Big Ten Basketball: Breaking down each program’s 2018 recruiting class

Penn State Nittany Lions

Class rankings: 13th in Big Ten, 73rd nationally

Commitments: Myles Dread (153), Rasir Bolton (195), Daniil Kasatkin (NR)

Penn State is in a similar position to Nebraska. The Nittany Lions had a quality year in 2017-18 and are expecting to return the majority of their roster. Because of this, it was hard to land a top class in the conference. Obviously, it was a major blow when star guard Tony Carr declared for the NBA Draft with an agent, but the team still has a bright future.

The departures of Carr and Shep Garner (graduation), though, do make this recruiting class extremely important. All three players in this class are guards of some variety. In order for Penn State to reach the NACA Tournament next season, it is vital that at least one of these three has a successful inaugural campaign as a starter or key reserve.

Myles Dread, a 6’4″ shooting guard, is the highest-ranked recruit of the bunch. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in DC and is an elite 3-point shooter. According to 247Sports, Dread was at 42.9% from deep heading into his last three high school games. Another option to potentially fill take time in the backcourt is Rasir Bolton. The only true point guard in the class, the 6’3″ Bolton is a fringe top-200 recruit and a top-10 player coming out of Virginia.

The last member of the recruiting class, though, is arguably the most intriguing. A native Russian, Daniil Kasatkin is a 6’7″ point guard. For those looking for similarities to prior Penn State players, look no further than the previously mentioned Carr, who often used his 6’5″ frame to his advantage. Penn State head coach Pat Chambers has spoken highly of Kasatkin as well, stating that he is “an unselfish playmaker who has exceptional court vision coupled with being an elite shooter, at 6-7, Daniil’s versatility will be a huge asset to our team.”