NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analzying 9 contenders for top-40 C Dereck Lively
Penn State Nittany Lions
New head coach Micah Shrewsbury has a big task in rebuilding the Nittany Lions program and at least in the frontcourt, will be very big once senior forward John Harrar departs. The team doesn’t have much beyond him currently and is trying to land another rotational piece for the upcoming season.
What will help Penn State here is if Lively really wants to play close to home, as the program is the only in-state option currently. There is a ton of playing available and the prospect will be able to play in the Big Ten Conference. But unless the Nittany Lions can land a few more key pieces, Lively would ultimately be playing for a bottom-tier team in the league for the foreseeable future.
USC Trojans
Outside of the blue bloods, the Trojans and head coach Andy Enfield has a great recent history of developing five-star big men. That includes likely future top-3 overall pick Evan Mobley and No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft Onyeka Okongwu in just a year prior. Assuming that Isaiah Mobley is gone after next year, USC will also be in big need of a key frontcourt piece for 2022-23.
Although there’s great history with top-tier big men and the NBA Draft, USC stands out here as the lone option out west. History tells us that it’s rare for prospects to go across the country without there being a connection with the coaching staff, school, or potential teammate. But maybe Lively will be the exception?
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Look for an official list from Dereck Lively to come out in the coming months that’ll give us clarity on who is truly in the mix. But expect a number of these mentioned programs to be involved, with Duke, UNC, and Ohio State standing out in terms of top options and fits.