Yesterday we unloaded five unranked freshmen that will all make some majors moves during their inaugural college basketball season and surpass the expectations placed onto them this winter. However, with signing day looming, why not escape out of most top-100 rankings within the 2016 crop and investigate five names that might prove many of the naysayers wrong with their production at the next level?

JAY HUFF – 6-FOOT-10 – CENTER – VOYAGER ACADMEY

COMMITTED TO VIRGINIA

Many outside of the Mid-Atlantic have been unable to see Jay Huff suit up. Playing at a smaller high school in North Carolina and for a non-sponsored travel program, if you are able to get a peek at the 6-foot-10 center, you are definitely going to walk away highly impressed with the Carolina native. While still very skinny and a weight room and several hundred peanut butter and jellies away from having the suitable physique in competing within the ACC, the talent out of Huff is nothing to bat one’s eyes at.

Not very often recruits speak about possibly redshirting before ever getting onto a college campus; yet, Huff and his family have been adamant about using an extra year in making sure the senior’s body was right. When you have that type of patience, a quality perimeter stroke as he can hit quickly and off the pick and pop with consistency, and some innate toughness to him, what Tony Bennett has coming to Charlottesville next fall is a major weapon at the 5-spot who brings many unique  qualities. There are a lot of shades of Frank Kaminsky to him and you can bet the house that before Huff’s college career is over with, he will have outperformed the minimal rankings placed onto him from those throughout the scouting universe.

MAMADOU DIARRA – 6-FOOT-8 – CENTER – PUTNAM SCIENCE ACADEMY

COMMITTED TO UCONN

The class UConn has coming to Storrs next fall is pretty impressive. A top-10 nationally ranked one at that, Diarra is actually the worst rated prospect in tow but he might become the most productive over the course of his college career. Sure, Alterique Gilbert, Vance Jackson, and Juwan Durham are all top-75 recruits and prospects that have a chance of playing beyond the college level. However, over the past two years, there haven’t been many more productive big men on the east coast than Mamadou Diarra.

While he is a bit undersized standing near 6-foot-8, Diarra has a prolonged wingspan and an elite motor. He never stops playing hard and runs the floor from rim to rim. While his offensive skill package needs further tweaking in adding consistency onto his mid-range jumper, Diarra buys into being a top of the line garbage man who secures double figure rebounds with ease and should fit into the culture that Kevin Ollie has kept intact. After leading the nation in blocks for several years, Diarra should give the Huskies a boost in this particular category and while many have slighted him because of his size and spot on the floor, it is hard to deny the New York native’s production on the hardwood, thus making him a sleeper and under the radar commit who will sign his LOI next month.

JAGAN MOSELY – 6-FOOT-2 – COMBO GUARD – ST. ANTHONY’S HIGH SCHOOL

COMMITTED TO GEORGETOWN

Mosely is a winner. No way around it. He won on the travel circuit with the New Jersey Playaz bunch and he has won at the high school level learning the ropes under one of the best around in Bob Hurley. Now committed to Georgetown, the Jersey native is quite the versatile guard who can play various spots on the floor and on either end. He doesn’t shoot the ball great, which may be cause for concern by some others who haven’t rated him as highly. When it comes to winning games, competing, and buying into the team culture, not many do it better.

Finding the right fit and place to succeed at the next level was a priority of Mosely’s throughout the entire process. With fine grades in the classroom, Mosely is actually one of the few recruits that have said no to Harvard in recent years. At the Hilltop, the 6-foot-2 guard should provide immediate contributions in the backcourt and where his offensive numbers might not be off the charts good out of the gates, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Mosely be named the defensive player of the year within the Big East before things are said and done with. He shows off a giant 6-foot-9 wingspan, a college ready body, and a consistent motor, which concoct together to create an elite defender, perimeter rebounder of the ball, and glue guy. He will have no issues with his role, regardless of how minimal it is, and it wouldn’t be all that shocking for the St. Anthony’s leader to outperform many others above him in the 2016 rankings.

SAGABA KONATE – 6-FOOT-8 – POWER FORWARD – KENNEDY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

COMMITTED TO WEST VIRGINIA

Just like Jay Huff, Konate plays off the beaten path on the border of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and on the travel circuit, ran with a non-sponsored shoe program. Even when he committed to West Virginia a few weeks ago, there wasn’t much praise surrounding the marriage between Konate and Bob Huggins’ crew. That will all change once he gets to Morgantown and the general public gets their first sight at the big man from Kennedy Catholic.

Standing at 6-foot-8 but with an enormous wingspan, Konate is unrelenting with his approach on the floor and his production whenever things get a little chippy is beyond solid. He can face his man up and attack off his right hand where scoring through contact off his feet isn’t much of an issue. While his body hasn’t hit a weight program just yet, Konate is blessed with a God-given physique and innate strength in throwing out blows on either end of the floor. With many dimensions of former Providence star forward Ryan Gomes to him, the future Mountaineer has intertwined some ball skills within his repertoire as he can hit the outside jumper with his feet and lead the break off the defensive rebound. He is the ideal Bob Huggins power forward who should fill the role that Kevin Jones and Da’Sean Butler once succeeded at admirably and could become an all-conference guy within the Big 12 once he gets interwoven within the fabric in Morgantown.

JORDAN FORD – 6-FOOT – POINT GUARD – FOLSOM HIGH SCHOOL

COMMITTED TO ST. MARY’S

Take my advice, this kid can ball! He might not look the part but Ford gets it done at every level that he has ever competed at and is just another reason for why Randy Bennett and his St. Mary’s program is a group that the high-level programs hate to see on their side of the bracket come March. Ford entertained UC-Santa Barbara and Gonzaga before selecting the Gaels two months back and while California was the only power conference program to even show a bit of interest, many within the Pac-12 will be beating themselves up once they see what Ford does out in Maraga.

Ford is a competitor, point blank. I saw him miss all nine of his shots in a Nike EYBL outing before nailing the game-winning 3-point jumper at the buzzer to win contest for his squad. How many guys around would have the confidence, both within themselves and from their coaches to let that shot fly? Not many. More than just a shooter, the Folsom product is someone that is a pure facilitator in the half-court who gets everyone into the proper spots like Tom Brady on Sundays. He does have to beef things up physically but with a lot of former Arizona star TJ McConnell within his game and set of intangibles, the sneaky lead guard should become a four-year figurehead for the WCC program and allow for Bennett and his group to secure quality wins en route to further success leading into and within the NCAA Tournament.