Tag: 2024 basketball recruiting

Michigan State basketball: Who’s next in the 2024 recruiting class

MSU already has 2 commits in their 2024 recruiting class, check out who could be next:

Michigan State picked up their second commitment of the 2024 recruiting class on Thursday, picking up Ohio big man Jesse McCulloch. McCulloch joins fellow 4-star Kur Teng, a wing from Massachusetts.

McCulloch and Teng are two solid prospects to start with in 2024, but now it is time for Izzo and company to round out their recruiting class.

The Spartans almost surely will be picking up a 3rd player in the class, but I would not be surprised if they want another 4-man class in 2024.

Positionally, I do not expect the Spartans to pursue a point guard, being well off at that position. The center spot is also a 50/50 whether Izzo pursues, but adding another wing appears to be the direction MSU for sure will go in.

Check out some prospects on MSU’s board as the 2024 class unfolds:

Florida basketball hosting top-25 center for multi-day visit

Even though Florida’s been focused on the transfer portal lately, Todd Golden and Co. are still putting in work on the high school recruiting front too.

The Florida Gators are one of the teams on Sunrise Christian (Wichita, Kansas) center [autotag]John Bol[/autotag]’s radar, and the 7-foot-1-inch big man plans on visiting the Swamp soon, according to Graham Hall of 247Sports.

Bol has taken most of the spring to see what teams look like, but now he’s ready for visits following the conclusion of his junior season. Florida is one of the first programs on his itinerary. Bol plans to be in Gainesville on April 21-22, according to Hall.

Kansas State, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas are at the top of Bol’s offer sheet, and he says he’s looking for a school that can build him both on and off the court. Florida fits the specifications nicely, and the Gators have show regular interest in many of the nation’s top big men. The departure of [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] likely has something to do with that, and adding a true 7-footer can’t hurt, right?

If all goes well on this visit, Florida will make whatever list Bol narrows things down to after the conclusion of his spring tour.

Bol is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked in the top-25 on both the 247Sports composite and On3 industry ranking. On3 has him listed as the third-best center in the class of 2024, but most other services like him at No. 4 among those playing his position.

Still, this is an elite prospect that would immediately change Florida’s approach on the floor.

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Lady Gators add 5-star PG to 2024 class

Florida women’s basketball might be the best recruiting team on campus after landing a second five-star recruit in as many years.

The Florida Gators women’s basketball team added five-star point guard [autotag]Alivia McGill[/autotag] to its 2024 recruiting class on Monday, according to an announcement video she posted to social media.

The 5-foot-7-inch tall Hopkins (Coon Rapids, Minnesota) product is ranked No. 19 overall on ESPN’s 2024 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, also known as the Super 60. It’s the second-straight year that Florida has locked down a five-star recruit for the women’s basketball team. [autotag]Laila Reynolds[/autotag], the team’s five-star signee in the 2023 cycle, will join the team this upcoming season, and McGill is set to arrive in Gainesville for the 2024-25 campaign.

McGill averaged 14 points and three assists per game as a junior. She led Hopkins to a second-place finish in Minnesota’s Class 4A state championship and is likely looking to win it all next year before heading off to college.

Women’s basketball head coach Kelly Rae Finley has changed the program dramatically over the past few years. Two seasons ago, Florida was still dealing with a coaching abuse scandal that put a cloud over the program for some time. Then, superstar [autotag]Lavender Briggs[/autotag] transferred to Maryland, and things looked bleak for the Gators.

Now, Finley has two five-star recruits headed to the Swamp and things look like they are taking a turn for the better. Here’s hoping they do.

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247Sports names Florida as a potential fit for top men’s basketball player in transfer portal

Replacing Colin Castleton is no easy task, but a recent addition to the transfer portal might be just what Todd Golden needs to continue rebuilding the Florida men’s basketball program.

One of the bright spots for Florida’s men’s basketball team was the emergence of [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] as the Gators’ best player. But with the fifth-year senior’s college career coming to an end, head coach Todd Golden will need to replace his output. Luckily for Florida, one of the best players in the transfer portal could slide right into Golden’s rotation.

