Tag: John Bol

John Bol reopens his recruitment, and USC is paying attention

John Bol decommitted from Florida. The former USC target is now back on the open market.

Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian High School has a four-star center on USC’s radar. John Bol, a 7-foot-1, 190-pound prospect in the 2024 class, has decommitted from Florida, as noted by our friends at Gators Wire.

The USC target, who is ranked No. 23 overall and No. 3 among centers in his recruiting cycle on the industry-generated 247Sports composite, originally picked the Gators over six other finalist schools: Connecticut, Michigan, Missouri, Texas, USC, and Wake Forest.

Bol also considered forgoing the college route and starting his career with Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league for 16 to 20-year-olds based in Atlanta.

Bol originally came to the St. Louis area from his native South Sudan. Bol could bring major hype and height to the USC basketball program for the 2024 class, if he decides to have a change of heart and become a Trojan.

Wherever Bol ends up, he has the potential to be among the top big men in the country. At 7-foot-1, he has the height to dominate the college game, and many scouts think he’s showing NBA potential.

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Gators lose commitment from top-30 basketball recruit

Todd Golden and the Florida Gators men’s basketball team just lost a major piece of the 2024 recruiting class, but is there any hope to bring him back in the fold?

It took less than three weeks for four-star center [autotag]John Bol[/autotag] to go from “10000% committed” to back on the open market. The now-former Florida commit backed off his verbal pledge to the Gators on Friday, according to a social media post from Chris Wash of Level 13 Sports Market and Management.

“My client 2024 John Bol (@JohnBol_7) 7’2 C Ranked #23 in the country has decommitted from Florida and will re-open his recruitment,” Wash tweeted with two exclamation marks.

The loss leaves Florida with just one player committed in the 2024 class, Orlando Christian Prep shooting guard Isaiah Brown, and moves the Gators down to No. 31 overall on the On3 team rankings.

An agent breaking the news has many believing that Florida lost Bol due to NIL opportunities elsewhere that he may not have considered. Bol was looking at joining the Overtime Elite League before his commitment, and the OEL has produced two top-five since then.

Wherever Bol ends up, he has the potential to be among the top big men in the country. At 7-foot-1-inch, he has the height to dominate the college game, and many scouts think he’s showing NBA potential.

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Watch: No. 1 basketball recruit in Kansas commits to Florida’s 2024 class

This past weekend he announced his commitment to Florida.

The No. 1 overall basketball player in the state of Kansas for the class of 2024 is Sunrise Christian four-star center John Bol.

In addition to being first in Kansas, Bol (no relation to former NBA player Manute Bol) is ranked No. 3 at his position and No. 23 nationally in his class. This past weekend he announced his commitment to Florida.

Bol (7-foot-1, 190 pounds) also had offers from Michigan, Missouri, Butler, Clemson, UConn, Evansville, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska, Texas and Wake Forest.

Florida’s class of 2024 has one other member so far: Orlando Christian Prep (Fla.) four-star shooting guard Isaiah Brown.

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4-star SG Simeon Wilcher commits to St. John’s in style

Gators hoops add 7-footer to 2024 recruiting class

Todd Golden got his man! John Bol, a seven-foot-one-inch center ranked in the top 25 nationally, committed to the Florida Gators on Saturday.

Sunrise Christian (Wichita, Kansas) center John Bol is headed to Gainesville, according to a social media post put out on Saturday announcing his commitment to the University of Florida.

Bol, originally from South Sudan, is one of the nation’s premier centers at the prep level. He’s ranked third in the nation among centers in the class of 2024, according to the 247Sports composite, and he is ranked No. 23 overall nationally, making him Todd Golden’s highest-ranked commitment as Florida’s head coach. Golden’s role was crucial in landing Bol.

“There are a lot of things that I liked about (Golden),” Bol said, according to 247Sports. I like the way that he talks and I really like the way that he coaches. I was there for a couple of practices and he’s out there with the guys and active. He’s not just on the bench shouting out what to do. He’s also showing them what to do and how to do it.”

Landing Bol boosted Florida up to No. 11 overall on 247Sports’ team rankings. The only other player committed to Florida is Orland Christian Prep shooting guard Isaiah Brown.

