NCAA Basketball: Five-star Immanuel Quickley cuts his list to three teams
Immanuel Quickley, a five-star recruit, has cut his list of potential NCAA basketball schools down to just three: Miami, Kentucky, and Kansas.
By 247Sports Composite rankings, Immanuel Quickley is currently rated as the #13 recruit in the class of 2018. Playing for John Carroll in Bel Air, Maryland, Quickley averaged 23.7 points and 7.2 assists per game as a junior in high school this past season. At 6’3″, he has quality size to play the point guard position and college and is a dangerous player both in the halfcourt and in transition.
Throughout the past couple of months, there has been talk surrounding the possibility of Quickley joining up with fellow top recruit Zion Williamson. Combining Quickley with Williamson, the #1 class of 2018 recruit based on the 247Sports Composite ranking, would make for one of the most dangerous duos in the entire country.
Entering the heat of recruiting season, Immanuel Quickley has cut his list of potential NCAA basketball schools to just three: Kansas, Miami, and Kentucky. Each of these schools are among the best in the country and Quickley has scheduled an official visit with each over the next few weeks.
Maryland was the most recent team that he eliminated from his list. Despite being from Maryland, Quickley indicated his reasoning on CSN’s show “SportsTalk Live.”
"“I’m actually taking Maryland off my list,” Quickley stated on the show. “You know, they don’t contact me as much, so it only makes sense to go with those three.”"
Let’s break down each of the schools remaining on his list and what kind of fit he might have there.
Kansas Jayhawks (September 1st)
The first official visit of the three, Kansas is another top program that Quickley is considering. Devonte’ Graham is the current starting point guard for the Jayhawks, but this is his senior season. With Graham leaving, there will likely be a hole in the starting lineup for Kansas heading into the 2018-19 season.
Although Kansas does not currently have a class of 2018 recruit coming in, they have a few point guard targets. Coach Bill Self will be looking to add a new leader, and Quickley would definitely fit that mold. In the past, Self has coached Frank Mason and Mario Chalmers.
In addition, Self has reached the Final Four twice (2008, 2012) since starting at Kansas and has one National Championship (2008). Kansas is a staple in the NCAA Tournament, and Quickley could be that difference-making point guard that can get them back to the promised land.
In each of Kansas’ Final Four runs, they were led by elite point guards. Chalmers and Tyshawn Taylor have already paved the way for Quickley to follow.
Miami Hurricanes (September 8th)
Head coach Jim Larranaga has been hot on the recruiting trail over the past few seasons. In the class of 2016, he secured a top-50 guard in Bruce Brown. Then, for the incoming class of 2017, Lonnie Walker and Chris Lykes are top-100 guards committed to the program.
Due to these top recruits already on the roster, the opportunity for playing time might be smaller at Miami for Immanuel Quickley. With that being said, however, if Quickley does commit, Miami could have one of the best backcourts in the entire country.
The possibility of Brown and Walker leaving for the NBA is there, though, and that will certainly impact Quickley’s potential future at Miami. It has been stated that Quickley has a great relationship with the coaching staff of the Hurricanes and he would develop tremendously well in the program.
Much like the other schools on his list, Miami and Coach Larranaga have a history of producing top level guards. Angel Rodriquez, Sheldon McClellan, and Shane Larkin were all talented guards at Miami in recent years.
Kentucky Wildcats (September 15th)
For Kentucky, they have a great tradition of funneling top point guard recruits into the NBA. Point guards Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray, and Devin Booker have all played under coach John Calipari and Quickley could be the next in that line.
At this point in the recruiting process, Kentucky has not signed a point guard for the class of 2018. Quade Green is likely to be the starting guard this year and could be again for the 2018-19 campaign. Nonetheless, if Quickley were to sign with Kentucky, he would instantly become a part of the rotation and would likely be the only point guard recruit from the class of 2018 for UK.
Unlike the other schools, Quickley already has played with the Kentucky coaching staff. While playing with the United States U-19 team, he was coached by John Calipari.
Also on CSN, Quickley had this to say about playing under Kentucky head coach John Calipari:
"“It was really cool, just get to know him on and off the floor. We got to spend time in Egypt touring and stuff like that, getting on camels and just really getting to know him off the court.”"
With Kentucky also being a top landing destination for Zion Williamson, Coach Cal could be putting together another top recruiting class soon.
Next: Bagley's impact on the 2017 recruiting class rankings
No matter which school Immanuel Quickley ends up choosing, he will be a valuable addition to that roster. Quickley will soon be one of the best NCAA basketball players in the country and big things lay ahead for him. Could he team up with Zion Williamson to create a national title contender? We will soon find out, but his future is in his hands.