Inching closer and closer to the first signing period, a seven day spurt that begins on November 9, a slew of commitments continue to come down the pike where several of the more powerful programs added further to their cupboard of talent. The likes of Louisville, Iowa State and Arizona enjoyed a bit more success on the recruiting front in recent days but no one won the week more than the Georgetown Hoyas on the power conference front, and Loyola from the non-power conference rung.

POWER CONFERENCE COMMITMENT OF THE WEEK

TREMONT WATERS SHOUTS HOYA SAXA

There has been some debate of late about whether the Georgetown Hoyas still have the pizzazz compared to the prior years of the Hoyas brand. While this year will be a giant statement season for whether John Thompson III can get his program headed back in the right direction after a low point yesteryear, the commitment of Tremont Waters brings great optimism for the bunch based out of the nation’s capital.

A top-50 lead guard out of Connecticut that, if he were two inches taller, might be an easy, five-star recruit, the talent base from Waters is tremendous. Capable of stepping in day one and helping the Big East gang in running the show out top, scoring the basketball from inside the arc and out, yet displaying major instincts both on and off the ball as a defender brings greater insight into just how great of a commitment that Waters is for the Hoyas.

In recent years, JT3 and his gang have failed to finagle their way into landing top-50 type of talent. While there is still a need to add further to Waters in the coming weeks as the New England recruit is just the first commitment in the 2017 class for the Hoyas, the 5-foot-10 guard’s verbal was a giant statement in getting the program back on the proper ground.

Beating out the likes of Kansas, Indiana, and Kentucky for Waters’ commitment, while he comes in a smaller package compared to most other floor generals, the fact that he has produced at every level that he has competed at and is one of the most consistent contributors across the land can only mean that Georgetown deserves their dues as the winner of the week from the power conference platform.

NON-POWER CONFERENCE COMMITMENT OF THE WEEK

LOYOLA SNEAKS ONE IN WITH CHRISTIAN NEGRON

Making the move to the Missouri Valley Conference a few years ago, a jump up from the Horizon League, Loyola has continued to show progressions in recent seasons but it might just be its 2017 recruiting class that gets Porter Moser and his program to the next level within the league. Their senior class got that much stronger thanks to this past week’s commitment from Christian Negron.

Loyola kicked its senior class off in style and in a big way, both literally and figuratively, with the post-July commitment from Cameron Krutwig. The big fella out of Illinois may be one of the most polished big men from 10-feet and in from all across the land and while his athleticism may have held him back from the highest of levels, Krutwig’s commitment should enable for an efficient offense to be run through the low and high post setting, that is if Moser and his staff would like to head that route. Adding more talent to the frontcourt for years to come, Christian Negron decided enough was enough by giving his own commitment to the MVC crew.

Being pursued hotly by several Midwest power conference schools during his underclassmen years, Negron didn’t have his best of summers this past year but he still showed off a bevy of upside and versatility in the frontcourt. Albeit undersized to a certain extreme standing just 6-foot-6, the in-state recruit does have the luxury of a giant wingspan and explosiveness that he uses well in scoring in the lane within the biggest trees and in defending various spots on the hardwood.

In the new era of basketball where versatile, smaller lineups where at least four players on the floor at any given time can shoot, pass, and dribble, Negron is the ideal power forward. Picked apart in the past for his tweener nature, Negron should flourish within the MVC and at Loyola. While he is rehabbing from a recently torn ACL, taking a chance on the Larkin High product is a no-brainer, hence making Negron the non-power conference commitment of the week.