With his height, Bol will obviously serve as a rim protector for Florida. He can finish at the rim well, but he’ll need to add some weight to his long frame if the goal is to dominate the SEC and make it to the NBA.

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A top 2024 Michigan basketball target set to make college decision on Saturday

Let’s get him!

The situation was looking bad for Michigan basketball.

Not only did the Wolverines lose their top three scorers from a season ago, but the maize and blue also lost their biggest transfer acquisition, Caleb Love, a few weeks ago after there was an issue with admissions. To top it off, it sounded as if the Wolverines were going to miss on Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua when he reportedly eliminated Michigan from contention.

But the Wolverines ended up landing the Finland native in shocking fashion when Nkamhoua announced his commitment to Michigan as a graduate transfer.

Could more good basketball news be on the way for the maize and blue this weekend?

On3’s Joe Tipton reported on Thursday that top Michigan target, John Bol plans to announce his college decision at noon ET on Saturday.

Bol has been considering Wake Forest, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Texas, UConn, USC and the G League. He has visited three schools in person: Michigan, Missouri and Florida for visits.

The 7-foot-2 center is listed as the 23rd-ranked player in the country according to 247Sports composite. He is a high four-star recruit and the third-best center in the 2024 cycle.

Michigan has two point guards committed in the 2024 class, so Bol would be a big get for Howard and Michigan.

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Florida basketball makes latest cut for towering 5-star prospect

The Gators are among the contenders for this blue-chip 7-foot-2-inch center.

One of the top centers in the 2024 college basketball recruiting cycle released his list of seven schools and one development league on Friday via On3’s Joe Tipton. Five-star prospect [autotag]John Bol[/autotag] out of Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian included the Florida Gators among his preferred destinations.

Other institutions the 7-foot-2-inch, 190-pound paint player included on his list were the Michigan Wolverines, Missouri Tigers, Texas Longhorns, UConn Huskies, USC Trojans, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, as well as the Overtime Elite league (OTE).

The rising high school senior has also received offers from the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Georgia Bulldogs, TCU Horned Frogs, Auburn Tigers, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Clemson Tigers, and many others.

Bol opened up to Tipton, offering the following on what he is looking for in his next step on the basketball court.

“I’ll look for a program that actually wants me,” he said. “Not as just a big, but a school that actually sees me and sees my potential and how much I can grow in this game. I can do more than just screen and run the floor, both of which I’m really good at, but I also want to play for a coach who sees the best for me. I want to keep growing and keep getting better.

“The culture of the team is something I will look at too. The team being together as a family. Sometimes, it can be hard for you as a player, like something happens at home, and you need a teammate or somebody there for you.”

Bol is rated at five stars and ranked No. 22 overall and No. 4 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking rates him at four stars and has him at Nos. 24 and 2, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has

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Michigan basketball makes top eight for 5-star 2024 center

This is a dude Michigan needs!

Michigan basketball lost quite a bit from its 2022-2023 basketball team. The Wolverines lost Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard to the NBA draft, lost Hunter Dickinson to Kansas, and Gregg Glenn and Isaiah Barnes were lost to the transfer portal.

The maize and blue have brought in three players so far via the portal for the 2023-2024 season, and George Washington is the lone commit for the ’23 class.

Michigan is going to need to get some players during the 2024 cycle and on Friday, the Wolverines received good news. They made the final eight schools for 7-foot-2, five-star center John Bol.

Bol named Michigan a finalist along with Wake Forest, Florida, Missouri, Texas, UConn, USC and Overtime Elite.

According to 247Sports composite, Bol is the 22nd-ranked prospect in the country and the fourth-ranked center. Bol is playing his high school ball at Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian.

After Bol took an official visit to Michigan, he spoke with On3 about the connection he had with Juwan Howard and the school.

“When I went to Michigan, I would say the whole coaching staff stood out to me. They took the time to get to know me and my whole family. I talk to them all on like a weekly basis.

“The team, too. The culture of the team, how they practice, and everything they do as a team stood out. They are all there as a family if one person is down, everyone is there to pick him up. That’s something that is rare for a team. Michigan itself is a big school with a lot of kids and a lot to do. And it is a good school too. It was all good in Michigan.”

Michigan has one prospect committed for the 2024 class: four-star point guard Christian Anderson.

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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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