Where the “losers” go from here
There are five centers ranked in the top-30 overall according to 247sportsComposite, including Kessler. Both he and another five-star center (Day‘Ron Sharpe) are playing for UNC Basketball, while No. 1 overall player Evan Mobley will be joining family at USC. Makur Maker’s recruitment is viewed as wide open, while Mark Williams is considered a “Duke lean” for now. There just aren’t many alternatives for the other schools when it comes to finding great frontcourt talent for next year’s class.
For the other four schools who missed out on Kessler, which are in the best situations and who are left scrambling in the 2020 class? Here’s an analysis on where they stand:
Auburn Tigers
A strong incoming group of players that includes transfer guards cements Auburn‘s backcourt for years to come. However, the pending departures of senior big men Austin Wiley, Danjel Purifoy and Anfernee McLemore leaves them with a clear need at the center position for the 2020 class. Four-star big men Cliff Omoruyi and Jaylin Williams will be heavily targeted now, or just wait for the next offseason to find grad transfer depth in the frontcourt. This one would’ve stung more had the blue bloods not being frontrunners for Kessler.
Michigan Wolverines
New head coach Juwan Howard and the Wolverines have been linked to many top-30 prospects in the 2020 recruiting class, hoping to make a big splash similarly to what Penny Hardaway and Memphis. They have top-60 guard Zeb Jackson committed but have been hoping to jumpstart this class with top-tier talent to create a possible domino effect. Kessler was considered more of a pipedream compared to more realistic options such as Jaemyn Brakefield and Hunter Dickinson. All this news does is allow Michigan to put their time and resources to players they truly have a shot at landing.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Kessler didn’t make it to “kraziness in the kennel”, Gonzaga’s official event to kickstart the season that was scheduled for October 5. He would’ve joined class of 2021 five-star big man Chet Holmgren, along with five-star recruit Jalen Suggs and current Bulldog commits Dominick Harris and Julian Strawther for the show in Spokane. The 2020 class for Gonzaga looks to already be historic (assuming Suggs does pick heavy favorite Gonzaga) and adding Kessler would’ve been the cherry on the top. But considering that the program just added three freshmen ranked in the top-80 to the roster for this season, frontcourt depth isn’t a big concern for them.
Duke Blue Devils
With big man Javin DeLaurier set to graduate and five-star freshman Vernon Carey likely to not be around after this season, Duke has huge needs in the frontcourt for 2020-21. And while it’s great that they landed a trio of five-star commits to solidify the perimeter, the Blue Devils still haven’t addressed who’ll be playing down low after this season. That’s why it was believed that Kessler would be a great match or them, not having to deal with playing time concerns and getting developed.
Now, Duke has to land top-30 recruit Mark Williams, another 7’0 big man who has a different skillset than Kessler but still would have a big impact as a freshman. If they miss out on him, they’ll have to hope that someone from the 2021 class reclassifies to avoid having a gaping whole. This one hurts for Duke in a number of ways, mainly missing out on a target they were favored – to their hated rival of all teams.