NCAA Basketball: Which 2018 recruiting classes could be most influential?

Memphis Tigers

Class ranking: No. 29 nationally

Memphis has not reached the NCAA Tournament in any of the last four seasons and they have mostly been an afterthought in the AAC. However, with a changing of the guard at head coach, maybe things are about to change. Tubby Smith is out as the top man and former NBA star Penny Hardaway is in. Even though there is not an abundance of returning talent to Memphis, the team has the best recruiting class of the AAC coming in.

Although there is not a ton of hype surrounding their commitments, three incoming Tigers are just on the outside looking in of the top-100. 6’6″ Antwann Jones (No. 101) has a college-ready body that is built to score at the AAC-level. He is a versatile player who can play any of the middle positions in the lineup due to his rebounding and strength.

The other two top recruits coming in are both talented point guards. Although both undersized, 5’9″ Tyler Harris (No. 123) and 5’11” Alex Lomax (No. 147) will both be expected to immediately make contributions in the backcourt. Memphis has a young team overall and these talented playmakers will be able to grow with the rest of the roster over the next several years.

The last incoming freshman is Jayden Hardaway (No. 499). Despite being under-recruited, the son of the head coach may surprise some people as a Tiger. At 6’4″, he does have solid size to play on the wing was a combo guard.

In addition to the incoming freshmen, JUCO transfer Isaiah Maurice is also important to note as a top newcomer. With all of these players coming in, Memphis could be back on the rise in the near future. Cincinnati and Wichita State are the leaders of the AAC but the league as a whole would be better if Memphis was relevant. This could be the recruiting class and the head coach to make that improvement occur.