thing holding Brown back from being in the conversation of elite players in the class is his (lack of a) jump shot. His shot isn’t broken, but he struggles finding a consistent release and it needs ironed out. He has the ability, as he is a tremendous free throw shooter, shooting 94% in FIBA play this summer. Because of his struggles shooting, Brown tends to struggle when playing off the ball, as the defense doesn’t have to respect his shot. If Brown commits to Kansas, look for the staff to do a complete rebuild of his shot, a la Ben McLemore. With a decent jumper, Brown could develop into a lottery pick.
Brown’s recruitment seems pretty open. This summer, he cut to eight schools: Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgetown, Kansas, Ohio State, Oregon, and UNLV. From what I gather, Arizona seems to be the leader now, especially with the commitment of DeAndre Ayton. California is a legitimate threat as well. However, Kansas and Troy know each other very well, as his sister Jada is a senior on the women’s team. This sense of familiarity could help the staff pry the Las Vegas native from the west coast.
Big Men
PF Billy Preston – After losing out to Arizona for DeAndre Ayton, the Kansas staff had to recalibrate its search to replace Landen Lucas and very likely Carlton Bragg. If he qualifies academically, Preston would be a very good replacement for Bragg on the offensive end. Preston is a very skilled face-up four man who can do a bit of everything. He has great ballhandling skills for his size, at 6’10.” He can shoot out to the three-point line as well. He’s a very good athlete, and can finish at the rim when driving. Even as a big man, Preston does not play with his back to the basket, and fancies himself more of a wing than a post player. He’s also very inefficient as a scorer, and does not possess good court vision or the skill or desire to pass the ball. For his size, Preston is a bad defender, almost exclusively because of lack of effort. Even with a 7’1” wingspan, Preston will not be a shot blocker at the college level, and can easily get outmuscled on the block. There are also questions about his makeup and willingness to play alongside others. Even though Preston is extremely talented, I’m not sure the negatives outweigh the positives.
We’ve said all along that it is unlikely that Preston qualifies academically, given his three seasons spent at non-NCAA accredited school Advanced Prep in Texas. In the event he does qualify after spending this year at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, USC remains in the drivers seat. Preston also made news this week by “opening up” his recruitment, presumably inviting more schools, possibly Kentucky, into the fold. Even though Preston is visiting Kansas, fans shouldn’t be overly concerned about Preston.
PF Cody Riley – Riley has long been a Kansas big man target, though they may have cooled on him some over the last year. Riley burst on the scene as an underclassman, but once he stopped growing at 6’7” or 6’8”, many schools backed off. He has developed a good skillset over his career, and now can be considered a fairly skilled big. He can space the floor well, with a very good shooting touch out to at least 17 feet. Riley has good post moves, and is an able scorer around the basket as well, even in traffic. While he doesn’t have great size, his 6’11” wingspan allows him to defend most college forwards. He tends to struggle guarding smaller players, with his average quickness. He may be the best big man fit wise left for Kansas. He can space the floor well on the offensive end, and rebound well on the defensive end. He does have very limited upside for the professional level, and is old for his class, as he’ll be nearly 20 when he plays his first game in college. However, he would be a very solid multi-year big man at Kansas.
Now that Riley is a prominent target again, Kansas could stand to make up a lot of ground this weekend. Kansas has a lot going for it with regard to Riley: immediate playing time, very good scheme fit with Bill Self’s High-Low system, and the allure of playing alongside Udoka Azubuike. There is still ample UCLA chatter for Riley, as his mother works for UCLA on the academic side and rumor has it, she would like him to stay home. As we’ve said before, Late Night could change everything.
Underclassmen
Late Night is a great opportunity for the staff to build relationships with underclassmen as well. There are many high caliber 2018 and 2019 prospects visiting:
PG Immanuel Quickley – Quickley is a consensus top 20 point guard prospect with good size at 6’3” and a very good athlete. Along with Kansas, Duke, Maryland, and Kentucky are major players.
PF Bol Bol – the son of former NBA player Manute Bol, Bol the younger plays his college basketball at Bishop Miege high school in Kansas City. Bol is ranked in the top 10 in most services, and is a top big man target for Kansas in 2018.
PF Kennan Fitzmorris – another local product, this time from Lenexa, Fitzmorris is a long 6’11” forward. This simply could be a courtesy visit, as he’s not ranked in some rankings and does not have a Kansas offer.
The 2019 class has a tremendous amount of local talent, most of whom are coming to Late Night. Combo guard Zach Harvey of Topeka, will attend who said Kansas was his “dream school” when offered this summer. Forward Jeremiah Robinson, also of Miege will visit. Kansas is probably far out in front for the top 40 big man. Matthew Hurt is another combo forward Kansas fans should follow. The consensus top 10 player from Minnesota has a Kansas offer. Explosive point guard from Chicago Markese Jacobs will visit as well. Jacobs resembles a young Sherron Collins in some ways, though it is entirely too early to compare the two. Point guard Grant Sherfield from Texas will visit as well. He was offered this summer, and the staff visited him two weeks ago. Kansas is in good shape with him. Kansas is hosting another 2019 point guard in Brandon Williams. He received a Kansas offer this summer as well, but Arizona seems like the destination, as much as we can project two years out.
All told, Kansas will host 15 visitors this weekend, six seniors and nine underclassmen. Most importantly, it is a huge step in solidifying what is now a very uncertain 2017 class. Kansas will likely have to replace their top six players, so getting commitments from one or more of the visitors in the early period would be a great start to the class.
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