NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 12 teams in play for 5-star CG Hunter Sallis

Five-star NCAA Basketball prospect Hunter Sallis has announced a list of 12 programs that are in the running. Which of them are true contenders?

One of the biggest risers in all of the 2021 NCAA Basketball recruiting class has been Hunter Sallis. Over a year ago, the native of Omaha was barely on the radar for national recruiting services, seemingly destined to fight it out for a Division 1 scholarship. But after an excellent Summer of AAU ball followed by a dominant junior high school season, now blue bloods are after him.

Sallis athleticism and pure scoring ability make him the ideal combo forward in the game of basketball. While he primarily handles the ball, which makes sense since he’s usually the best player on the court, the 6’4-5 playmaker can easily play off the ball as well. Sallis is a solid spot-up shooter but depending on the situation, would have to develop being able to move off the ball and allow the other guard to thrive. That can be tough when you usually have the ball in your hands.

The high-rising Sallis isn’t flying under the radar anymore, with a number of top-tier programs having made scholarship offers in the past couple of weeks. With Kennedy Chandler off the board (Tennessee) and JD Davison releasing a top-6 list, programs still looking for a top-tier ball-handler are making pushes of their own to land the five-star Sallis.

This list above is a who’s who of major power conference programs, along with Gonzaga, who was one of a few teams to get an official visit with Sallis before the pandemic shut those down for the time being. They along with Creighton and Kansas could have a current edge if a decision is made before the season starts.

While local program Nebraska not being in the picture isn’t much of a surprise, the Duke Blue Devils not being listed is. They’ve had interest in Sallis previously and after missing out on Chandler, could’ve used a five-star guard in the 2021 class. But their loss is someone else’s gain from the group of 12.

So who’s the best potential fit for Sallis? Rather than just looking at the names, I’ll be ranking all 12 in terms of playing time, team potential of winning and best situation to develop. Check out who makes it to No. 1.