Five-star guard in the NCAA Basketball 2021 class Drew Askew will take an official visit to Louisville on Sept. 27.
Louisville Live was a huge recruiting tool for coach Chris Mack last season, according to Jody Demling of Cardinal Authority, and he has already lined up a visitor for this year’s event in 2021 five-star guard Drew Askew. Askew, who saw his NCAA Basketball recruiting skyrocket in June, is considering reclassifying to 2020. He already has made an unofficial visit to U of L.
“I love Louisville,” Askew told Demling. “I feel like I am a priority for them no matter what class. I talk with them a whole lot. They are recruiting me hard and it’s a great fit for my game,” Askew said. “We started building a relationship after the EYBL last year and then when I went there for a visit they just knocked if off the shelf. They’ve kept in touch and it’s been amazing. Now, I talk to them just about every single day.”
Mack is currently at Nike’s premier AAU July event, the Peach Jam, where he watched Askew and his squad, Team Why Not. While Team Why Not fell to Nightrydas Elite 72-71 on Thursday night (July 11), Askew put on a show as he nearly recorded a triple-double with 20 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.
The 6-3 combo guard holds 18 scholarship offers with 10 of those coming in last month. Arkansas, Arizona State, Notre Dame, UCLA, Kansas, Ohio State, Nebraska, Villanova, and Vanderbilt are among the schools that have shown interest in Askew.
Askew is very competitive and won’t back down from anyone. He is a powerful driver who can shoot threes and is a terrific passer.
The consensus top-20 prospect is rated as the 16th best prospect in the class by 247Sports Composite and ESPN. 247Sports has him pegged at 17th overall while Rivals has Askew ranked 18th.
We will see what the future holds for the promising future, but he did say that he plans on deciding what class he will be part of prior to the start of the California high school season at the end of October.
But Askew isn’t the only prospect that Louisville is currently heavily involved in.
2020 and 2021 targets for Louisville
Louisville is expected to sign four players for their 2020 class. The Cardinals currently have 17 open offers to prospective 2020 recruits, which includes top junior college prospect Jay Scrubb. A Point guard and center are high on Mack’s wishlist.
Isaiah Jackson, Jaemyn Brakefield, Caleb Love, A.J. Hoggard, Adam Miller, Cam Hayes (2021), Nimari Burnett, D.J. Steward, Hunter Dickinson, Niels Lane, Earl Timberlake, Darius Maddox, Lance Ware, Cam Fletcher, Cliff Omoruyi, Deivon Smith, Andre Cuberlo, Zach Loveday, and Jalen Bridges are among the players that the Cardinals are also interested in.
Ware and Timberlake are reportedly Louisville’s top two targets with Jackson, Burnett and Steward being a high priority. Love, Miller, Omuruyi, Lynn Greer and Dimingus Stevens are others that have really peaked Macks and his staff’s interest.
Burnett: The 6-3 four-plus star combo guard has over 20 scholarship offers with UCLA, Arizona, Alabama, Illinois, Marquette, and Michigan also showing intense interest. Burnett combined to post 30 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in two games at the Peach Jam on Thursday.
Ware: The Cardinals have not yet offered the 6-9 power forward who has drawn plenty of interest from several ACC programs. He accumulated 29 points and 16 games in two games on Thursday. Louisville doesn’t appear to be on top of Ware’s interest list.
Timberlake: The 6-6 wing has made official visits to Providence and South Carolina while Alabama has shown plenty of interest. However, he has said that the Cardinals are still very much involved. Timberlake had a strong showing at the Peach Jam on Thursday, collecting one double-double and posting 37 points along with 18 rebounds and three assists.
Jackson: Louisville is reportedly among the five-star power forward’s top destinations, but it looks like the Michigan State has the upper hand on his recruitment.
Steward: The Cardinals are pretty high on the four-star’s list as well as several other teams. He was tremendous at the Peach Jam on Thursday, registering a double-double while totaling 55 points along with eight assists and 15 caroms.
Love: The Cardinals are seen as the favorite to land the four-star point guard, according to Rivals. Indiana, Missouri, UNC, Kansas and Texas are also seen as top destinations for the Saint Louis native. Love is playing in the Peach Invitational where he had 22 points, six assists, and five rebounds against Albany City Rocks in his opening game on Thursday.
Dickinson: The 7-2 center recently listed Louisville along with Michigan, Providence, Louisville, Purdue, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Florida State, and Iowa among the schools working the hardest to recruit him. Dickinson showed off his wide range of skills at the Peach Jam on Thursday — recording 26 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists.
Omoruyi: The Cardinals are a late arrival to the party with mutual interest beginning in June. Louisville just offered the four-star center on July 11. Arizona, Kentucky and Maryland are among others that have made overtures.
Greer: Louisville is up-and-coming in his recruitment but Temple is the favorite by a wide margin.
Brakefield: The Cardinals are still in the mix for the 6-8 forward as well, although Kentucky and Ole Miss reportedly have a bead on him.
Miller: The battle for the 6-3 combo guard could be basically a four-team race between Illinois, Kansas, Arizona State, and Louisville. Illinois is considered to have the upper hand at this stage.
Hayes: The four-star point guard is considering reclassifying to 2020. Currently, NC State is the favorite to land his services.
Kyree Walker heading overseas?
Top-40 2020 Kyree Walker may or may not planning on skipping college. Adam Zagoria of ZAGSBLOG reported that Walker is considering skipping college and turning pro next year. However, 247Sports is reporting that the consensus four-star recruit is vehemently denying that report.
The rising senior is a 6-5, 200-pound small forward who is ranked as the 26th best prospect by 247Sports Composite and 32nd by 247Sports. ESPN has him slated at No. 30 in the nation while Rivals slates him at 26th.
Walker is well-built and strong. He is a good athlete and has the ability to score on all three levels, although he thrives in transition and when attacking the hoop. The Phoenix (Arizona) native can also create for himself and others as well as defend both wing positions.
Walker averaged 30.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.9 assists last year at Hillcrest Prep. He plans to return to Hillcrest and said that Oregon, UCLA, Kansas, Michigan, and Arkansas are among those recruiting him the hardest. Kansas, Arkansas, and Arizona have been considered the favorites to obtain Walker’s services.
So,we will have to see if where there is smoke, there is fire and ultimately heads to China.
Other recruiting tidbits:
2020 Indian Hills CC (Iowa) Drake Jeffries received his first DI scholarship offer from Detroit Mercy on July 10. The 6-5 wing, from Mattoon (Ill.), redshirted this past season at D-II Minot State.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim committed to Virginia on July 10.