Big 12 Basketball: Analyzing top prospect for each team in 2022 recruiting class
By Andrew Tineo
SG Keyonte George (No.1 SG, No. 4 overall)
Teams: Texas, Baylor, and Kansas.
A consensus top-five player in the country, George resides out of Lewisville, Texas, and is the most prized possession of any recruit from the Big 12 schools. George is six foot four inches while taking visits to all three schools throughout the month of June.
George was head-bound for the G-League just a little over a month ago, until he dropped a list with these three Big 12 schools, alongside Kentucky and fellow Big 12 school Oklahoma State. Although this is the highest-ranked recruit on the Cowboys board, they are the least likely team to land his services.
George is a purified scorer, who can shoot at all three levels, with a specific unique trait in the mid-range. Although defense is not a strength of George, he can grow into that and his height gives him an advantage of being a pedestrian defender.
When it comes to the teams, it’s three of the best recruiting teams in the conference and all have a role niched for George.
The favorite to land his services is Texas, with three crystal ball predictions pointing towards Austin, according to 247 Sports.
The Longhorns have a load of senior guards, with Andrew Jones and Matt Coleman, departing once the season is over. Chris Beard comes in and is wanting to start his tenure in Austin on the recruiting trail with a bang. After landing just one player in the last class, George is the top target.
For Baylor, a national championship grabs the attention of any recruit. What also does, is the proof of elite guard play in Waco, with the daunted trio that went through Baylor the past few seasons.
The Bears have guards of the future that can help George, with LJ Cryer, Dale Bonner, and potentially Langston Love.
Kansas’s pedigree is off of Bill Self and elite-level guards over the past decade. The pick-and-roll, alongside out of bounds and spot-up capabilities Self can provide George is really enticing for a player with that kind of skillset.
Right now, I’d have the Longhorns with the edge and believe this will be a Texas vs. Baylor match-up for quite some time.
Prediction: Texas