NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 5 teams for 4-star C Emmanuel Stephen

Emmanuel Stephen is a four-star NCAA Basketball prospect in the 2024 class. Which of the five reported finalists makes the most sense for him?

We have another top-100 NCAA Basketball prospect update their respective recruitment in the month of September. It’s Emmanuel Stephen, a consensus four-star recruit from Glendale, Arizona. He’s a 7’0 and 220-pound big man who’s a natural center who can defend and plays with a high motor overall.

Stephen is reportedly down to just five teams, all of them high-majors with a recent history of winning. But which of them has the most to offer from a roster standpoint? Here’s a closer look.

Arizona Wildcats

As the hometown option, you have to figure that Arizona has a meaningful shot here. And with star center Oumar Ballo entering his 5th year in NCAA Basketball, there’s a good shot that he’ll be gone after next season. Still, there’s former top-100 prospect Dylan Anderson on the roster, as well as international freshman big, Motiejus Krivas. So it could be crowded by the time Stephen would arrive.

Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks were able to land both its center for now (Hunter Dickinson), and the year after (Flory Bidunga) this offseason. But there’s a very high likelihood that both will be around for the next season max. So if Stephen was willing to wait a year, he could get into the rotation. Of course, the team also could land another big name from the 2025 class to push him back again.

Miami Hurricanes

The Hurricanes only have two true bigs on the entire roster for next season. One is the well-known Norchad Omier, with the other being three-star freshman center, Michael Nwoko. Whether Omier opts to return for a 5th year or not, there’s definitely playing time available for Stephen to develop.

Michigan Wolverines

The Wolverines will be losing two key frontcourt players (Olivier Nkamhoua and Tray Jackson) and will be hoping for a breakout campaign from starting sophomore center, Tarris Reed. The recent addition of Argentinian big man Lee Aailya could make for a possible crowded frontcourt for Stephen but compared to some other options also is a winnable position battle down the road.

USC Trojans

The Trojans will have senior Joshua Morgan starting at center and are hoping to get a full season from Vincent Iwuchukwu, who missed most of last year due to heart issues. If the former five-star prospect gets back into form, then USC will be set at center for years to come. Stephen could either back him up for a year or potentially take some of his minutes away early on.