Busting Brackets
Fansided

NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early takeaways from 2021 recruiting classes

By Tristan Freeman

ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on in the first half of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on February 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on in the first half of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on February 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 11
Next
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 03: Zafir Williams #1 of the Loyola Marymount Lions (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 03: Zafir Williams #1 of the Loyola Marymount Lions (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Gonzaga not the only WCC team landing recruits

Gonzaga’s rise to national juggernaut has made it just about impossible for the rest of the conference to catch up. However, that doesn’t mean the other nine teams have stopped trying to uplift their respective rosters to be competitive and potential at-large contenders in the future.

LMU made a coaching change this offseason, hiring Marquette assistant Stan Johnson. His recruiting connections have already paid off big time, landing a trio of prospects for the 2021 class. Leading the way is James Nobles, a four-star shooting guard out of California.

They lost a pair of transfers this offseason but head coach Herb Sandek has done a great job on the trail, landing five commits already. Forwards Camaron Tongue and Jacob Holt are potential future All-WCC players, while point guard Brenton Knapper could very well start on day 1.

The biggest pickup this offseason came from San Diego, landing four-star combo guard Wayne McKinney, one of the highest-rated recruits for the program in recent time. Pacific and Damon Stoudamire continues to succeed on the recruiting trail, while Pepperdine’s Lorenzo Romar is strong with recruiting in California.

This doesn’t even include the usual suspects of Saint Mary’s and BYU. The Cougars landed Purdue transfer Matt Haarms, along with taking three-star forward Caleb Lohner from rival Utah this offseason after he de-committed. The Gaels, meanwhile, have 6’6 shooting guard Chris Howell part of the 2021 group as well.

Gonzaga’s recruiting strengths may be a benefit for the others, as players will want to pick the WCC over the Big West or Big Sky out west since they get TV matchups against a top-10 program. This is a conference that was set to get three bids last season and hopes that becomes more of the norm, with some of the mid-tier teams stepping up to the plate.

Home/NCAA Basketball News