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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Ranking the 7 finalists for 2022 C Dereck Lively

By Tristan Freeman

Dec 25, 2020; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard works the sidelines against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 25, 2020; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard works the sidelines against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Dereck Lively Myles Dread Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Dereck Lively Myles Dread Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

The rise of NCAA Basketball class of 2022 center Dereck Lively has been seen on the court in the past few months in notable spotlight events. Now, the recruiting services have caught up as well, with the 7’1 big man now listed as a five-star prospect and 247sportsComposite has him ranked currently at No. 20 overall.

As far as the “attention” goes for Lively, he’s likely going to get even more in the coming months. The 2022 recruiting class has several quality frontcourt prospects, led by No. 2 overall prospect Jalen Duren. However, there have been reports that he could reclassify to play this upcoming season, with programs such as Miami, Memphis, and Kentucky viewed as the frontrunners.

If that happens, Lively could end up being the best pure center in the 2022 class that goes to college. And for the many NCAA Basketball programs looking for a star big, he’ll be a major priority going forward.

We now know who the seven finalists are for Lively, featuring several “blue blood” programs, a local option, and a few teams with recent success with five-star prospects. A decision likely isn’t coming for a while, giving each of them the chance to make their case for his signature.

Everyone has something to offer both on and off the court to Lively but who stands out the most? Here’s how I would rank each potential option for the five-star big man.

7. Penn State Nittany Lions

New head coach Micah Shrewsberry will have to hope that Lively really wants to play close to home, because that would be the only chance the Nittany Lions have to land him. Excluding the rare past bad season by the Blue Devils and Wildcats, the other six contenders all are regular NCAA Tournament teams. Meanwhile, Penn State is going through a complete rebuild after the coaching change and losing several key pieces from last season.

Besides playing close to home, Penn State also would allow Lively to be the top offensive option for the team, something a few of these other teams aren’t able to. He can put up massive numbers in a potential one-and-done season and play in the Big Ten as well. Then again, he’d have to be willing to not play in the Big Dance, as the roster still wouldn’t be good enough unless Jalen Pickett stays another year.

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