NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top-30 forward Julian Phillips top 10 teams

There have been several five-star prospects in the 2022 NCAA Basketball Recruiting class getting a lot of attention. Although he’s not a “five-star” yet, Julian Phillips has been one of them. A consensus top-50 recruit overall, Phillips is No. 25 overall according to 247sportsComposite, just shy of gaining that coveted five-star status.

The native of Blythewood, South Carolina is a consistently good frontcourt player on both ends. At 6’8 and around 200 pounds, Phillips is a true power forward boosted by natural athleticism that allows him to do a lot of things well. He’s a good defender and rebounder that runs the floor well and has the kind of offensive game that projects well to the college game.

Phillips’ recruitment has taken the next step, listing a group of 10 programs that are in the running. There’s no true favorite at the moment and it’s still fairly early, with a decision not expected soon. So one of these programs is going to get a five-star caliber talent that should be an early contributor.

Here’s a look at Phillips’ potential fit with each program, along with the likelihood that they’ll be a real threat to land him when the time comes.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Phillips resides in SEC country and the biggest overall name is Alabama Football. But the basketball program has been on the rise under head coach Nate Oats, making the Sweet 16 this past season. They’re in good shape for the future, with five-star freshmen JD Davison and Charles Bediako leading the way.

At the forward position, Furman transfer Noah Gurley is projected to start, with Keon Ambrose-Hylton and Juwan Gary backing up him. Assuming Gurley is a one-year rental, Phillips could potentially come in and start early on for what should be a good team, barring another five-star pickup of an even bigger priority.

Clemson Tigers

With South Carolina not in the mix, Clemson becomes the “hometown option” for the top-30 prospect. The Tigers have been a good program in the ACC, recently making the NCAA Tournament. But without star forward Aamir Simms, they could potentially take a step back.

Clemson brought in 5th-year transfer Naz Bohannon to replace Simms as the starting forward; Phillips could replace him the season after and be the star of the team and focal point of the offense. Among all 10 options, this would be the only one that would cater to Phillips in that way.