Where the Top Uncommitted 2016 Players Will End Up
As signing day approaches, uncommitted seniors expect themselves to come to a decision shortly. Where will they end up? Let's take a look.
2016 5* SF Josh Jackson
Considering: Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State
Arguably the #1 player in the senior class, Jackson is destined to make an impact right away at the collegiate level. He can do everything with the ball in his hands. Jackson is a rim attacker and can blow by any defender. At Justin-siena high school, Jackson averaged 27.7PPG, 13.8RPG and 7.5APG. Those numbers are incredible.
247 Crystal Ball:
64% - Kansas
23% - Michigan State
14% - Arizona
We have just heard this week that people close to Jackson, including 2016 5* SF Miles Bridges, a Michigan State commit, know where Jackson is headed. He has taken official visits to the three schools listed above, and no more than that. He is announcing April 11 on Twitter his college decision. I personally think Michigan State has a great chance to land him, but the rumors that are circulating are all pointing the Jayhawks way.
PREDICTION: Kansas
2016 5* PF Thon Maker
Maker has declared for the NBA Draft.
2016 5* SG Terrance Ferguson
Considering: Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Texas
Ferguson, an Alabama decommit, has a lot of ups and downs to his game. He has lots of potential, but struggles to create space and shoot off the dribble. His shooting seems inconsistent, as many scouts notice his release timing can vary. He may struggle to hit free throws at the collegiate level. He is very athletic and a freak in transition, though. How he will play at the next level is a little hard to tell, but many believe he has a lot of potential to be something great.
247 Crystal Ball:
81% - Arizona
12% - Kansas
5% Baylor
Ferguson has take official visits to Alabama and Arizona. He was in Tucson two weeks ago and it seems like his visit went well for him and Sean Miller. It is safe to say Louisville, Maryland and Texas are out of the question as of right now. The Crystal Ball is right on the money.
PREDICTION: Arizona
2016 5* C Omer Yurtseven
Considering: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Duke, Kentucky, Miami, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, UC Irvine, Utah
Not many know his name, other than those who watch NBA Preseason. He played a little preseason ball for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets. Yurtseven had a phenomenal showing at the Basketball Without Borders Event. Because of his showing, top programs are offering left and right and showing interest. As a player, he is a pure center. Hook shot, post fade, offensive rebounding, you name it. He doesn't necessarily score at a high level, but his rebounding is a different story. He averaged 9.7PPG and 8.7RPG in nine games over the summer.
247 Crystal Ball:
N/A
No one knows where Yurtseven will end up. He hasn't begun taking visits, but will do so when his club season is over. He has absolutely no recruiting activity other than coaches reaching out to him. Yurtseven was expected to play professionally in Turkey, but decided to look at the NCAA. Other than the schools mentioned above, no other schools have reached out to him. I cannot say where he will end up just yet, but I will make a prediction when more is heard about his recruitment.
PREDICTION: N/A
2016 5* C Marques Bolden
Considering: Duke, Kentucky, TCU
Bolden is a monster on the glass. He can play well in the paint, whether that is on defense or offense, but can't do much outside of the paint. He doesn't have a mid range shot, which is a great weapon for centers. Bolden's paint play makes up for it, fortunately. He could be a double-double machine his freshman year in college.
247 Crystal Ball:
77% - Duke
23% - Kentucky
Bolden is really down to Duke and Kentucky, although his most recent list cut said he was down to Duke, Kentucky and TCU. Either school can land him, and whichever school does land him is guaranteed to be the #1 recruiting class. Both schools have no commitments from centers, however, Kentucky has three power forward commitments, and at least one of them has the ability to play the 5. Both starting centers on each team, for Duke that would be Marshall Plumlee and for Kentucky that is Skal Labissiere, are leaving their respective programs, so the center spot is open at both schools. It's very hard to decide between those two schools.
PREDICTION: Duke
2016 5* PF Jarrett Allen
Considering: Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Texas
Allen is a similar player to Marques Bolden. Just like Bolden, Allen is an excellent rebounder and finishes through contact well. Allen is much faster than Bolden, making Allen more of a play maker and better in transition on offense and defense. His low post offensive play is his weakness.
