Commitments of the week
Wake up, or you’re going to miss another commitment! These past seven days on the recruiting trail have been absurd with colleges making the push with some of their top targets and receiving verbal commitments in response. Nearly every conference within the division-1 platform received a commitment this past week and while there were a plethora of ones that will leave deep ripples on the programs for years to come, it was the ones received out of Kobe King to Wisconsin and Deriante Jenkins to VCU that stood out the most as the commitments of the week.
POWER CONFERENCE COMMITMENT OF THE WEEK
KOBE KING TO WISCONSIN
This might be a bit out of the boat here and while a talent like Kobe King calling Wisconsin his future home is a great get for the Badgers, it is the ramifications of the commitment that makes this the power conference commitment of the week. Sure, Bo Ryan and his crew have done a tremendous job of getting guys that fit the cloth of the Big 10 program. However, talent has been added to the fit over the past few years with the likes of Sam Dekker, Bronson Koenig, and Nigel Hayes, which has allowed for consecutive Final Four appearances. These past few months haven't been the smoothest though, where with the questions pertaining to who might be the coach in Madison next year, has hindered things on the recruiting trail.
While Kobe King is a member of the junior class, his commitment shows that it is still okay to commit to Wisconsin. The in-state recruit had yet to really see his recruitment take off just yet but in a few months, the 6-foot-3 guard would have been a priority recruit for many of those from within the region. King repeatedly noted that he will attend Wisconsin regardless of who the coach is during his time at UW, displaying his love for the school and the program as a whole. Whether it is Bo Ryan, Greg Gard, or someone else, the commitment out of Kobe King gave a reason for others to continue to look at Wisconsin because of the foundation that Ryan and Gard have laid down and thus, should continue to rack up quality prospects from here on out on the recruiting trail.
NON-POWER CONFERENCE COMMITMENT OF THE WEEK
DERIANTE JENKINS TO VCU
With the 2016 class being the first full year of recruiting that Will Wade will be on hand in Richmond as the head boss at VCU, the importance of this specific class cannot be more overstated. Laying down the new head boss’ own foundation along with supplying the cupboard further is a must and on Saturday afternoon, Wade struck gold with the Deriante Jenkins.
Attending nearby Hargrave Military Academy, Jenkins is the ideal fit and get. Not only is Jenkins talented and was a priority recruit for power conference programs, but the top-100 recruit is the perfect fit for what VCU has come to represent in past years. With ideal size for his spot standing at 6-foot-6, yet with even longer arms and agility, Jenkins will be quite the nuisance on the defensive end of the floor. The tough senior can be used in guarding practically every spot on the floor except the center spot and has the toughness and grit to attempt to corral the big man position within the interior if asked to. Over the past few years, Jenkins has showed the worker’s mentality in developing his game and ball skills and now heading to a program that prides itself on maxing out its talent, the fit between school and player couldn’t have been much better whenever Jenkins ended his recruitment and popped off the board for the Rams.
AAC
- Travis Atson – 6-foot-5 wing – Notre Dame Prep (New York) – University of Tulsa
- Martins Igbanu – 6-foot-8 forward – Covenant Christian Academy (Nigeria) – University of Tulsa
ACC
- Justice Kithcart – 6-foot-1 guard – Virginia Episcopal School (North Carolina) – University of Pittsburgh
- Romello White – 6-foot-8 center – Wheeler High School (Georgia) – Georgia Institute of Technology
AMERICAN EAST
- Andrew Garcia – 6-foot-2 guard – The Master’s School (New York) – Stony Brook University
ATLANTIC SUN
- Michael Buckland – 6-foot-3 guard – Wesleyan Christian Academy (North Carolina) – Lipscomb University
ATLANTIC 10
- Grant Golden – 6-foot-7 forward – St. James School (Virginia) – University of Richmond
- Deriante Jenkins – 6-foot-6 wing – Hargrave Military Academy (South Carolina) – Virginia Commonwealth University
- Troy Temara – 6-foot-8 forward – West Genesee High School (New York) – George Mason University
- Mike Tertsea – 6-foot-10 center- John Carroll School (Nigeria) – University of Rhode Island
BIG EAST
