NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 5 finalists for top-100 big Papa Kante

Papa Kante is a consensus four-star prospect in the 2023 NCAA Basketball recruiting class. He’s a 6’10 frontcourt player with great size, including a 7’4 wingspan. Kante is the typical athletic rim protector and has real potential as an offensive threat outside of just catching lobs and grabbing offensive rebounds.

The South Kent, Connecticut native has had several teams reportedly deep in the mix throughout his recruitment and Kante has made it official, with a top-5 list. The teams involved are Michigan, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Maryland, and Memphis. A decision could potentially come before the start of the 2022-23 basketball season.

Which of them makes the most sense for Kante? Here’s a closer look at his potential fit with each of the five options.

Maryland Terrapins

The Terrapins already have a really good 2023 class with a trio of commits, all on the perimeter.  Jahnathan Lamothe, Jamie Kaiser, and DeShawn Harris-Smith are all four-star prospects on the wings to rebuild that area. That leaves center as the one spot that needs addressing, especially after Qudus Wahab transferred back to Georgetown this offseason.

Maryland can effectively offer Kante the starting spot as a freshman and he’d be a good fit in a Big Ten Conference that doesn’t have a lot of spacing bigs. He’d also be a good fit with new head coach Kevin Willard, who prioritized defense and rebounding while at Seton Hall. If immediate playing time matters for Kante, this option can offer that easily.