It’s safe to say there is some growing interest in Sun Belt hoops. With former Louisiana-Lafayette guard Elfrid Payton thriving in the NBA, and Georgia State’s runs in March the past few years, it’s hard not to consider the talent the conference is producing – and it’s not done yet. Programs in the Sun Belt are on the rise and it’s because of the huge steps on the recruiting trail.

Georgia State has become notorious for its “Transfer U” theme. Ron Hunter and his staff have done a magnificent job of convincing Atlanta-area kids to come back home to play their college ball. Ryan Harrow, R.J. Hunter, Kevin Ware, Devin Mitchell, Isaiah Williams, and Jeremy Hollowell are among the players that have decided to end their careers in blue.

However, the Panthers aren’t having trouble on the recruiting trail, either. In fact, they have managed to keep two productive prospects home in the 2016 class. Hunter and his staff managed to reel in former Mississippi State shooting guard D’Marcus Simonds, as well as 2016 power forward Chris Clerkley, who has tons of upside. To put things in perspective, that’s two top 30 players for the Panthers in 2016. Not too bad.

The team that is going to be fun to watch evolve over the next few years is Arkansas-Little Rock. Lead by new head coach Chris Beard, the Trojans are already hitting strides on the recruiting trail that has never been done before. They received a commitment from 2016 wing Deshawn Corprew following the summer. The 6-foot-5 wing was one of the most active guys at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in June – and yes, you read that correctly. UA-Little Rock is bringing in a prospect that participated in the elite camp with some of the best players in the country.

The Trojans also scored commitments from a pair of in-state guys in Andre Jones and Ryan Pippins. Corprew and Jones will make quite the duo on the wing, while Pippins will be a solid playmaker for them going forward. The potential is there for Little Rock. Arkansas produces under-the-radar talent consistently, and with Texas and the Deep South at their disposal, Arkansas-Little Rock could emerge as a mid-major power in the Sun Belt.

Louisiana-Lafayette has had a productive few weeks leading up to National Signing Day. In a week’s span, Bob Marlin and his staff were able to land commitments from wing Roydell Brown and combo guard Herman Williams. Both guys had their share of high-major interest at different points in their recruitments, but they will be valuable additions for the Ragin’ Cajuns. With athleticism, versatility, and defensive presence, this duo should help Louisiana-Lafayette compete atop the Sun Belt.

Many of the schools in the Sun Belt will wrap up their recruiting classes in the spring. However, a couple of schools have made some nice early grabs. Georgia Southern got a steal in shooting guard Quan Jackson. Troy gets a consistent guard in Darian Adams. UT-Arlington dove into Florida and picked up an exceptional pass-first point guard with DJ Bryant. South Alabama had a huge pickup Tuesday afternoon with a pledge from Kevin Morris.

Garrett Tucker’s take: The Sun Belt has some talented basketball players and teams. It isn’t that hard to realize how or why. Just take a look at the work these schools are putting in on the recruiting trail. The teams at the top of this conference do a great job of identifying high-major talent and pursuing guys that don’t get the attention from Power 5 programs. As it has shown, things are paying off.

Biggest recruiting story: The biggest story for me is Arkansas-Little Rock’s emergence in Chris Beard’s first year on the job. Beard was named the head coach in the spring and by the end of the summer, he had a commitment from a fringe top 100 prospect in Deshawn Corprew. Now that’s impressive. It was a shock to many people in recruiting circles, as Corprew had plenty of high-major interest. Nevertheless, the Trojans prevailed. Andre Jones, an athletic wing man, isn’t a bad piece, either. That duo will be hard to slow down on the wing for years to come, whether it’s in Sun Belt play or on the national scale. Notice how I said “slow down” and not “stop.” Big things are happening in Little Rock.

SUN BELT CONFERENCE TEAM RANKINGS

1.  Georgia State
2.  Arkansas-Little Rock
3.  Louisiana-Lafayette
4. Georgia Southern
5. Arkansas State
6. South Alabama
7. Troy
8.Texas State
9. UT-Arlington
10.  Appalachian State
11.  Louisiana-Monroe

SUN BELT CLASS SUPERLATIVES