NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 5 finalists for 5-star big Aaron Bradshaw
Texas Longhorns
Texas is in need of a true center in the 2023 class, not just to replace 5th-year senior Christian Bishop but also to have real size in the lineup, something they didn’t have last season. Bradshaw would fit in Coach Chris Beard’s defensive system and would have a sizeable role on a nationally-ranked program in a top conference.
The Longhorns are going after other top center recruits, including top-10 overall center Baye Fall. Bradshaw would be the pick if the program had to choose but if Kentucky is indeed the favorite, Texas may fall back itself and focus on other targets.
USC Trojans
The Trojans are in a unique spot, as they have five-star freshman Vincent Iwuchukwu set to start at center to replace Isaiah Mobley. However, they’re also after bigs in the 2023 class, such as Bradshaw and top-30 recruit Isaiah Miranda. This is a program under head coach Andy Enfield that has been very friendly with frontcourt players and being Los Angeles, is very appealing for top bigs.
The issue here is what happens with Iwuchukwu. He could very well be a “one and done” prospect that’s off to the pros in the Spring, or he could struggle enough to where it’s easy to over-recruit him. But if he’s a good starter in the Pac-12 but isn’t high on draft boards, that could cause an issue with the next crop of bigs. Without a clear answer as to what USC’s center position will look like, they may not be able to land Bradshaw.
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However, if they were to get Isaiah Collier, arguably the best point guard in the 2023 class, then the Trojans would look extremely attractive to other five-star players.