NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Josh Christopher drops Kentucky, adds USC in new top-5

Consensus five-star NCAA Basketball class of 2020 recruit Josh Christopher has changed up his final five list.

Josh Christopher, one of the most highly-touted uncommitted NCAA Basketball recruits, has changed his final five list up a little. Christopher announced via twitter, on March 31, that he is no longer considering playing for coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats. The 6-5 combo guard replaced UK with the USC Trojans and is also still interested in Michigan, UCLA, Missouri, and Arizona State.

While it is interesting that Christopher x-ed out Kentucky and inserted USC, I am not sure it means anything. Rumor has it that the Wildcats had passed on him back in September, and on Feb. 21, Christopher tweeted out his final four schools of Michigan, UCLA, Missouri, and ASU.

So, why add the Sun Devils. Anthony Boone of SBNation says it all has to do with former NBA player Nick Young’s Tuesday tweet, “Now all we need is @Jaygup23 to add USC to his List and will have the best team in college.” Christopher then responded with the addition of the Trojans in his “new” final five.

The five-star is ranked as the 10th best prospect by ESPN and 247Sports Composite. Meanwhile, Rivals has him at No. 11 in their rankings, and 247Sports put the McDonald’s All-American at No.7 in their rankings.

Christopher is long and strong as well as a terrific playmaker though he is more of a scorer than a distributor. He is also a good rebounder and a solid defender who has the potential to be a lot better on that end of the floor. The Lakewood (CA) native averaged 29.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks this past season at Mayfield High School.

The 18-year-old prodigy is expected to make his college choice soon, but what exactly is he looking for. Christopher’s father, LaRon, spoke with Chris Trevino of 247Sports about just that.

"“I think it will be the place that fits his style of play and personality. Will he be able to go and be coached to get to the next level? High school is the same as college; you’re not there to stay. No one is going to be there forever. He has to go where he can get the most out of the situation until the next level. He needs to go where he can be the best pro. He’ll pick the best decision for him to grow."

A look at the five schools

Michigan: The Wolverines have been recruiting Christopher hard since Juwan Howard took over the program; in fact, he was the first player to receive a scholarship from Howard. Howard proved that he could coach this past season and has done a fantastic job on the recruiting trail this year. Michigan’s 2020 recruiting class is ranked fourth in the country as it currently contains five members, which includes five-star Isaiah Todd along with a trio of four-star players — Zeb Jackson, Hunter Dickinson, and Terrence Williams. However, Jackson is the only one of the five players that have signed a letter of intent.

UCLA: The Bruins are in Christopher’s back yard. UCLA closed the season strong, winning 13 of its last 16 games, but they still need to add talent. The Bruins have signed five-star guard Daishen Nix while also having garnered a verbal commit from four-star forward Jaylen Clark. They even have two scholarships to hand out.

Missouri: The Tigers have struggled the last two years under Cuonzo Martin, posting a 30-33 overall record and 12-24 in the SEC. The Tigers don’t have a ton of talent besides guards Mark Smith and Dru Smith. Missouri has two more scholarships available for 2020.

Arizona State: The Sun Devils won eight of their last 11 to finish the season at 20-11 and 11-7, marking the consecutive season that ASU won over 10 Pac-12 contests and the third straight year that they won at least 20 games overall. While Christopher’s brother, Caleb, is a member of the team, and Bobby Hurley has shown he can develop NBA talent, he has a lot of work to do on the recruiting trail following several departures. Romelo White joined Remy Martin as early NBA departures.

USC: Coach Andy Enfield has NBA pedigree as a former NBA assistant coach and has proven that he can develop players in pros. Additionally, he has done an excellent job pulling in top recruits such as Onyeka Okongwu as well as Evan and Isaiah Mobley. The Trojans, who are also in contention to secure a commitment from five-star Ziaire Williams, have brought in a solid recruiting class, and they have two more scholarships to offer. USC should contend for a Pac-12 title this upcoming season.

Projection: 1. Michigan has been the favorite for a while, and I don’t see that changing. But would it be a shock if Christopher picked Arizona State, no it wouldn’t. UCLA makes sense as well, but I believe U-M and ASU are better fits, and I think USC is probably a better option than UCLA. So, I have ASU at No. 2, followed by UCLA, USC, and then Missouri.