McDonald's Nuggets: Stock risers; big visit; Iowa commit
In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald discusses five potential stock risers this summer, along with a visit to keep an eye on and the 2022 Commit of the Week.
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MORE: Players who raised their stock at Pangos camp in Vegas
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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STARTING FIVE: Potential stock risers this summer
After 15 months of being locked up on campus with no opportunity to evaluate prospects in person college basketball coaches will finally be able to go out and evaluate prospects all over the country the next two weekends as high school programs play in NCAA-certified team camps run by state associations. In July, there are three weekends where coaches will be able to evaluate prospects with their travel teams. That means we’ll see prospects whose lives will change with new scholarship offers. I have five prospects I think will add several scholarship offers before July ends.
1. Let’s start with one of most imposing interior presences in the 2022 class, Shawn Phillips (No. 42). At 6-foot-10, the Ohio native uses his big, strong frame as well as any prospect I saw this spring to seal off defenders and score from the block. He’s a good athlete with strong hands and soft touch around the rim. He just completed a visit to Illinois. Cincinnati, Dayton, Indiana, NC State, Ohio State and West Virginia have also been involved here. My prediction is those programs and others make him a priority coming out of July.
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2. Hidden on a loaded Prolific Prep roster after coming over from France last year, Yohan Traore (No. 64) remains one of the best-kept secrets in the class. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound post player is a great athlete that plays with strength and explosiveness around the rim. He’s skilled enough to step out and hit jumpers as well. His aggressiveness on both ends will get college coaches really excited. He started his upward trajectory in recent months with offers from Creighton, Kansas, TCU and Texas, but expect that list to expand in a big way this summer.
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3. Like Traore, Ernest Udeh (No. 115) has already started to ascend up recruiting boards, and that should continue through June and July. He’s a strong, explosive athlete that both protects the rim on defense and tries to rip the rim down with dunks every time he’s in the paint on offense. His aggressive disposition and his willingness to work on his game and be coachable will take him a long way. Creighton, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Miami, Ole Miss and Seton Hall jumped in already with offers. Don’t be surprised if he surges up the rankings this summer and finishes with over 20 scholarships offers.
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4. College coaches who value production and a high motor will fall in love with Zach Keller (No. 118) the next couple months. The 6-foot-9 forward out of Colorado has the size, skill and athleticism that checks the boxes, but his knack for always making the right play and his competitiveness will set him apart. He’s started to add offers lately, with TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, but it would be a big surprise here if he’s not a priority guy for much of the Big 12 and Pac-12 by Aug. 1.
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5. Last, but certainly not least, Jermahri Hill (No. 132) is one of the prospects I’ve seen a lot of this travel season here in Georgia who I think will impress coaches this summer. He has good size for a guard at 6-foot-4 and he’s super quick and bouncy. He’s an elite finisher at the rim and plays ball screens as well as anyone I’ve seen this spring, which generally translates well to the college level. Alabama, Georgia, Illinois and Virginia Tech put scholarship offers out this spring. That list should expand into double digits before long.
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VISITOR TO WATCH: Kaleb Banks to Indiana
June 1 marked a big milestone for prospects in the 2022 class as they are finally able to get out and see the schools recruiting them and meet the coaching staff in person after being limited to phone calls, FaceTime and Zoom calls for the past 15 months. Throughout the summer, I’ll be highlighting important visits happening each week.
This week, I’m intrigued by Indiana working to get Rivals150 forward Kaleb Banks up for his first official visit. The Georgia native received an offer from the new Hoosiers staff shortly after Mike Woodson hired fellow Georgia native Yasir Rosemond as an assistant coach. Banks holds several offers from ACC and SEC programs as well, but keep an eye on Indiana to pick up some momentum during this visit. Alabama and Georgia Tech, which hosted Banks on Wednesday for an unofficial visit, will also have a shot here. I’m not expecting a commitment any time soon, but it’s a great opportunity for the Hoosiers to gain some serious momentum in his recruitment.
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2022 COMMIT OF THE WEEK: Dasonte Bowen to Iowa
Dasonte Bowen recently took an official visit to Iowa and had planned to also see Maryland and Northwestern officially as well. As it turns out, the three-star point guard saw enough after one visit with Iowa to make the call in favor of the Hawkeyes. Bowen becomes Fran McCaffery’s first commitment in the 2022 class, and he gives him a talented scorer with great size for the point guard position at 6-foot-3.