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Fastbreak Friday: Texas A&M hosts the heavy hitters

Texas A&M hosts its top targets as Iowa State and a slew of others remain on commitment watch.
2, Sep 2016

Fastbreak Friday: Texas A&M hosts the heavy hitters

The college football season is finally here. Hoorah! However, there is more than just meets the eye this weekend as some of the top prospects hit the. In this week’s edition of Fastbreak Friday, we take a look at a few of the top campus visits along with taking a shot at predicting a handful of other commitments. We predicted four commitments last week; three came true.

ON THE TRAIL: THIS WEEK’S VISITS

The likes of Iowa State, Delaware, and SMU could all strike this weekend with a commitment while Texas A&M gets the spotlight as it hosts several of its top targets throughout the next 48 hours.

TEXAS A&M ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET

Josh Rosen and the UCLA Bruins come to town this weekend in a battle with the Aggies in College Station. Sure, there will be tons of eyes placed on the giant gridiron contest,  but the basketball staff will be doing their own work on the recruiting front. Hosting some of its top targets from the state, this weekend is ginormous for Texas A&M.

Already with two commitments in the hopper from the 2017 class, the Aggies have gotten off on a good note in landing the services of TJ Starks, a tough and competitive lead guard, and Isiah Jasey, a throwback, well put together 5-man that equates to an early, top-25 recruiting class. This weekend could boost the class even further and with Starks set to be on campus for his own official visit, look for the in-state recruit to put his recruiting hat on in luring more talent to join him in College Station next fall.

The top prospect headed to campus is Savion Flagg. The 6-foot-7 wing-forward has ideal size for his spot on the floor, can defend three positions, makes shots from off the catch, and is a good athlete at the basket. Others such as Northwestern and Texas remain in heavy pursuit but the top-50 recruit would be a huge snag for A&M. Right alongside him will be Victory Bailey, a 6-foot-4 elite athlete that can make shots from the mid-range but also has gotten better as a playmaker within the half-court setting. Another top-100 recruit within the 2017 class, the in-state target would pair nicely with Starks in College State next fall.

Matt Mayer, a top-50 junior forward, will also be on hand, where the Aggies look to be in a good spot for him as both of his parents are alums of the school. He will be joined by another top-50, in-state prospect in Quentin Grimes, along with a travel program teammate of his in 2019 guard Sahvir Wheeler.

In all, Texas A&M will have three, top-50 prospects, a top-100 recruit, a promising 2019 guard, and an early commit on its campus until Sunday. Sure, there will be fireworks on the gridiron but for the staff in College Station, hopefully it will lead to even greater fireworks coming in the form of a commitment from any of those in attendance.

FIVE OTHERS TO WATCH

HOUSTON

While the Cougars just barely missed out on five-star center Jarrett Allen this past spring, they have done quality work on the recruiting front and this weekend could only further the statement. Jase Febres, one of the better shot making wings in his class, stays in the state and gets a glimpse at the AAC program. Along with him will be two of its top interior recruits in Ethan Chargois and Fabian White, along with Mike Adewumni, an already committed shooting guard from the state. Gaining a commitment from any of the two bigs along with Febres, who is down to the likes of UH, Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Stanford, would be tremendous starts for Kelvin Sampson’s bunch in 2017.

JAMES MADISON

A new staff is in tow in Harrisonburg as the CAA crew has spread its wings on the recruiting trail and gotten some traction within the state of Florida. This weekend, two, top-40 prospects from the state head to James Madison as Darius Banks, a capable 3-and-D wing, and Dwight Wilson, a brute force and hard-nosed power forward, take an official visit as they will be joined by Matt Lewis, a high upside prospect from the DMV.

PITT

Another new staff getting the spotlight here, the crew at Pitt will use the first weekend of college football season in hosting two of its top targets form the east coast. Christian David, a top-100 guard that can play all three spots in the backcourt, heads to Oakland, while Terrell Brown, a cusp top-125 recruit that can extend the defense with the perimeter jumper but also protect his basket, will also be on hand. Together, a commitment from any of the two would be a great addition to the lone verbal in hand from Aaron Thompson, a top-125 recruit and one of the best on-ball defenders in his class.

UCONN

A week after hosting one of its top targets in Paul Scruggs, the Huskies get their last shot at hosting its top point guard recruit in Makai Ashton-Langford. The super speedy and aggressive guard is down to a final two as Providence is battling with the AAC bunch for the top-60 guard’s signature. Also on campus will be Tyler Polley, a slender but skilled forward out of Florida that Pitt and Tennessee are tracking hard.

YALE

Harvard has gotten a ton of pub in recent years about its work on the recruiting front but let’s not forget that the other programs in the Ivy League have created their own havoc. The defending champs from the conference will try and do just that and with committed floor general Azar Swain headed to the New Haven campus, James Jones’ bunch will bring in its top two targets in Paul Atkinson and Jordan Usher. While USC and Arizona State are seen as the top leaders for Usher, Yale could be out in the lead with Atkinson, a 6-foot-9 center that is super-efficient and productive down low.

PREDICTION: IOWA STATE LANDS DARIUS MCNEILL

Last week, the Texas Longhorns got the rundown in predicting that the Big 12 bunch would land Jericho Sims. We hit the nail head on and after the Minnesota native gave his verbal to Shaka Smart earlier this week, we take another shot this time around with another Big 12 crew. Might Iowa State have its future replacement for Monte Morris on campus? We think so.

While Texas Tech recently offered and others such as UConn and Texas have gotten involved, McNeill heading to Iowa State for his first official visit could be the last that he ever makes. A 6-foot-2, explosive and quick guard from the Lone Star State, McNeill has just one other visit set up, a trip that will take him to Cincinnati in the coming weeks. However, after landing both Terrance Lewis and KeyShawn Feazell last month, the Cyclones could add a third piece to its top-20 recruiting class.

The certainty of the commitment from McNeill isn’t as solid as that with Sims last week, though ISU has done the most work with the Houston native thus far and a commitment that could ensue would create the second top-125 pick-up for Steve Prohm within the past three weeks.

OTHER PREDICTIONS:

  • Elijah Landrum to SMU
  • Ikey Obiagu to Maryland
  • McKinley Wright to Minnesota
  • Ryan Allen to Delaware
  • Paul Atkinson to Yale

Corey Evans has been a member of the HoopSeen family since the summer of 2015. He brings a wealth of experience in scouring the nation in evaluation some of the top prospects from coast-to-coast, and in also finding some of the more under-the-radar prospects from various locales. The managing editor on site, Evans has run a college scouting service, the Roundball Rundown Report, since 2012, as he works with over 100 division-1 college basketball programs from both sides of the nation. Based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Evans is the primary national contributor at HoopSeen which has broadened the scope of information included within the site itself. 

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