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Duke Basketball: Overall impact of landing five-star forward Paolo Banchero

By Tristan Freeman

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: The Cameron Crazies cheer during the game between the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: The Cameron Crazies cheer during the game between the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – FEBRUARY 04: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY – FEBRUARY 04: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

How the other contenders for Paolo Banchero moves on

Losing out on a top-5 overall prospect is always tough, especially when you thought there was a serious chance at landing him. For this section, I’ll look at what the other four prime contenders will do on the recruiting trail going forward. Considering how much the Arizona Wildcats were a longshot, there’s no reason to include them as they can move on much easier.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

After landing their first-ever five-star prospect out of high in Jalen Suggs, the Bulldogs are going for the jugular in the 2021 class. Although they missed out on Banchero, rival Washington also did, which has its own benefits. This recruit in question isn’t even the top prospect Gonzaga is after, with No. 1 overall recruit Chet Holmgren having the team among his seven finalists. If they can get him, then they’ll be just fine without Banchero.

Washington Huskies

The Huskies were viewed as a legit contender early on for Banchero, considering that his parents came from the school. But as time went on, the team seemed to fall out of the picture. It’s a tough blow for Coach Mike Hopkins, who needs to land the Seattle area stars as much as possible. Losing momentum after the dreadful Pac-12 play last season, Washington has to rebuild to get back in the picture for top-50 prospects.

Tennessee Volunteers

The potential package of Banchero and Kennedy ultimately didn’t work out to the dismay of Vols fans. But with two five-star freshmen guards (Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson) already joining the team and another in the 2021 class, Tennessee has risen into an SEC power. All eyes now turn towards another top-5 prospect in Jabari Smith, who visited the program last February. With an all-senior frontcourt, they’ll have to find a quality forward in the coming months to pair with Chandler.

Kentucky Wildcats

The Wildcats arguably are the biggest losers in this, considering that they were allegedly trying to land Banchero and reclassify to play this upcoming season. He ultimately didn’t pick them, leaving Kentucky without any current commits in the 2021 class. They’ll be moving on towards five-star frontcourt prospects Efton Reid, Moussa Diabate, and Franck Kepnang, although hoping that their freshmen core of forwards comes back for another season may be what’s best for them.

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