247 Crystal Ball:
95% - Texas
5% - Houston
Allen has taken four visits already and will likely take a fifth. He has visited Notre Dame, Kansas, Houston and Kentucky, in that order. He took three unofficial visits to Texas in less than a month. It would be surprising for him to commit to the Longhorns without taking an official visit. It's weird that Texas is the favorite by this much even though Allen has not taken an official look. It seems that all signs are pointing to Austin, though.
PREDICTION: Texas
2016 4* PG Charlie Moore
Considering: Cal, Creighton, DePaul, Fairfield, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Iowa, Iowa State, Loyola Chicago, Massachusetts, Memphis, Miami, Northwestern, Pitt, St. John's, SMU, VCU, Xavier, Wisconsin
Moore is a true point guard. He has great vision, a great three point shot and mid range shot, can get to the rim, a great defender and is a great leader and play maker. He can score at a high level. Moore is only 5'10", which is a slight concern. It will affect how he plays at the collegiate level, but scouts are unsure how much it will affect him. Based off what we have seen, he should be able to play at a high level in college.
247 Crystal Ball:
90% - Memphis
10% - Cal
Moore decommitted from Memphis on Friday. He has only taken one official visit, which was to Memphis. Not too much is known on his recruitment because he just reopened it two days ago. He was committed to Memphis for almost five months. Ever since he decommitted, Wisconsin, Northwestern, DePaul, Miami and SMU have been in touch with Moore. Playing time is very important to Moore. Not much else is known, so there will be three predicted schools for Moore.
PREDICTION: Cal, Georgia Tech, Northwestern
2016 4* C Taurean Thompson
Considering: Georgetown, Kansas, Providence, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Xavier
Thompson is very athletic, agile and fast, even at 6'10". He is an outstanding defender and rebounder. Some believe he is underrated, ranked at #79 on 247Sports and outside the top-100 on some rankings.
247 Crystal Ball:
93% - Syracuse
7% - Seton Hall
Thompson has taken two official visits to Seton Hall and Xavier. It seems that he wants to stay near his home in New Hampshire. Out of the six schools listed above, Kansas is the only school that seems out of the question. The other five schools are all contenders, although some have a great chance at landing him. Syracuse seems to be the heavy favorite, so they have him locked, right?
PREDICTION: Xavier
2016 5* SF Josh Jackson
Considering: Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State
Arguably the #1 player in the senior class, Jackson is destined to make an impact right away at the collegiate level. He can do everything with the ball in his hands. Jackson is a rim attacker and can blow by any defender. At Justin-siena high school, Jackson averaged 27.7PPG, 13.8RPG and 7.5APG. Those numbers are incredible.
247 Crystal Ball:
64% - Kansas
23% - Michigan State
14% - Arizona
We have just heard this week that people close to Jackson, including 2016 5* SF Miles Bridges, a Michigan State commit, know where Jackson is headed. He has taken official visits to the three schools listed above, and no more than that. He is announcing April 11 on Twitter his college decision. I personally think Michigan State has a great chance to land him, but the rumors that are circulating are all pointing the Jayhawks way.
PREDICTION: Kansas
2016 5* PF Thon Maker
Maker has declared for the NBA Draft.
2016 5* SG Terrance Ferguson
Considering: Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, Texas
Ferguson, an Alabama decommit, has a lot of ups and downs to his game. He has lots of potential, but struggles to create space and shoot off the dribble. His shooting seems inconsistent, as many scouts notice his release timing can vary. He may struggle to hit free throws at the collegiate level. He is very athletic and a freak in transition, though. How he will play at the next level is a little hard to tell, but many believe he has a lot of potential to be something great.
247 Crystal Ball:
81% - Arizona
12% - Kansas
5% Baylor
Ferguson has take official visits to Alabama and Arizona. He was in Tucson two weeks ago and it seems like his visit went well for him and Sean Miller. It is safe to say Louisville, Maryland and Texas are out of the question as of right now. The Crystal Ball is right on the money.
PREDICTION: Arizona
2016 5* C Omer Yurtseven
Considering: Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, California, Duke, Kentucky, Miami, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, UC Irvine, Utah
Not many know his name, other than those who watch NBA Preseason. He played a little preseason ball for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Brooklyn Nets. Yurtseven had a phenomenal showing at the Basketball Without Borders Event. Because of his showing, top programs are offering left and right and showing interest. As a player, he is a pure center. Hook shot, post fade, offensive rebounding, you name it. He doesn't necessarily score at a high level, but his rebounding is a different story. He averaged 9.7PPG and 8.7RPG in nine games over the summer.
