NCAA Basketball: 10 biggest recruiting battles to watch for 2024 class

Kokomo Wildkats center Flory Bidunga (40) rushes up the court on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Ben Davis Giants lead at the half against the Kokomo Wildkats, 28-17, during the IHSAA Class 4A state finals championship.High School Basketball Ini Hs Basketball Class 3a State Final Northwood Panthers At Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles /

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10. Naas Cunningham – No. 29 ranked prospect overall

Recruiting battle: Memphis vs UCLA vs Rutgers

At one point, Cunningham was a consensus top-10 recruit in the 2024 class but he’s slid down the rankings a bit. Still, he’s an elite wing prospect, listed at 6’7 and 175 pounds, capable of playing both the shooting guard and small forward positions. He can shoot the ball and is an all-around offensive threat while having the potential to be a good defender too.

Cunningham is from New Jersey but has since been in California and Atlanta, playing for Overtime Elite. That was part of the reason why he was initially connected to Kentucky, but they reportedly never offered and weren’t part of his top-5 list. Duke and Kansas made the cut, along with Memphis, UCLA, and Rutgers.

Coach Penny Hardaway and Memphis have been after Cunningham for a while and after landing both David Jones and Jaykwon Walton, the wing positions will be open there for a while. UCLA did land a couple of big international guards so they could be out of the mix, while Rutgers is looking for a mega 2024 class.

If Cunningham wants to come back home, he could pick the Scarlet Knights and be part of a historically good recruiting class. It’s a compelling sell at the moment for him and will be a test of what Coach Pikiell and the program can offer.

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