NCAA Basketball: 2021 4-star G Brandin Podziemski announces top 5

NCAA Basketball prospect Brandin Podziemski is considering Kentucky, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Miami (FL), and Wake Forest from his released list. Missing the cut were DePaul, Arizona State, Kansas State, and a bit surprisingly powerhouse Kansas. The guard has loudly become one of the more coveted and pursued prospects in the 2021 class, after bursting on the scene with monstruous scoring performances.

In 17 of his 22 games played for St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy (WI) this season, he has accumulated at least 30 points including five games of 40+ and one game reaching 50. Averaging 35.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 4.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, Podziemski has been electric in all facets of the game.

Playing for Phenom University – Team Herro during the grassroots season, Podziemski has drawn playing style comparisons to his team’s namesake. While direct comparisons of high school players to pros is a stretch and places unfair pressure upon the former, there are similarities that signal Podziemski can have a strong impact and readiness for the college game as Tyler Herro did at Kentucky.

Consistently a top-50 to top-100 prospect, Herro didn’t have to make the same drastic climb Podziemski has experienced. The latter was barely a top-300 recruit nationally as recently as October 13^th, 2020, but his on-court production has rivaled and even surpassed the current Miami Heat guard during comparative senior seasons (Herro in 17-18’: 32.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game).

In fact, at this stage in his career, Podziemski seems to also have a more reliable shooting consistency than the multi-year pro. Dishing out production across the board, the 6’6” guard is converting shots at a clip of 61% from the field, 43% from the perimeter, and 83% from the charity stripe (Herro: 49%, 40% 84%).

While other factors undoubtedly play into each player’s capability to pile up numbers, it’s undeniable that Podziemski knows how to score in bunches. He has demonstrated repeatedly he needs very little room to get shots off and is a danger to knock down shots from any area of the floor.

Whoever lands him will have a reliable threat when he steps on campus as a freshman. Considering his final five options, I examine how these schools will stack up for his services next season.