For such a young conference, Conference USA has seen so many teams come and go since its establishment in 1995. This conference has a completely different look than two years ago, as most of its teams left for the American Conference.

However, the conference still gets its automatic bid to the big dance, and there are a number of quality programs left in the conference to vie for it.

UAB is the conference’s reigning champions, and is the only program still in Conference USA to win its tournament since its establishment. The Blazers are building on that success by gaining the commitments of two high-scoring shooting guards who can fill it up in very different ways. First is Nate Darling, a native Canadian who plays at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland and is a marksman from deep. Joining him is homegrown product Javien Williams from Woodlawn High School in Birmingham. Williams is also a prolific scorer who makes his living off the bounce and getting to the basket, where he can finish at the rim. 

Another program that has made headlines in recent months is UNC Charlotte, who inked Mark Price to a long-term deal to become their head coach. Price is certainly no stranger to point guard play, and he has a good one to work with committed to the 49ers in the class of 2016 in Quentin Jackson. Jackson is the best commit to any Conference USA program thus far in the class. The big 6-foot-3 point guard has all the tools to be very special and is an exciting piece for Mark Price’s first commit. 

Old Dominion has also reeled in a couple of guards to rival Jackson with Williamsburg Christian (VA) combo guard Xavier Green and Putnam City West (OK) point guard Tre Evans. Green , who flew under the radar on a Team Loaded team filled to the brim with high major talent, could play both guard spots at the next level and will give the Monarchs loads of versatility. Evans, a former Oklahoma State commit, is a good-shooting guard who will provide another scoring punch in the backcourt. The Monarchs also have commitments from two JuCo prospects in wing Randy Haynes and forward Alassane Kah. 

Rice also has commitments from Virginia point guard Ako Adams and California power forward Tim Harrison, both top 100 players at their respective positions, giving the Owls two very formidable pieces to build around and one of the top classes in the conference. UTEP has a nice commitment from Hargrave Military shooting guard Tim Cameron, who will be a solid contributor for the Miners. Louisiana Tech has three Texans committed including Oliver Powell, a top 100 power forward, as well as wings Jalen Harris and Jacolby Pemberton. Florida International has 7-foot North Carolinian Raekwon Long in the fold to hold down the paint for them as well. 

Carter Wilson’s take: The commitment of Quentin Jackson to Charlotte could be a sign of things to come from Mark Price. He will get players into the 49er program and have them as a force to be reckoned with. Certainly the other program will try and keep up, but there is a clear divide between the top and bottom halves with recruiting in this class with Old Dominion, Charlotte, Rice, UAB, Louisiana Tech, and UTEP separating themselves from the pack so far. 

Biggest Recruiting Story: How will Mark Price build around Quentin Jackson? Charlotte doesn’t have a lot of spots left in 2016; however, in 2017 they will be replacing a lot. Look for Price and his staff to hit the trail hard in the next calendar year to hit the ground running on 2017 prospects. 

CONFERENCE USA TEAM RANKINGS

1. Old Dominion
2. Rice
3. UNC Charlotte
4. UAB
5. Louisiana Tech
6. UTEP
7. Florida International
8. North Texas
9. Marshall
10. Middle Tennessee State
11. Western Kentucky
12. Florida Atlantic
13. Southern Mississippi
14. UT San Antonio

CONFERENCE USA CLASS SUPERLATIVES