[autotag]Kel’el Ware[/autotag], the No. 7 overall player in the 2022 247Sports composite, has entered the transfer portal after just one season at Oregon. Despite playing just under 16 minutes per game, Ware was able to average 16.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, and 1.3 assists per 40 minutes. The incredibly efficient seven-footer is from North Little Rock, Arkansas, and would be much closer to home in Gainesville than he was in Oregon.

Here is what 247Sports’ Isaac Trotter had to say about Ware’s potential fit with the Gators:

Replacing Colin Castleton is one of the biggest objectives of the offseason for Florida coach Todd Golden and the rest of the Gators staff. Florida was a major player for some of the top talent in the transfer portal last offseason, and Golden can sell Castleton’s success in his scheme. Ware’s path to a featured role and a huge usage rate is easy to project at Florida, but questions about if the Gators can win big in 2023-24 remain.

Ware was never expected to remain at Oregon for four years, but entering the transfer portal came as a surprise to most, with the 210-pound center expected to declare for the 2023 NBA draft. His size, length, and athleticism allow him to guard all five positions. Paired with his ability to create his own offense in the mid-and-low post and his three-point shooting, he has the potential to be a lottery pick in the 2024 draft.

In addition to the Gators, the other teams that 247Sports sees as a potential fit for Ware are Gonzaga, Arizona, Arkansas, Texas, Indiana, Colorado, LSU, Michigan, Duke and Kansas.

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Top-25 recruit arrives on campus for official visit to Florida

Florida is hosting a top-25 player in the class of 2024 over the weekend on an official visit, and he’s officially checked in from Gainesvile.

Four-star class of 2024 point guard [autotag]Dedan Thomas Jr[/autotag]. arrived on campus at the University of Florida for his official visit on Saturday, according to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.

Swamp247’s Jacob Rudner checked in with Thomas before the visit and learned that his decision will come down to comfortability when all is said and done.

“I just feel like for me to make a decision it’s going to be more of a feeling thing than anything,” Thomas said. “I want to get a feel for the place and see how comfortable I am.”

Thomas took officials visits to Arizona, Houston, Gonzaga and UCLA in 2022, but he’s saved the Gators for last.

This is Thomas’ first trip to Gainesville despite being in contact with the program since [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] took over. He met Golden at a camp in 2021 and has kept in contact with him, and Thomas knows associate coach Carlin Hartman extremely well after his younger brother played with Hartman’s son under him while they were in Las Vegas.

Those relationships should help out, but that’s what Florida has been leaning on for some time now. To seal the deal, the Gators will have to show him that Florida is the best fit. Thomas knows he’ll get a chance to play early at Florida with points guards [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag] and [autotag]Myreon Jones[/autotag] moving on from the college ranks next season, but he has to feel comfortable at the university to succeed.

There’s talk of Thomas reclassifying to the class of 2023 and joining the team next year, but that’s something he is still considering.

The 247Sports composite ranks him at No. 24 overall and at No. 4 among point guards in the country. He’s also the top-ranked player in Nevada from the class of 2024.

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4-star shooting guard includes LSU in his final 6

The Tigers made the cut for the top 50 prospect.

One of the top shooting guards in the country for the class of 2024, [autotag]Juke Harris[/autotag], has narrowed his decision down to six final schools, and the LSU Tigers made the cut.

LSU joins Miami, Kansas, Wake Forest, Tennessee and Virginia Tech on the list. According to On3, Wake Forest is a 32% favorite to land Harris.

The LSU Tigers are in their first season under new head coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag]. They got off to a great start, but things have come to a screeching halt recently as LSU has lost six games in a row and their offense has been abysmal during that stretch.

LSU scored only 56 points in three of those six games. Those numbers aren’t going to cut it when you are playing in one of the best conferences in college basketball.

With that being said, Harris sounds like just what the doctor ordered. He is the prescription for a struggling offense. You can plug him in on day one and he will produce points. McMahon will hope to bring him to Baton Rouge.

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LSU offers 4-star small forward from Little Rock

Dallas Thomas is a top-50 prospect according to multiple services, but On3 lists Missouri as the favorite to land him.

