National Signing Day 2017: Big East
Big East
1: Xavier
32. Paul Scruggs, CG
33. Naji Marshall, SF
102. Elias Harden, SG/SF
Jared Ridder, SF
Kentrevious Jones, C
2: Villanova
31. Jermaine Samuels, SF
103. Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, C
3: Butler
68. Christian David, SG/SF
110. Kyle Young, PF
Jerald Butler, SF
Cooper Neese, SG
4: Creighton
74. Mitchell Ballock, SG/SF
99. TyShon Alexander, SG
5: Marquette
65. Jamal Cain, SF/PF
Theo John, C
Ike Eke, PF
6: Georgetown
43. Tremont Waters, PG
Antwan Walker, PF
7: Providence
81. Nate Watson, C
Dajour Dickens, PF/C
8: DePaul
Justin Roberts, PG
Jaylen Butz, PF
9: St. John’s
61. Zach Brown, C
10: Seton Hall
Myles Cale, SG
HoopSeen125 players coming to Big East: 24
Total signees/commitments: 12
Best scorer: Myles Cale – Seton Hall
Best rebounder:Zach Brown – St. John’s
Best defender: Naji Marshall – Xavier
Biggest impact: Tremont Waters – Georgetown
Best shooter: Cooper Neese – Butler
Best passer: Tremont Waters – Georgetown
Biggest sleeper: Jerald Butler – Butler
Top PG: Tremont Waters – Georgetown
Top SG:Paul Scruggs – Xavier
Top SF: Jermaine Samuels – Villanova
Top PF: Jamal Cain – Marquette
Top C: Zach Brown – St. John’s
The Big East Conference enjoyed great success on the playing floor last year thanks to the championship run from the Villanova Wildcats. While there was some debate as to the trajectory that the league would take following some of the departure of yesteryear to the ACC and AAC, the Big East is here to stay and just a quick glance at the talent headed into it this fall and one can see that optimism is afloat.
Thanks to the work that Xavier has done on the trail, the Musketeers represent the Big East as a top-10 class within our top-25 class rankings on the national front. Boasting two, top-50 recruits in the form of super tough and playmaking small forward Naji Marshall, along with combo guard Paul Scruggs, each bring excellent talent and even better upside to the Cincinnati based program.
Things just don’t stop there as Chris Mack and his squad have littered their backcourt with big time scorers of the ball via the jumper in Jared Ridder and Elias Harden. Both stand over 6-foot-4 and each bring major value with the way that they can shoot the ball, allowing for easier driving lanes for Scruggs and Marshall. The class is topped off by an interior piece with Kentrevious Jones, a big fella from the state of Georgia that could become a solid 10-foot and in presence upon the proper progressions.
There are two other programs sitting within the top-25 of our rankings from the Big East as Villanova, and Butler bring plenty of versatility and talent to their programs next year.
Franklin, MA
The defending champs struck early with Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, a hard playing and rim running big man that can really rebound the basketball but also protect his basket on the defensive end. However, for as good as the Philly native is, it is Jermaine Samuels that headlines the two-man class. The top-50 small forward is the top recruit headed to the Big East school next fall and should immediately step in and replace the giant shoes that Josh Hart will soon leave.
Next to Xavier, Butler brings the most depth and quite possibly, the most versatility to its campus next fall. Christian David and Kyle Young are the top recruits headed to Indianapolis as they are bolstered by one of the top shooters in the 2017 class in Cooper Neese, and what might be the most underrated recruit hitting a Big East program, Jerald Butler.
Creighton, after going through a few years of improvements following the departure of all-time great Doug McDermott, seems more than ready to jump out and become a top-25 team this college basketball season. The future remains just as good where the Blue Jays welcome in two giant scorers of the ball on the wings of the floor in TyShon Alexander and Mitchell Ballock. Both were heavily pursued from some of the top programs throughout their locale as both should flourish within the open, free-flowing offense that head coach Greg McDermott throws out onto the playing floor.
Just barely missing the top-25 of our class rankings is the Marquette Golden Eagles. The frontcourt is just loaded thanks to the talents of top-100 small forward Jamal Cain. The Detroit native might have one of the greatest upsides for a committed recruit to a Big East program and he will be joined by shot blocking connoisseur Theo John and high motor and deceptively skilled forward Ike Eke.
The most impressive part about the class that the league’s members have put together is the amount of talent added by some of the bottom half programs found within our rankings. Georgetown, Providence, and St. John’s have added top-100 recruits in the form of Tremont Waters, Nate Watson, and Zach Brown respectively.
Every program holds at least one recruit as even Seton Hall, sitting at the bottom of the conference’s pecking order, might have the top scoring weapon in Myles Cale. Others to keep an eye on that could surpass previous rankings could be Antwan Walker headed to Georgetown, Dajour Dickens of Providence, and Jaylen Butz, a 6-foot-8 power forward ready to suit up for DePaul.
There are 24 committed senior recruits within the league, a conference that boasts 10 teams in all. Of the 24, half of those can be found within the 2017 HoopSeen Top-125 Rankings. Impressive as that is, expect for that talent within the rankings to correlate to an even better product on the playing floor as the depth of the league could be ramped up to another level thanks to the work that each program has done on the recruiting front this fall.
