NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Luke Kasubke, Akeem Odusipe and Jalen Bridges news
This edition of the NCAA Basketball Recruiting Notebook will focus on three-star Luke Kasubke and four-star Jalen Bridges commitments. As well as Akeem Odusipe revealing his top-10 choices.
2020 6-5 shooting guard Luke Kasubke verbally committed to Kansas State on Sept. 3. The St. Louis (MO) native’s pledge comes a few days after his official visit to the Manhatten campus on Aug. 30. He also recently took official visits to St. Louis (Aug. 23) and Loyola-Chicago (Aug. 27).
“I’m excited to join the K-State family,” Kasubke told Evan Daniels of 247Sports. “Coach [Chris] Lowery, coach [Bruce] Weber, and the staff has been on me since the beginning of my recruitment, and I always wanted to play at the high level and join the family.”
Kasubke is relatively athletic and can do several things well. The Chaminade high school product is a very good shooter overall, particularly when he is given an opening. But he is at his best when he is getting/ finishing at the basket and creating off the dribble. Kasubke is expected to be able to play both shooting guard and small forward for the Wildcats.
247Sports and Rivals have him rated as a three-star prospect. He is ranked as the 149th best prospect by 247Sports and the 144th by prospect by Rivals. Meanwhile, 247Sports Composite has Kasubke at No. 165.
Kasubke had a solid AAU summer campaign, helping MOKAN claim the Peach Jam championship. He averaged 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists along with 2.0 3-pointers in 19 games on the Nike circuit.
Kasubke is coach Bruce Weber’s second 2020 commitment joining three-star point guard Nijel Pack (Indianapolis, IN). The Wildcats are expected to add at least one more recruit. Adding to the frontcourt should be a priority for KSU.
Akeem Odusipe announces top-10 list
Three-star big man Akeem Odusipe trimmed his college list down to 10 on Sept. 2. He is now considering Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Wichita State, and Wake Forest.
Athletic and long, Odusipe possesses strong post moves due to good footwork. He is an excellent finisher at the rim, can run the floor, and is a capable shot-blocker. Odusipe also can handle the ball in the open floor as well as knockdown jumpers out to 18 feet.
The 6-10, 220-pounder saw his Rivals’ stock rise over the last couple of months as he went from being unranked to No. 142 in the nation. The Knoxville (TN) native is ranked No. 303 nationally by 247Sports and No. 192 by 247Sports Composite.
Jalen Bridges to enroll at WVU in January
Top-100 prospect Jalen Bridges committed to West Virginia on Sept 2 following a weekend campus visit. The Fairmont (WV) native, who will enroll at WVU in January, spoke to 247Sports Brian Snow about why he chose to stay close to home.
"“The players and the staff just made me feel like I was already a part of the team,After making the visit, I just know that West Virginia was the place for me.”"
Bridges, who was highly sought after recruit, planned on taking a few other visits and possessed a total of 31 offers. He was slated to make official trips to his other finalists which were Alabama (Sept. 6), Xavier (Sept. 13), Miami (Sept. 13), and Indiana (Oct. 4).
The long and athletic 6-7 versatile combo forward is an excellent finisher at the rim. He is also a reliable 3-point shooter with a quick release and possesses ever-improving handles. In addition, Bridges can create offense when facing up to the basket and defend multiple positions.
247Sports Composite and 247Sports have Bridges ranked 75th and 67 in the nation. He is ranked 72nd by ESPN and 93rd by Rivals.
West Virginia now three commitments from the 2020 class with top-100 power forward Isaiah Cottrell and three-star Taj Thweat, who committed on Sept. 3, being the other players. 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 is very skilled. While Thweat can handle the ball, his most significant strength is his ability to score in the post. The New Jersey native is also very athletic, a strong rebounder, and solid defender. Additionally, Thweat can knock down jumpers from mid-range.
Thweat chose WVU over Temple, Florida, and Penn State.
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WVU is slated to have at least one more scholarship available next year. The Mountaineers currently have 12 open offers and they could use help either in the backcourt or at center. Norance Berry (Cleveland, TN), Keshawn Williams (Chicago Heights, IL), three-star Kerwin Walton (Minnetonka, MN), and Jahmyl Telford (Boucherville, Canada) are among the guards that have received offers from coach Bob Huggins and his staff.