NCAA Basketball: Taj Thweatt down to 3 mid-Atlantic teams along with Florida

Three-star 2020 NCAA Basketball forward Taj Thweatt trimmed his list down to four recently and his now considering three teams from the mid-Atlantic as well as Florida.

Rising senior Taj Thweatt slashed his NCAA Basketball wish list from eight to four on Aug. 15. The New Jersey native is now considering just Penn State, Temple, Florida, and West Virginia. Thus, he is no longer interested in attending Miami, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Seton Hall.

Thweat is relatively new to the game of basketball as this past high school season marked his fourth campaign playing the sport. Still, the 6-6 combo forward had a fantastic year averaging a double-double with 20.2 points, 10.7 caroms a game, 1.6 steals and 2.6 blocks. The 2019 Cape-Atlantic Player of the Year produced 17 double-doubles overall.

The Wildwood Catholic product can handle the ball, but his biggest strength is his ability to score in the post. He is also very athletic, a strong rebounder and a solid defender. Additionally, Thweat can knock down jumpers from mid-range.

Thweatt is rated as a three-star prospect by both 247Sports Composite and Rivals. He is only ranked — No. 301 — by 247Sports Composite. However, big things are expected this upcoming season.

Breaking down Thweatt’s four finalists

Penn State: Thweat received an offer from the Nittany Lions on June 26. The Lions don’t need a small forward with coach Pat Chambers bringing in freshmen Seth Lundy and Patrick Kelly this year. However, Thweat could situate into the 4, which is a position of need for PSU. Chambers does have one commitment from the class in three-star point guard Dallion Johnson (Andover, Mass.). The Nittany Lions are expected to have two more scholarships available for next year.

Florida: The Gators are not a good fit as they are loaded at both forward spots, even if five-star 2019 signee Scottie Lewis leaves for the NBA after this upcoming campaign.  UF currently is expected to have two scholarships for 2020 and Thweatt is reportedly way down on their list of top targetted players.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers, as expected, made Thweat’s finalist list, despite just offering him a scholarship on Aug. 11. WVU is in desperate need to add a small forward in 2020. The Mountaineers have a commitment from four-star 2020 big man Isaiah Cottrell, although they are expected to have three more scholarships to hand out next year. WVU just offered two-star small forward Jamir Watkins (Trenton, NJ) on Aug. 15, and have overtures out to four-star Dermarr Langford Jr. (Worcester, Mass.), four-star Jalen Bridges (Fairmont, WV) and four-star Jordan Geromino (Concord, NH). Bridges has the Mountaineers in his final-10 list.

Temple: The Owls are in a pretty good position to nab Thweat due to the campus’ location and a realistic pathway to playing time as JP Moorman will be a senior in 2020-21. Indiana transfer Jake Forrester is the only power forward currently on the team’s roster that is expected to back next season.

Temple has secured a commitment from Thweatt’s Wildwood Catholic teammate Jahlil White, who is a 6-7 wing.  The Owls are expected to have two more scholarships available, and they are also looking at three-star small forward Jyáre Davis (Wilmington, DE).

Projection: I believe that Thweat will end up on the Northside of Philly or in Morgantown. Right now, I give the Owls an edge over the Mountaineers.

Other recruiting tidbits

• Jacob Grandison transferred to Illinois from Holy Cross on Aug. 18. Grandison, who will have two years of eligibility left, showed marked improvement last season from his freshman campaign. The 6-6 wing scored in double-figures in 26 of his 33 appearances last year, producing 13.9 points on 42.9% shooting from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc while canning 2.1 triples a contest. He also hauled in 5.0 rebounds and doled out 2.9 assists a game.
• Alabama hosted 2021 point guard JD Davison (Letohatchee, Ala.) for an unofficial visit on Aug. 17. Davison holds seven offers including one from Bama. He also has overtures from Virginia Tech, Iowa State, Ole Miss, Memphis, Auburn, and UNLV.
• Maryland is hosting Top-55 junior point guard Cam Hayes (Greensboro, NC) for an unofficial visit on Aug. 17. Hayes holds 14 offers with Arkansas, Texas Tech, Louisville, Maryland, and Florida State being the latest to offer and all have offer since July 1. NC State and Louisville are currently considered the favorites for his services.

• Five-star center Walker Kessler will take an official visit to Michigan on Aug. 31 and then will take an official to Duke on Sept. 6.
• UConn hosted top-55 senior Cliff Omoruyi (Roselle Catholic) for an unofficial visit on Aug. 16 Omoruyi took an official visit to UConn a few months ago.