NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing early contenders for 5-star Isiah Hartwell

Isiah Hartwell is a consensus five-star prospect in the 2025 NCAA Basketball recruiting class with a chance to reclassify. Which teams are in the mix?

One of the top West Coast prospects in the 2025 NCAA Basketball recruiting class is Isiah Hartwell, a consensus five-star and top-10 player in the class. He plays for the prestigious Wasatch Academy in Utah and is originally from the state of Idaho.

A number of teams have been involved with Hartwell in his recruitment, including some true juggernauts. A recent article by Travis Branham of 247sports talks about the visits the five-star prospect has been looking to set up, as well as some others that are in the mix.

What’s also interesting to note is that there is a possibility that Hartwell could reclassify to the 2024 recruiting class. That could be a game-changer for some options since the rosters will look very different 18-24 months from now.

Using that article, I’ll be taking a look at the potential fit for Hartwell with each of those five options. Does any stand out for the elite combo guard prospect?

Alabama

Alabama has a trio of ball-handlers on the roster, including 4th-year seniors, Mark Sears and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. If both of those guys opt to come back for a 5th year, then staying in the 2025 class makes perfect sense for Hartwell. He’d also be a nice fit to the offensively-friendly system with the Crimson Tide.

Gonzaga

Technically, Gonzaga represents the “hometown” option for Hartwell since Spokane is right by where he grew up. They have two junior guards in Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard, which would make the 2025 class the ideal spot for the five-star prospect. Still, with the lack of current depth, he could move next year and still get plenty of minutes.

Kentucky

The Wildcats landed 5-star point guard Boogie Fland so there’s a chance that Hartwell could reclass and create the next great freshmen duo a year from now. Kentucky is also after multiple 5-star prospects in the 2025 class, including Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff. This would be a scenario where the 2024 class makes more sense for him.

North Carolina

UNC got 5-star guard prospect Elliot Cadeau to reclass and join the upcoming roster. With RJ Davis having 1 more year after this season, the Tar Heels could have this duo for multiple more years. That would make the 2025 class more ideal for Hartwell, though if 5-star 2024 commit Ian Jackson leaves, that could reopen the idea of moving up.

Texas

Texas will lose both Max Abmas and Ithiel Horton after this season, as well as junior guard Tyrese Hunter if he breaks out and becomes a pro candidate. They already have five-star 2024 commit Cam Scott coming in and he and Hunter would be a fine backcourt, which would mean that Hartwell is better off staying in the 2025 class.

All of this being said, any of these or other teams would gladly take Hartwell in the next class and just make the roster work. He’s that good of a prospect overall. Let’s see what the next steps are in his recruitment.