- Dylan Painter – 6-foot-9 center – Hershey High School (Pennsylvania) – Villanova University
- Myles Powell – 6-foot-1 guard – South Kent School (New Jersey) – Seton Hall University
BIG SOUTH
- Brock Gardner – 6-foot-7 forward – Tri-City Christian Academy (Arizona) – Liberty University
BIG SKY
- Tre’Von Allen – 6-foot-2 guard – Clarkston High School (Washington) – University of Idaho
- Harald Frey – 6-foot-2 guard – Norway – Montana State University
BIG 10
- Curt Jones – 6-foot-3 guard – Huntington Prep (Virginia) – Indiana University
- Te’Jon Lucas – 6-foot guard – Washington High School (Wisconsin) – University of Illinois
- Lamar Stevens – 6-foot-7 forward – Roman Catholic High School (Pennsylvania) – Penn State University
- Cassius Winston – 6-foot guard – University of Detroit Jesuit High School (Michigan) – Michigan State University
BIG 12
- Thomas Dziagwa - 6-foot-4 guard - Tampa Catholic High School (Florida) - Oklahoma State University
CAA
- Zach Hollywood – 6-foot-8 forward – Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School (Illinois) – James Madison University
- JJ Matthews – 6-foot-8 forward – Millwood School (Virginia) – Towson University
- Justin Pierce – 6-foot-5 wing – Glenbard West High School (Illinois) – College William & Mary
CONFERENCE USA
- Deon Barrett – 5-foot-9 guard – Lancaster School (Texas) – University of Texas at El Paso
- Phil Bledsoe – 6-foot-6 forward – Wheeling Park High School (West Virginia) – Marshall University
- Raekwon Long - 7-foot - center - Lincolnton High School (North Carolina) - Florida International University
IVY
- Josh Warren – 6-foot-8 forward – Downingtown West High School (Pennsylvania) – Cornell University
MAAC
- Mikey Dixon – 6-foot-1 guard – Sanford School (Delaware) – Quinnipiac University
- Khalil Richard – 5-foot-10 guard – Shiloh High School (Maryland) – Siena College
MAC
- Quate McKinzie – 6-foot-7 forward – Harrells Christian School (North Carolina) – University of Buffalo
MEAC
- Kai Tease – 6-foot-1 guard – Antelope High School (California) – Howard University
MISSOURI VALLEY
- CJ Keyser – 6-foot-3 guard – Brewster Academy (Maryland) – Wichita State University
MOUNTAIN WEST
- James Edwards – 6-foot-2 guard – Plum High School (Pennsylvania) – Air Force Academy
- Damien Jefferson – 6-foot-5 wing – East Chicago Central High School (Indiana) – University of New Mexico
- Kenneth Wooten – 6-foot-8 forward – Manteca High School (California) – University of Nevada
NEC
- Monty Urmilevičius – 6-foot-8 forward – John Carroll School (Lithuania) – Bryant University
OVC
- Parker Chitty - 6-foot-2 guard - Columbus East High School (Indiana) - Eastern Kentucky University
PAC 12
- De’Anthony Melton – 6-foot-3 guard – Crespi Carmelite High School (California) – University of Southern California
- Bryce Peters – 6-foot-3 guard – Damien High School (California) – University of Colorado
PATRIOT
- Jordan Cohen – 6-foot-1 guard – Campbell Hall High School (California) – Lehigh University
- Bryce Moore – 6-foot-6 forward – McDonough School (Maryland) – Bucknell University
- Ben Robertson – 6-foot-5 forward – High Point Christian Academy (North Carolina) – Bucknell University
- Tyler Scanlon – 6-foot-6 forward – Westfield High School (Virginia) – Boston University
SEC
- Mitchell Smith – 6-foot-10 center – Van Buren High School (Arkansas) – University of Missouri
SOUTHERN
- Aaron Augustin – 5-foot-11 guard – Miller Grove High School (Georgia) – East Tennessee State University
- Quintez Cephus – 6-foot-1 guard – Stratford Academy (Georgia) – Furman University
- Kevon Tucker – 6-foot-4 wing – Dacula High School (Georgia) – Wofford College
SOUTHLAND
- Jalen Weber – 6-foot-1 guard – Second Baptist School (Texas) – Houston Baptist University
SUMMIT
- Jake Krafka – 6-foot-7 forward – Hays High School (Texas) – University of Denver
SUN BELT
- Jake Scoggins – 6-foot-9 forward – Benton High School (Arkansas) – Arkansas State University
WCC
- Donald Gipson - 6-foot-3 wing – Fairfax High School (California) – Loyola Marymount University
- Jordan Ratinho – 6-foot-4 guard – De La Salle High School (California) – University of San Francisco
2017
BIG SOUTH
- Elijah Cuffee – 6-foot-3 guard – Poca High School (West Virginia) – Liberty University
BIG 10
- Kobe King – 6-foot-2 guard – La Cross Central High School (Wisconsin) – University of Wisconsin
PAC 12
- Jaylen Hands – 6-foot-1 guard – Balboa City School (California) – University of California, Los Angeles
SUMMIT
- Jordan Meidinger – 6-foot-10 center – Dickinson High School (North Dakota) – North Dakota State University