NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Who will land rising class of 2019 star Akok Akok?
Akok Akok is a fast-rising prospect for the 2019 NCAA Basketball Recruiting class. With five teams mostly on his radar, which of them will he ultimately pick?
The July evaluation period is one of the last chances for potential recruits to make a name for themselves in the various AAU Summer League Circuits. A number of them have looked great but few have raised eyebrows more in a positive way than Akot Akot.
First off, the Putnam, Connecticut native continues to grow in his body, with one measurement listing him at 6’10 and 210-pounds. His skill set has risen and much as his height, with dominating performances on both ends of the court.
Akok was already considered a solid top-100 player for 2019, but now some high-profile scouting experts think that isn’t good enough, with one considering adding another star to the player’s profile.
After watching Akok Akok (https://t.co/6qkez4soYS) this week, we had him criminally undervalued. Couldn't wait to move him. Bumped him to 5-star for now. We'll adjust further after July.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) July 22, 2018
Akot is an outstanding athlete who will be a great defender day one in college with a developing offensive game to go along with it. The scary thing is that he still has another year of development before heading to college, making him a must-have for coaches.
Recruiting – especially around this time is extremely fluid so there likely will be more updates in terms of Akok’s top choices. But as it stands, five teams reportedly have his interest the most. They are Providence, Syracuse, UConn, Virginia Tech and Maryland. If he does become a five-star player as projected, it’ll be a huge coup for whichever program lands him.
In alphabetical order, I’ll break down the potential rosters and situations each program will have if Akot decides to join with them.
Maryland Terrapins
The Terrapins already have themselves a five-star forward on the roster for this upcoming season in Jalen Smith, alongside a breakout candidate in Bruno Fernando to complete the frontcourt. There’s a good chance that both of them will be going to the NBA Draft after next season, so Akot would have immediate playing time if he chooses the Big Ten school.
It’s not all roses for Maryland though. The program has a bit of their own trouble with the FBI Investigation into the sport and you never know how that works out in the end. If there’s even the slightest hint of ongoing concern, expect the Terrapins to be out of the running. But if Smith and Fernando play great under his system, their chances will skyrocket to nab Akot.