College Basketball: Under the Radar Impact Recruiting Classes
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
- F – Ed Morrow Jr. (#51 ESPN 100)
- PG – Glynn Watson (#71 ESPN 100)
- F – Michael Jacobson
- G – Bakari Evelyn
- G/F – Jack McVeigh
Tim Miles’ Cornhuskers may have taken a step back on the court last season, but his creativity on the recruiting trail has the Huskers poised to compete in the Big Ten once again. Morrow Jr. and Watson are the notable additions. Watson is expected to takeover as the team’s point guard, and projects to be an instant upgrade. Morrow comes from the vaunted Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, the school that has produced the likes of Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker. His experience against some of the country’s top high school competition should aid him well as he transitions to Big Ten basketball.
Getting top 100 prospects to choose Lincoln isn’t always the easiest pitch to make, which is why Miles traveled off the beaten path for the rest of his class.
Michael Jacobson is one of the best players coming from the state of Iowa. Though he didn’t garner much national attention, he caught the eye of Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg, who offered the forward a scholarship. Having the endorsement of the Mayor, one of college basketball’s best talent evaluators and a connoisseur of under the radar talent, makes Jacobson an intriguing prospect.
Bakari Evelyn may be unranked, but for the most part, he’s been unseen. As a high school player, he won three state championships in Michigan’s Class D bracket, failing to receive credit for his dominant performances due to the quality of his opponents. In the summer, Evelyn played with The Family, Detroit’s elite AAU outfit. He shared a good portion of his time in the backcourt with Texas commit Eric Davis. Despite strong performances and a developing reputation as an elite floor general, it wasn’t until Miles came calling that Evelyn had a legit opportunity to play power conference college basketball. Nebraska now believes they have a steal in Evelyn, a player who projects as being able to play both backcourt positions and has a supply of potential that seems to be mostly untapped.
The prospect that could potentially make the class special is McVeigh, a 6’8 Australian guard/forward that is considered to be the country’s best contribution to the Class of 2015. McVeigh is heavily involved in Australia’s international basketball program (he serves as the captain of the Aussie U-19 team) and has flourished in high profile matchups overseas. Earlier in his career, McVeigh was often paired with current Utah Jazz rookie Dante Exum, so there is a precedent of seeing his game against elite competition. The two played together in the Australian Schools Championships. He has also gone toe-to-toe with fellow Aussie Jonah Bolden, a player that signed with UCLA as a four-star prospect last year.