Commitments of the week
Every Monday, we will roll out the commitments of the week along with the entire list of the commitments received from every division-1 program. There were a few that popped off the board this past week and while the SEC continues to reel in the elite talent in the 2016 class, it was a Pac-12 program and a Conference USA school that made the greatest noise in providing some much needed infusion of immediate talent with each commit that it received on the recruiting trail.
POWER CONFERENCE COMMIT OF THE WEEK
MARKELLE FULTZ TO WASHINGTON
As our Justin Young stated on Friday evening, Markelle Fultz committing to Washington may not be just the commitment of the week, but the commitment of the year! The DeMatha Catholic guard came off the board in selecting Washington over the likes of Maryland, Arizona, Kentucky, and Louisville, and the difference making prowess that Fultz can bring to the Pac 12 program is beyond just the tangible side of things.
Where Lorenzo Romar and his staff brought in a great class within the 2015 crop with the likes of Dejounte Murray, David Crisp, and Dominic Green, where all these guys hail from Washington, as in the state, unlike Fultz, who calls Washington D.C. his home. A top-10, elite talent from the east coast choosing UW changes the entire image that the program has come to represent. They are capable of landing top flight talent and after picking up a commitment out of Jontay Porter, a 2018 big man from Missouri, things suddenly have become a lot more favorable with Washington in their continued pursuit of Porter’s older brother by one year, Michael Porter, who is a five-star wing in 2017.
NON-POWER CONFERENCE COMMIT OF THE WEEK
QUENTIN JACKSON TO CHARLOTTE
Whenever most high school prospects are asked what they are looking for in a college, they usually respond by saying that they want the right fit and a comfortable landing spot at the next level. However, the majority of the time, this goes out the window and they choose the program from the highest level and unfortunately, the fit might not be as good and this leads to the growing transfer list during the summertime. With Quentin Jackson, the Carolina native is part of the minority where he shook off several power conference offers that he received over the past few months and called it a day this past week in picking Charlotte as his future home.
Jackson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Raleigh, North Carolina, is capable of playing on and off the basketball and is more of a scorer at heart from off the bounce. He had a tremendous few weeks this past summer running with the SEBL crew and displayed the ability to prosper his ball skills and show up in the most opportune of moments. Mark Price and his staff are trying to lay down the foundation in Charlotte and with Jackson, the 49ers should have a four-year guy who can be given the ball from day one on campus and help in securing greater win totals as he settles in over the long haul.
COMMITMENTS FROM 8/17-8/24
ACC
- Christian Matthews – 6-foot-5 wing – National Christian Academy (Maryland) – Georgia Institute of Technology
BIG SOUTH
- Christian Turner – 5-foot-10 guard – Sandy Creek High School (Georgia) – Gardner-Webb University
BIG TEN
- Kwe Parker – 6-foot-1 guard – Wesleyan Christian Academy (North Carolina) – Rutgers University
C-USA
- Jailyn Ingram – 6-foot-6 forward – Morgan County High School (Georgia) – Florida Atlantic University
- Quentin Jackson – 6-foot-2 guard – Carlisle School (North Carolina) – University of North Carolina at Charlotte
HORIZON
- Mason Faulkner – 6-foot-2 guard – Caverna High School (Kentucky) – Northern Kentucky University
- Daniel Levitt – 6-foot-1 guard – New Hampton Prep (Canada) – Cleveland State University
MWC
- Jonathan DeWane – 6-foot-8 forward – The Bolles School (Florida) – Air Force Academy
PAC 12
- Markelle Fultz – 6-foot-4 guard – DeMatha Catholic High School (Maryland) – University of Washington
SEC
- Terrance Ferguson – 6-foot-6 wing – Prime U (Texas) – University of Alabama
- Sacha Killeya-Jones – 6-foot-9 forward – Virginia Episcopal School (North Carolina) – University of Kentucky
- Eli Wright – 6-foot-4 guard – IMG Academy (Kentucky) – Mississippi State University