NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 5 top-150 forward Elijah Saunders

An underrated prospect in the 2022 NCAA Basketball recruiting class is Elijah Saunders, a consensus three-star recruit from Phoenix, Arizona. He’s a 6’8 power forward that is capable of stretching the floor and shoot from distance, although he’s a good scorer overall.

His play this Summer for Compton Magic in the AAU circuit only solidified his standing as a power conference talent. Saunders may not be on the national radar compared to some of the others from out west but that gives some programs in need of talent and production to come in and land someone currently flying under the radar.

Saunders is likey a four-year NCAA Basketball prospect but can eventually develop into a starter and double-digit contributor. These days, power forwards that can truly stretch an offense can be beneficial for the entire offense.

We now know which programs are in play for the rising high school senior, who reportedly is looking to make a decision before the upcoming season. So who presents the best situation for Saunders? Here’s an outlook of each program and what they have to offer.

Miami Hurricanes

Due to the scholarship layout for the roster, Miami may need to add up to eight players in the 2022 class. Adding Saunders would be a good start to the group and could very very get early playing time, depending on who else joins the team.

The Hurricanes frontcourt consists of seniors Rodney Miller Jr. and Sam Waardenburg, who’ll be gone next season. Anthony Walker will likely be around but there’s no depth outside of him. The playing could be there but the status of head coach Jim Larranaga after next season is still undecided. That could impact the program on the recruiting trail if there are still questions.