This edition of the NCAA Basketball notebook will look at the upcoming official visits that 2020 prospects Jalen Terry and Kadary Richmond will take as well as Bradley Ezewiro pending decision (Oct. 26).
NCAA Basketball top-20 class of 2020 point guard Jalen Terry will take an official college visit to LSU on Friday. According to 247Sports Evan Daniels, the 5-11 lead guard was in the process of making plans to visit Louisville after picking up an offer from the Cardinals on Oct. 22. The former Michigan State commit also is slated to take an official visit to Iowa State on Nov. 9.
Terry has a slight frame — weighing 160 pounds — but he is swift and fast. He possesses excellent handles and is a good distributor, although the Flint (MI) native can be careless with the ball at times. Terry is also capable of knocking down mid-range and 3-point shots, but shooting is an area that he needs to continue to improve.
The Mount Morris Beecher high school product is a consensus four-star recruit who is ranked among the top-75 players in the class overall. He is ranked No. 55 and No. 56 in the class by 247Sports and 247Sports Composite, respectively. Terry is also ranked No. 48 by Rivals while ESPN has him at No, 73 in their rankings.
Oregon, along with DePaul, Missouri, TCU, Ole Miss, Florida State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Michigan, California, Iowa State, Butler, Iowa, and Providence are the other schools that have expressed interest in Terry.
Prediction: It is kind of hard to make any legitimate guess where Terry will land given it is so early in the process. However, I would say that LSU, Michigan, Louisville, Iowa State, and Oregon currently have an edge.
Kadary Richmond
Richmond’s recruitment is a little less jumbled than Terry’s. The 6-5 combo guard will be in Syracuse all weekend. He picked up an offer from the Orange on Oct. 6 after SU was snubbed by top target Andre Jackson, who verbally committed to UConn.
Richmond is a consensus three-plus star plus prospect who is widely considered a top-100 player in the class of 2020. 247Sports is the only one of the four primary recruiting services that have the Brooklyn (NY) native, not rated four-stars or inside among the top-101 players. He holds over 24 scholarships offers, but the Brewster Academy product is reportedly down to UConn, Oregon State, St. John’s, and Seton Hall along with Syracuse.
Richmond is a capable scorer who excels at doing so off the dribble. He also possesses solid handles, rebounds his position well, and projects as a plus defender due to his length. Also, Richmond is capable of playing all three backcourt positions.
Prediction: Syracuse is considered the heavy favorite for his services. It was previously reported (erroneously) that Richmond had already committed to the Orange. I do believe that SU will get a commitment from Richmond. St. John’s and UConn are likely next in line.
Bradley Ezewiro
2020 three-star center is slated to announce his decision on Saturday (Oct. 26), according to Stockrisers’ Jake Weingarten. He previously listed a final six of LSU, USC, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech. The 6-8, 230-pounder has taken visits to LSU, USC, and surprisingly New Mexico.
Ezewiro is a physical presence who has some bounce to his game. He is strong, possesses good hands, and an excellent rebounder. While the Torrence (CA) native is a load down low, he is continuing to work developing a perimeter game.
Ezewiro is ranked No. 208 in the class by 247Sports and No. 217 by 247Sports Composite. While Rivals give the Oak Hill Academy product three-star status, he is not rated in their rankings.
Here is a breakdown of his finalist.
New Mexico: The Lobos are a compelling case. UNM didn’t offer the big man until April, but the Lobos were his last visit (Oct. 11). They already have three commitments from 6-4 guard Nolan Dorsey (Raleigh, NC), along with a pair of three-star recruits, 6-5 wing Javonte Johnson (Colorado Springs, CO), and 6-8 center Bayron Matos (Dominican Republic). New Mexico doesn’t currently have any scholarships available for next year.
LSU: The Tigers have three more scholarships available for 2020. Ezewiro gave his Aug. 30 visit to Baton Rouge a “10”. A big man is not a massive priority for coach Will Wade although LSU could use some added depth. 5-11 point guard Jalen Cook (Walker, LA) is the Tigers’ only commit thus far.
Tennessee: With Jaden Springer’s Oct. 23 commitment, the Vols do not currently have any scholarships available for the 2020 season. In reality, UT didn’t need another big man, as they are not expected to lose any of the five that are currently on the roster.
Virginia Tech: The Hokies have been after Ezewiro longer than any of the other programs on the list. While coach Mike Young could use to add a big man, he does not have any scholarships left after obtaining pledges from four-star shooting guards Darius Maddox (Washington, DC) and Joe Bamisile (Richmond, VA).
USC: The Trojans could use to add more depth to their frontcourt. USC will lose senior Nik Rakocevic after the season, meaning freshmen Isaiah Mobley and Onyeka Okongwu will be the only bigs with any experience. They already do have a commitment from Evan Mobley, the top-ranked 2020 prospect. Ezewiro, who only started to draw interest from the USC in early August, was in Los Angeles for a visit on Sept. 20.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils just began showing interest in Ezewiro since the beginning of August, as well. Coach Bobby Hurley could also use to replenish his bigs. ASU already has a commitment from three-star Marcus Bagley (Phoenix) and only has one scholarship left.
Georgia Tech: Of the seven programs on the list, the Yellow Jackets were the last to make an overture (Aug. 16). Senior center James Banks will use up all of his eligibility at the end of the upcoming campaign, thus leaving the Jackets with no centers on the roster for next year. Tech has one scholarship available after securing commitments from 6-9 three-plus star forward Jordan Meka (Marrieta, GA) and three-star shooting guard Tristian Maxwell (Huntersville, NC).
Prediction: I believe that this one is going to come down to USC and New Mexico, with LSU having an outside chance. I would then put ASU at No. 4, followed by Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech is a long shot, and I don’t think Tennessee has any shot at all.