[autotag]Dallas Thomas[/autotag] is a 6-foot-7, 170-pound small forward from the class of 2024. He is from Little Rock, Arkansas where he plays for the Parkview Patriots. The Patriots are 7-10 this season and 2-3 in conference play.

Thomas has no Crystal Ball projections at this time, but Missouri is a 67% favorite to land him per On3. In Matt McMahon’s first season as the head coach of the LSU Tigers, he has led the Tigers to a 12-5 record so far. They started out hot, going 12-1 before dropping their last four games.

Their last game was against Alabama and let’s just say it didn’t go well.

5-star LSU basketball target set to commit on Monday

The Tigers are in the mix for the No. 2 overall prospect in the country.

One of the best high school basketball players in the entire 2024 cycle is set to make his decision on Monday.

Shooting guard [autotag]Ian Jackson[/autotag] — a product of Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx — is a consensus five-star prospect and is rated as the No. 2 player in the country in both the 247Sports Composite and On3 Consensus Rankings. The Tigers are one of five schools that received an official visit from the premier player with the others being Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and Arkansas.

Kentucky is expected to land his commitment. The Wildcats hold a 93.3% chance of getting him on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, and he holds a Crystal Ball prediction for UK as well from back in December.

Landing a pledge from Jackson would be a pretty big surprise for LSU, but it would also be a massive addition for coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] if he can pull of something of a coup here.

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Top-100 SG picks up Florida offer after midweek visit

The Gators offered this in-state shooting guard after a midweek visit to see the team in action against the SEC.

Florida’s basketball program offered Orlando Christian Prep shooting guard [autotag]Isaiah Brown[/autotag] on Wednesday night after the four-star recruit visited the Gators for the game against Texas A&M, according to 247Sports.

Brown confirmed the offer on social media Thursday morning, and the report is that Florida is in the unofficial top three after becoming the first major program to offer him. Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast are the other major programs, signaling an in-state bias. Brown has been waiting on UF to offer since his September visit and says the new coaching staff is like a family.

While Brown has no future visits planned just yet, Florida will likely get him on campus again for an official visit at some point, especially if other SEC programs get involved. Brown mentioned Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt as visits he would like to make, but Florida will always be the first that reached out.

Brown knows plenty of the young pieces on Florida’s current roster, including former Orlando-area stars [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag] and [autotag]Denzel Aberdeen[/autotag]. He’s also familiar with LSU transfer [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag], who played high school ball in Jacksonville. Perhaps most importantly, Brown is close with five-star Montverde Academy power forward [autotag]Asa Newell[/autotag], who Florida is targeting heavily as well. Getting the elite AAU duo to stay in-state would be huge for Todd Golden and Co.

The recruiting process is nowhere near completion for Brown, but the Gators do sit in an undeniably favorable spot. A decision isn’t supposed to come until the fall, but these things can always get moved up or pushed back in a second.

Brown is ranked No. 97 overall on the 247Sports composite and is the No. 19 shooting guard in the class of 2024. He’s the 12th-best player in the state of Florida, according to the service.

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Florida basketball hosting No. 4 prospect in 2024 class on official visit

The Gators are hosting one of the top players in the class of 2024, five-star center Flory Bidunga, on an official visit this weekend.

The Florida Gators will host one of the top recruits in the class of 2024, Kokomo (Indiana) five-star center [autotag]Flory Bidunga[/autotag], over New Year’s weekend, according to 247Sports.

Bidunga, who stands at 6-feet-9-inches tall and weighs 215 pounds, is the No. 4 overall prospect on 247Sports’ individual ranking system and holds the same spot on the 247Sports composite rankings. He moved to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2021 and quickly shot up the charts.

The Gators offered him a scholarship back in September, and Bidunga claimed that Florida was one of the top schools he was considering. He also holds offers from Auburn, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Wake Forest.

“Florida is one of the top schools in the United States not only for basketball but for education, too,” Bidunga said. “If I go there, I will play but I will get a good education, too.”

He could be a candidate for reclassification as well. Rumors have suggested as much, but Bidunga says that he has not made a decision yet. He’s focused on high school right now and developing a strong relationship with college staffs.

His main point of contact with the Orange and Blue is associate head coach Carlin Hartman, who visited him in Indiana before the start of the season.

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