Five-star point guard DJ Carton is one of the best midwestern prospects in the 2019 class. This past weekend, he came one step closer to making a decision.
The state of Iowa doesn’t always produce five-star basketball talents. But coming from the town of Bettendorf comes DJ Carton, a 6’2 point guard with tremendous capabilities. He really came on to the scene last summer in AAU ball and has risen ever since.
According to 247SportsComposite, Carton is the second-best point guard in the entire 2019 class and ranked No. 24 overall. The five-star guard not only has incredible handles that allow him to create any shot he wants, Carton also has a great shooting touch from the outside.
Over the past several months, the Iowa native has been shortening his list of potential teams. Back in March, Carton had the following six teams in consideration: Ohio State, Iowa, Marquette, Michigan, Indiana, and Xavier. Clearly intent on staying closer to home in the midwest, the elite point guard took a couple of visits already before cutting the list this past weekend.
Final 3‼️ pic.twitter.com/VwrRhkKgl1
— DJ Carton (@DJCarton) July 8, 2018
Assuming these are truly his final options, someone in the Big Ten is about to be really happy. The favorite at the moment appears to be Michigan, who does have a need at the point guard position.
Zavier Simpson took control as the primary ball handler in the ladder half of the season but was considered the Wolverines weakness in the NCAA Tournament. With the program having two Final Four appearances in five years, more high-quality players are starting to give John Beilein and his team a hard look.
Indiana would love to make it back-to-back years of getting a five-star point guard after landing Romeo Langford this Spring. He’s a likely “one and done” player, so the Hoosiers will have to fill that spot once again. With the history of the program and second-year head coach Archie Miller taking the school in a positive direction, might Carton join the ranks of great Hoosiers?
Ohio State is the wildcard in this situation. They picked up former Florida State point guard CJ Walker this offseason as the replacement for rising senior CJ Jackson. Carton knows this but is interested anyway. The Buckeyes’ Chris Holtmann has a good history of developing point guards and the five-star guard could play off the ball if needed.
Next: Breaking down each Big Ten recruiting class for 2018
The recruiting process for 2019 is just starting but big decisions are going to be made soon. Carton could be the first of many dominoes to fall this summer, giving whichever team he picks a huge boost in their class rankings. He himself could rise as an individual, making his commitment all the more important for the Big Ten Conference.
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