247 Crystal Ball:
N/A
No one knows where Yurtseven will end up. He hasn't begun taking visits, but will do so when his club season is over. He has absolutely no recruiting activity other than coaches reaching out to him. Yurtseven was expected to play professionally in Turkey, but decided to look at the NCAA. Other than the schools mentioned above, no other schools have reached out to him. I cannot say where he will end up just yet, but I will make a prediction when more is heard about his recruitment.
PREDICTION: N/A
2016 5* C Marques Bolden
Considering: Duke, Kentucky, TCU
Bolden is a monster on the glass. He can play well in the paint, whether that is on defense or offense, but can't do much outside of the paint. He doesn't have a mid range shot, which is a great weapon for centers. Bolden's paint play makes up for it, fortunately. He could be a double-double machine his freshman year in college.
247 Crystal Ball:
77% - Duke
23% - Kentucky
Bolden is really down to Duke and Kentucky, although his most recent list cut said he was down to Duke, Kentucky and TCU. Either school can land him, and whichever school does land him is guaranteed to be the #1 recruiting class. Both schools have no commitments from centers, however, Kentucky has three power forward commitments, and at least one of them has the ability to play the 5. Both starting centers on each team, for Duke that would be Marshall Plumlee and for Kentucky that is Skal Labissiere, are leaving their respective programs, so the center spot is open at both schools. It's very hard to decide between those two schools.
PREDICTION: Duke
2016 5* PF Jarrett Allen
Considering: Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Texas
Allen is a similar player to Marques Bolden. Just like Bolden, Allen is an excellent rebounder and finishes through contact well. Allen is much faster than Bolden, making Allen more of a play maker and better in transition on offense and defense. His low post offensive play is his weakness.
247 Crystal Ball:
95% - Texas
5% - Houston
Allen has taken four visits already and will likely take a fifth. He has visited Notre Dame, Kansas, Houston and Kentucky, in that order. He took three unofficial visits to Texas in less than a month. It would be surprising for him to commit to the Longhorns without taking an official visit. It's weird that Texas is the favorite by this much even though Allen has not taken an official look. It seems that all signs are pointing to Austin, though.
PREDICTION: Texas
2016 4* PG Charlie Moore
Considering: Cal, Creighton, DePaul, Fairfield, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Iowa, Iowa State, Loyola Chicago, Massachusetts, Memphis, Miami, Northwestern, Pitt, St. John's, SMU, VCU, Xavier, Wisconsin
Moore is a true point guard. He has great vision, a great three point shot and mid range shot, can get to the rim, a great defender and is a great leader and play maker. He can score at a high level. Moore is only 5'10", which is a slight concern. It will affect how he plays at the collegiate level, but scouts are unsure how much it will affect him. Based off what we have seen, he should be able to play at a high level in college.
247 Crystal Ball:
90% - Memphis
10% - Cal
Moore decommitted from Memphis on Friday. He has only taken one official visit, which was to Memphis. Not too much is known on his recruitment because he just reopened it two days ago. He was committed to Memphis for almost five months. Ever since he decommitted, Wisconsin, Northwestern, DePaul, Miami and SMU have been in touch with Moore. Playing time is very important to Moore. Not much else is known, so there will be three predicted schools for Moore.
PREDICTION: Cal, Georgia Tech, Northwestern
2016 4* C Taurean Thompson
Considering: Georgetown, Kansas, Providence, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Xavier
Thompson is very athletic, agile and fast, even at 6'10". He is an outstanding defender and rebounder. Some believe he is underrated, ranked at #79 on 247Sports and outside the top-100 on some rankings.
247 Crystal Ball:
93% - Syracuse
7% - Seton Hall
Thompson has taken two official visits to Seton Hall and Xavier. It seems that he wants to stay near his home in New Hampshire. Out of the six schools listed above, Kansas is the only school that seems out of the question. The other five schools are all contenders, although some have a great chance at landing him. Syracuse seems to be the heavy favorite, so they have him locked, right?
PREDICTION: Xavier