Moses Moody is ranked as one of the top wings in the 2020 recruiting class. Which NCAA basketball programs made his final seven?
Moses Moody of Montverde Academy is an elite wing prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. Ranked as the No. 43 overall recruit, it is no secret that he has garnered interest from some of the top NCAA basketball programs in the country over the last several months. At 6-foot-5, he brings plenty of size to the wing and also boasts elite-level length. His wingspan is quite impressive and this allows him to be a dangerous player on both ends of the floor.
Offensively, Moody is a strong perimeter shooter. Whether off the bounce or the catch, Moody is superb with setting his feet and rising up for 3-pointers with consistency. He is definitely a threat to light it up from distance and is improving his finishing around the rim as well. On the defensive end of the floor, Moody’s size and athleticism allow him to be a multi-positional stopper and elite rebounder for his position. To put it simply, he fits the modern mold of a 3-and-D wing perfectly and there is definite room for him to develop into a superstar.
Even though Moody is barely ranked inside the nation’s top-50, he has one of the highest ceilings in the class due to his style archetype and size. Moody’s skillset is very valuable and he recently trimmed his list of potential schools to just seven: Arkansas, USC, Kansas, Michigan, Florida, Oregon, and Ohio State.
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This is obviously a collection of some of the best programs in the country and he will be an asset to one of them. Moody’s recruitment is certainly starting to heat up as a result of his list-cut and it will be interesting to see where he eventually commits. Moody’s skillset can fit within just about any team scheme but each school will have a little different pitch to land the young wing.
Now, let’s take a deeper dive into Moody’s final seven and examine who some of the favorites might be and what pitches he could be receiving.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas is a very dangerous program in this recruiting battle and that is due to many reasons. At the forefront of this belief, though, is the power of head coach Eric Musselman. Even though this is Musselman’s first season at a power conference program, it is no secret that he is one of the best in the business when it comes to turning visits into commitments by virtue of his incredible relationship-building. It is also important to mention that Moody is a native of “The Natural State” and that hometown advantage could pay dividends for the Razorbacks.
Under the leadership of Coach Musselman, the program is clearly ushering in a new era. The coaching staff should immediately change the culture of the program and it wouldn’t be a shock to see Arkansas quickly rise up the SEC ranks, both on the court and the recruiting trail. Landing a local star like Moody would be a superb step for the Razorbacks as he would immediately find a major role and could carry the team to relevance very quickly. Coach Musselman has been prioritizing Moody since he took over the top job in Fayetteville and he should never be counted out.
Arkansas might not be the best “basketball program” in this final seven but they can offer a unique pitch. The Razorbacks are searching for a resurgence under the new coaching staff and Moody could be the man to help make that happen. Arkansas is also a major conference program with plenty of resources at their disposal to land highly-touted prospects and Coach Musselman will get that done sooner rather than later.
USC Trojans
USC has quietly been one of the better recruiting programs in the country over the last several years. Head coach Andy Enfield has done an incredible job landing some of the top high school talents in the country recently and that is bound to continue into the near future. Even though the Trojans have not been exceptionally successful on the court, their recruiting prowess needs to be mentioned as the coaching staff clearly does a great job with relationship-building. USC offered Moses Moody back in mid-June and they are definitely still involved.
With regards to USC’s potential pitch, it is important to mention that the coaching staff is rolling on the recruiting trail. After landing the No. 7 overall 2019 recruiting class in the country, the Trojans have already secured a 2020 commitment from Evan Mobley, a 6-foot-11 center ranked as the top player in the class. It is highly likely that the coaching staff will surround Mobley will other talented freshmen and Moody could be near the top of that list.
The Trojans do not seem to be one of the favorites to land Moody at this point, but they are still worth mentioning. USC has landed several top-tier recruits in recent memory and the coaching staff already has a commitment from the No. 1 overall player in the class. Moody could slide in nicely as a wing star for the team to help carry USC to the top of the Pac-12 during the 2020-21 season. It is only a matter of time before the program’s recruiting successes translate to wins on the court.
Kansas Jayhawks
It is no secret that Kansas is one of the best basketball programs in the country. To put it simply, the Jayhawks are the absolute epitome of consistency as a top-10 team in the nation. Head coach Bill Self constantly puts out a roster that can compete for the national title and that has to be extremely enticing to recruits. Kansas is always at the forefront of blueblood discussions and they are a tough team to beat in any recruiting battle. With regards to Moses Moody, in particular, Coach Self issued him a scholarship offer in late July and it is clear that the program made a strong early impression.
The Jayhawks will be losing Isaiah Moss (at least) on the wing after this coming season and Moody would be able to find plenty of minutes as a freshman with the program. It is hard to say exactly what his role might be but Moody would definitely be a solid fit with the program as his 3-point shooting and defensive abilities would be received well by “Rock Chalk Nation.” Even though the Jayhawks joined this recruiting battle relatively late, they are a dangerous contender and that much is evident by the fact that they made the final seven despite only offering a few weeks back.
It is also important to mention that Kansas is also able to offer the opportunity to play alongside several other top-rated freshmen. Coach Self has landed a top-20 recruiting class in each of the last nine years and it is reasonable to assume he will do the same with the 2020 group. Kansas is yet to secure a commitment from the class but Moody could be an excellent building block for landing more top-tier talents.
