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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top-40 forward AJ Casey top 8 teams

By Tristan Freeman

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Butler Bulldogs reacts against the Xavier Musketeers during the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 09: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Butler Bulldogs reacts against the Xavier Musketeers during the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball AJ Casey Gonzaga Bulldogs Anton Watson James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Basketball AJ Casey Gonzaga Bulldogs Anton Watson James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Coming off landing the No. 1 overall prospect Chet Holmgren for next season, the Bulldogs are looking to continue the tremendous momentum on the recruiting trail. Their only real need is at center and potentially point guard but this is a team that could use Casey as a long-term project if he’s willing to come off the bench.

That’s because Gonzaga has a few former top-60 prospects on the roster that will be a part of next season’s rotation, even with Holmgren taking up a lot of minutes. Anton Watson is a quality defender, while Ben Gregg is an elite spacing shooter. And Julian Strawther has great potential as a wing scorer. It’s not a guarantee that Casey would get minutes over them as a freshman unless he’s ready to go Day 1.

Illinois Fighting Illini

While DePaul has been one of the worst power conference teams in recent memory, Illinois is coming off a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They’re a consistent postseason team and although they have a whole need team of assistants, still have time to develop a relationship with Casey.

With Kofi Cockburn almost assuredly leaving after next season, the frontcourt is wide open for someone to come in and have a major impact early on. The Illini already has three perimeter-based commits in the 2022 class and needs to get at least 1-2 frontcourt targets. As the top local recruit still available, Casey should be an absolute priority for the program, who can come in and have a major impact as a freshman.

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