AAC

TULSA

• Elijah Joiner, 6-foot-4 guard, Curie High School (Illinois)

ACC

LOUISVILLE

• Jordan Nwora, 6-foot-7 forward, Vermont Academy (Vermont) – NATIONAL RANKING: 106

AMERICAN EAST

NEW HAMPSHIRE

• Joshua Hopkins, 6-foot-6 small forward, Dudley High School (North Carolina)

ATLANTIC SUN

JACKSONVILLE

• Jalyn Hinton, 6-foot-4 shooting guard, The Governor's Academy (Massachusetts)

ATLANTIC 10

RICHMOND

• Tomas Verbinskis, 6-foot-7 small forward, Sagemont School (Florida) – STATE RANKING: 34

BIG EAST

GEORGETOWN

• Tremont Waters, 5-foot-10 point guard, Notre Dame High School (Connecticut) – NATIONAL RANKING: 43

BIG SKY

IDAHO

• Jared Rodriguez, 6-foot-6 small forward, Mountain Ridge High School (Arizona)

BIG SOUTH

CAMPBELL

• Ja’Cor Nelson, 6-foot-3 shooting guard, Lower Richland High School (South Carolina)

BIG 10

PURDUE

• Aaron Wheeler, 6-foot-7 small forward, Brewster Academy (New Hampshire)

BIG 12

IOWA STATE

• Lindell Wigginton, 6-foot-2 guard, Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) – NATIONAL RANKING: 50

WEST VIRGINIA

• Teddy Allen, 6-foot-6 small forward, Boys Town High School (West Virginia) – NATIONAL RANKING: 125

CAA

DELAWARE

• Kevin Anderson, 6-foot-3 shooting guard, St. John Neumann Regional Academy High School (Pennsylvania)

CONFERENCE USA

MARSHALL

• Iran Bennett, 6-foot-10 center, Hargrave Military Academy (Virginia)

UTEP

• Tirus Smith, 6-foot-6 small forward, Petal High School (Mississippi)

IVY

BROWN

• Matt DeWolf, 6-foot-8 center, Northfield Mount Hermon School (New Hampshire)

MAC

AKRON

• Eric Parrish, 6-foot-6 small forward, Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas)

BUFFALO

• Jayvon Graves, 6-foot-2 guard, St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School (Ohio)

EASTERN MICHIGAN

• Tariq Silver, 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Northwest High School (Tennessee)

TOLEDO

• Dwayne Rose, 6-foot-2 guard, Crete-Monee High School (Illinois)

MISSOURI VALLEY

EVANSVILLE

• Noah Frederking, 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Okawville High School (Illinois)

INDIANA STATE

• Elafayette Stone, 6-foot-8 center, East Coweta High School (Georgia)

LOYOLA (ILL)

• Christian Negron, 6-foot-6 power forward, Larkin High School (Illinois)

MISSOURI STATE

• Mustafa Lawrence, 6-foot point guard, Forest Trail High School (North Carolina)

OHIO VALLEY

TENNESSEE STATE

• Davis Morris, 6-foot-1 point guard, Strong Vincent High School (Pennsylvania)

PAC 12

ARIZONA

• Ira Lee, 6-foot-7 power forward, Crossroads School (California) – NATIONAL RANKING: 64

OREGON STATE

• Zach Reichle, 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Wilsonville High School (Oregon)

UTAH

• Branden Carlson, 6-foot-10 center, Bingham High School (Utah)

PATRIOT

LOYOLA

• River Reed, 6-foot-8 power forward, Ronald Reagan High School (Texas)

SEC

OLE MISS

• Jamarko Pickett, 6-foot-9 power forward, Massanutten Military Academy (Virginia)

SOUTHLAND

NEW ORLEANS

• Bol Riek, 7-foot-2 center, Mooseheart Child City & School (Illinois)

SAM HOUSTON STATE

• Shelby Adams, 6-foot-3 shooting guard, Judson High School (Texas)

SUMMIT

NEBRASKA OMAHA

• Zach Thornhill, 6-foot-4 shooting guard, St. James Academy (Kansas)

SOUTH DAKOTA

• Walter Prevost, 6-foot-7 power forward, Nimitz High School (Texas)
• Stanley Umude, 6-foot-6 small forward, Earl Warren High School (Texas)

WAC

CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD

• Jarkel Joiner, 6-foot-1 point guard, Oxford High School (Mississippi)

2018 CLASS

AMERICAN EAST

HARTFORD

• Filip Petrusev, 6-foot-10 power forward, Avon Old Farms School (Connecticut)

PAC 12

OREGON STATE

• Jack Wilson, 6-foot-11 center, JSerra High School (California)