Commitments of the week
Every Monday, we will roll out the commitments of the week. Within it, we hope to bring you up-to-date with any and every commitment that was received over the past seven days within the college realm. Adding into it, while some more highly ranked players might be popping off the board, it is hard to disregard a quality fit for both the prospect and the college program. Hence, we will select the top power conference commitment with that in mind, along with one outside of the top conferences.
POWER CONFERENCE COMMITMENT OF THE WEEK
PAYTON PRITCHARD TO OREGON
Dana Altman’s offense has always been a fun, entertaining style to watch and because of it, has allowed for the sell with the college recruits to be a lot easier compared to others. Not many ballplayers want to go somewhere and play in a slow and slogging offensive system but rather within that at Oregon, which relies on getting the ball up the floor and creating more possessions in any given affair. On Friday evening, Oregon received a commitment out of Payton Pritchard, the top in-state recruit from West Linn High School who should be able to play to the strengths of the Duck offense. Originally a commit to Oklahoma before backing off his verbal earlier this summer, Pritchard should be able to help out immediately on campus come next winter. He is a hard driver of the ball who finds spot up shooters on the drive and kick and is capable of being played off the ball some and hitting off of screens and staggers from behind the arc. With the loss of Joseph Young to the NBA this year and receiving just a year’s worth of Villanova transfer Dylan Ennis this season, it would seem that Pritchard and incoming freshman guard Tyler Dorsey can create quite the duo in the backcourt over the next few years in Eugene.
NON-POWER CONFERENCE COMMITMENT OF THE WEEK
HORIZON LEAGUE GOES TO WORK
I was a bit on the fence here and really, there are no rules that I have to pick just one commitment so why not go with one conference. Both of the commitments received within the Horizon League this past week should lead to great success for the player and the program.
Trevor Anderson to Green Bay is going to end up being one that a lot of the higher mid-level programs would have wished they would have pursued in the coming years. The 6-foot-2 point guard is one tough dude with the ball in his hands. He is a winning ballplayer who makes others better but also creates for himself off of drives to the basket and on spot-up situations from off the perimeter. Throw in his competitive juices that he exhibits on each possession and already well-groomed fundamentals and what Green Bay got this past week is an immediate, four-year guy at the most important spot on the floor.
Not far behind in the importance and fit category, North Kentucky has continued to restock the cupboard as they kept in-state big man Carson Williams within state borders for his college playing days. The 6-foot-7 forward is one rugged dude who doesn’t give one inch down low. He plays well out of the high post and can hit the face-up jumper, attack and score at the lid off his right hand, and has the energy levels and motor in remaining involved for the 50-50 chance on the glass. With a new staff on hand in Highland Heights, head man John Brannen has gotten off to a great start in the 2016 class and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Williams turn himself into an all-conference type within the Horizon League during his upperclassman years.
2016 CLASS
ATLANTIC SUN
- Christian Carlyle – 6-foot-5 wing – Bishop Kenny High School (Florida) – Florida Gulf Coast University
BIG TEN
- Jordan Bohannon – 5-foot-11 point guard – Linn-Mar High School (Iowa) – University of Iowa
CAA
- Sam Green – 6-foot-6 forward – Bishop McNamara High School (Maryland) – Drexel University
HORIZON
- Trevor Anderson – 6-foot-2 guard – Stevens Point High School (Wisconsin) – University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
- Carson Williams – 6-foot-7 forward – Owen County High School (Kentucky) – Northern Kentucky University
MAC
- Adida Ikongshul – 6-foot-6 forward – Shawe Memorial High School (Indiana) – Western Michigan University
MEAC
- Damian Knowlin – 6-foot-3 guard – Kecoughtan High School (Virginia) – Hampton University
- Rashad Williams – 6-foot-9 center – Lakewood High School (Florida) – Florida A&M University
MWC
- Rashad Williams – 6-foot-3 guard – Moreau Catholic High School (California) – San Jose State University
PAC 12
- Payton Pritchard – 6-foot-1 guard – West Linn High School (Oregon) – University of Oregon
PATRIOT
- Pat Andree – 6-foot-7 forward – Christian Brothers Academy (New Jersey) – Lehigh University
SOUTHERN
- Darius Roy – 6-foot-2 guard – Eisenhower High School (Oklahoma) – Mercer University
SOUTHLAND
- Jamell Bradley – 6-foot-5 wing – Judson High School (Texas) – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
SUMMIT
- Kellen Manek – 6-foot-7 forward – Harrah High School (Oklahoma) – Oral Roberts University
- TJ Washington – 6-foot guard – Jenks High School (Oklahoma) – Indiana University-Purdue University
WCC
- Jared Stutzman – Bonneville High School (Utah) – University of San Francisco
- Killian Tillie – 6-foot-8 forward – France – Gonzaga University
2017 CLASS
PAC 12
- Daejon Davis – 6-foot-2 guard – Lakeside High School (Washington) – University of Washington