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan is another program that only recently offered a scholarship to Moody. Despite the fact that head coach Juwan Howard only issued an offer on Aug. 13, the Wolverines were able to make this cut and that is a great sign of the mutual interest between the prospect and the school. Michigan is clearly ushering in a new era of hoops under Coach Howard and it would not be a shock to see a major uptick in recruiting. Coach Howard boasts tremendous NBA connections and he has made substantial progress with a number of 2020 recruits, in addition to retaining a Beilein commit in Zeb Jackson.
Despite still only holding that one commitment, Michigan’s 2020 recruiting class is shaping up to something special. Many fans and experts are optimistic that top-tier players will want to play for Coach Howard and that is starting to come to fruition with recent list-cuts. With regards to this particular recruitment, Michigan joined rather late but their charge has been significant. The Wolverines’ coaching staff has to be hoping to bring Moody to campus for a visit as they could continue to rise up his list of potential suitors as a result.
Due to their late entry, Michigan is not regarded as a favorite to land Moody but that could change with time. The Wolverines are charging quickly in this recruiting battle and could snag a sneaky commitment. It is also important to mention that Michigan commit Zeb Jackson is teammates with Moody on the Montverde Academy roster.
Florida Gators
Florida is on the verge of emerging as a national powerhouse. Head coach Mike White is starting to garner serious momentum both on and off the court and the Gators are on the rise. After landing the No. 8 overall 2019 recruiting class in addition to top grad transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr. this offseason, many have pegged Florida as a preseason top-10 team for this coming year. Additionally, the future looks insanely bright as a result of his consistent victories on the recruiting trail. With regards to the 2020 class, Moses Moody is a top priority for the coaching staff and they will be a tough team to beat out.
Although Moody is not a native of “The Sunshine State”, he does currently play for Montverde Academy and is in relatively close proximity to the UF campus. The Gators have been active in this recruitment for some time and they could easily be a darkhorse contender to swoop in for the commitment. Florida’s recent recruiting successes indicate that another strong class is on the way and Moody would be a sensational building block while some of their other targets include Scottie Barnes and PJ Hall.
Moody has not released his official visit schedule for the fall but the Gators are certainly hoping that he will take a trip to Gainesville. If Florida is able to bring him to campus, that could be the opportunity that Coach White needs to shoot up Moody’s list of potential schools. There does not seem to be a clear favorite in this recruitment but that could change after a sensational visit to one of his final seven in the coming months.
Oregon Ducks
Oregon’s recruiting prowess should be well-documented. Under the leadership of head coach Dana Altman, the Ducks have been absolutely incredible with regards to landing talented prospects out of high school. Additionally, the coaching staff deserves to be commended for also targeting highly sought-after transfers to build their best possible roster every single year. Oregon has flown under-the-radar as one of the nation’s most successful programs in recent years and Moses Moody would be another superb snag.
Moody is reportedly planning a visit to Eugene in the next couple of months and it is hard to imagine a situation in which the Ducks are not a major contender to land this commitment. Coach Altman is simply tremendous and deserves to be right near the top of the list of most feared recruiters in the country. The Ducks have landed a top-25 recruiting class in seven consecutive years, including back-to-back top-5 groups most recently. That is flat-out impressive and it is reasonable to assume that Coach Altman is just hitting his stride.
With regards to Moody’s fit with the program, he would definitely be able to find immediate minutes on the wing. Oregon will be graduating Payton Pritchard and Anthony Mathis as guards after this coming season and Moody would be able to slide into a shooting guard role during his first year on campus alongside Chris Duarte. Considering Oregon experiences plenty of roster turnover every single offseason, it is hard to predict exactly what Moody’s role would be but you can be sure that he would net plenty of playing time.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State is consistently one of the most dangerous programs in the country on the recruiting trail. Under the leadership of head coach Chris Holtmann, the Buckeyes have been superb with landing their top targets. Ohio State is widely projected to be ranked in the top-25 throughout this coming season but maintaining “elite status” on the recruiting trail with a strong 2020 class will be what makes them a perennial Big Ten contender. Considering Ohio State seems to be making Moses Moody a top priority, the program is definitely a threat to land this commitment.
With regards to Ohio State’s potential pitch, there are very few holes. The Buckeyes can offer an elite coaching staff, strong basketball tradition, immediate playing time, and the opportunity to compete in one of the nation’s top conferences. Additionally, their fanbase is tremendous and the program is seemingly only on the rise under Coach Holtmann. Ohio State is on the verge of launching into the national title conversation in the near future and Moody would be a difference-making performer on the wing.
Moses Moody is taking an official visit to Columbus over the weekend of Aug. 31 and that will be a big opportunity for the coaching staff to make a strong impression. Moody is expected to take more official visits over the course of the fall but it seems as though Ohio State is in a strong position. I will not go as far as to say that the Buckeyes are the favorite, but they are a contender that everyone should watch out for.
That concludes this look at Moses Moody’s final seven schools. With his playing style and skill, it is no surprise that so many big names are vying for his potential commitment. At this point, there does not seem to be a clear favorite in this recruitment and that makes this battle so intriguing. Where do you think Moody will end up in the coming months?