NCAA Basketball: 10 biggest recruiting battles to watch for 2024 class
1. Tre Johnson – No. 3 overall prospect
Recruiting battle: Alabama vs Arkansas vs Baylor vs Kansas vs Kentucky vs Texas
As I mentioned in the Bethea section, Johnson is the best true shooting guard in the NCAA Basketball recruiting class. He’s a 6’4 guard that genuinely can score in a variety of ways, either as a jump-shooter or driving to the basket. With solid defense and ball-handling skills as well, Johnson is a true top-tier prospect that should be a safe bet of being a “one and done” to the NBA.
But which team will Johnson play at? He released a list of six programs in the past, with all having a legit selling point. Since he’s a native of the city of Dallas, both Baylor and Texas stand out if he wants to stay close to home. Of course, Kansas is a regional powerhouse that just won a national title and excels with pure scorers.
Then there are the three current SEC programs. Kentucky always will be a major contender for any top prospect they want, as well as Arkansas, which has as many resources to recruit as any NCAA Basketball program. And coming off a year of having former five-star prospect Brandon Miller turn into a top-2 NBA Draft pick, Alabama has a major selling point as well.
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Right now, it’s more likely that Johnson ends up in the Big 12 but those SEC programs aren’t going to give up on this recruitment. A decision could come before the start of next season and one of those programs is going to have an elite centerpiece to their respective recruiting class with this elite scoring guard.