Tag: JT Thor

Wes Flanigan on Auburn’s recruiting: ‘We keep the families close’

Auburn assistant coach Wes Flanigan talks recruiting, winning and coaching his son.

Auburn assistant coach Wes Flanigan recently caught up with Jake Crain of The Jboy Show. The two talk about everything from recruiting to the future stars of Auburn hoops.

Recruiting:

Recruiting has skyrocketed after Auburn’s historic run to the Final Four in 2019. Auburn’s 2020 class is currently ranked ninth nationally on 247Sports. They bring in 5-star PG Sharife Cooper, 4-star PF JT Thor, 3-star PF Chris Moore, 3-star SG Justin Powell, and 3-star C Dylan Cardwell.

What’s Auburn’s biggest secret to success? According to Coach Flanigan:

“A lot of it is based on winning. When you start winning you create this fanbase, and our fanbase is unbelievable. I feel like we’ve got the best home court advantage in the SEC and one of the best in the country.”

Family is also important when it comes to Auburn’s style of recruiting. “We keep the families close. Our families are a part of our team, we don’t push those families back we urge them to continue to support their kids.” Flanigan continues to describe how Coach Pearl built Auburn basketball on the foundation of family. Bruce Pearl’s son Steven has coached alongside his father for six years now and was promoted to assistant coach in 2017. Flanigan’s son Allen had a successful freshman season appearing in all 31 games and finished as the Tigers’ third-best rebounding guard.

On coaching his son:

Flanigan never imagined that he and his son would be at Auburn at the same time, but it feels like a dream come true for the assistant coach.

Coaching your son’s basketball team isn’t always easy. Flanigan describes the experience to be, “like a roller coaster,” citing the he and his son’s different emotions as well as the ups and downs that come with coaching. Now that he coaches his son he feels an additional level of anxiety that didn’t exist before. “I want him to do so well a lot of times so that adds a little anxiety and pressure to me.”

On the 2018-2019 season:

Against Georgia: Flanigan realized a major turning point in the season as Auburn faced Georgia on the road after a brutal loss to Ole Miss. Georgia didn’t have a great RPI and the Tigers knew that another humiliating loss would damage their tournament hopes. The game came down to a three from Chuma Okeke. Flanigan said that was Chuma’s, “I’m ready, now I’ve arrived” moment.

Skip to 2:30 for that Okeke three:

Against Kansas: “When I watched us play the way we played against Kansas, that was the first time I felt really, really good about us getting to the Final Four.”

Against North Carolina: “When we played North Carolina I felt like there was no way we was losing to them.”

Which Auburn players we should start buying stock in:

“As a dad, Allen Flanigan,” Wes laughs. (he’s not joking, buy stock now).

Tyrell Jones, Babatunde (Flanigan cites his impressive work ethic), Jaylin Williams-all highly recruited (buy stock now).

“The thing we’ll miss that we’ve had the last few years is the level of experience, but the talent is there.” Flanigan says there are a lot of (Auburn basketball 2020-2021, these boys are going to be fun to watch just buy stock now).

The entire interview is great, listen here.

Top high schoolers who may reclassify, eventually enter 2021 NBA Draft

Many believe the NBA Draft will feature a stronger prospect pool in 2021 than what the 2020 class will offer. But it may get even deeper.

Many believe the NBA Draft will feature a stronger prospect pool in 2021 than what the 2020 class will offer. But it may get even deeper.

Our mock draft for 2021 featured blurbs on several high school juniors who have already reclassified to forego their senior seasons, including Terrence Clarke (Kentucky), Devin Askew (Kentucky) and JT Thor (uncommitted). Another high school junior who narrowly missed the cut was Cam Hayes, who committed to North Carolina State.

However, we believe that the topic of reclassification will become even more pressing in the coming few weeks and months. Perhaps one reason why high school juniors may want to join a class that is already loaded is the following year could become even more crowded.

It is fairly well known that the NBA may allow high school seniors to enter the draft in 2022 for the first time since Amir Johnson was selected in 2005. That means that the draft class will feature all of the usual college prospects as well as an influx of high school talent as well.

There would be an incentive, then, for top high school juniors to find a way to separate themselves by potentially showcasing what they are capable of when playing against NCAA talent. Scouts and executives are more familiar with evaluating college basketball players than high schoolers.

As such, here is what you need to know about the high school stars that are most rumored to join the ranks of the Class of 2020 and then potentially be eligible to be selected in the 2021 NBA Draft.

JONATHAN KUMINGA

Forward, 6-foot-8, The Patrick School (New Jersey)

Background: Jonathan Kuminga is considered, nearly unanimously, the best high school junior in the country. He averaged 20.8 points per game on the Nike EYBL Division B circuit in 2019, showing his prolific scoring ability. Kuminga also had the second-most points per game (27.4) among all players in the Peach Jam Tournament last year. As recently noted by SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell, the forward could be a top-five pick in the 2021 NBA Draft if he chooses to reclassify. He will participate at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp during All-Star Weekend in Chicago.

NCAA: Back in October, the top prospect announced that he was not going to reclassify. However, that has not quieted any of the speculations that he will forego his senior season and play college basketball next season. He narrowed his collegiate decision to ten schools in November 2019. Kuminga also had an official visit from Kentucky head coach John Calipari in January. Corey Evans of Rivals believes Duke could add Kuminga via reclassification to their Class of 2020. Evans has called his recruitment “fluid” so though the talk of him reclassifying was once silenced, it could easily change.

Mousse Cisse | Moussa Diabete | Franck Kepnang | Charles Bediako | Zion Harmon | William Jeffress |

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2021 NBA Mock Draft: Introducing high school, international prospects

With the NBA trade deadline approaching, there may be some swaps of picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, which is considered to be a strong class.

With the NBA trade deadline approaching, there may be some swaps of picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, which is considered to be a strong class.

Now that the rosters for the McDonald’s All-American Game have been announced and the Hoophall Classic is complete, top prospects are emerging as future stars in the league.

This list does not include any of the top international prospects who will likely be selected in 2020 like Killian Hayes and Theo Maledon. It also does not mention any of the top returning players in the nation as it will be unclear who will opt to play in the NBA and it is still tough to predict at this point.

Instead, it offers an introduction to the current high school seniors and the international

Picks: 1 – 5 | Picks: 6 – 10 | Picks: 11 – 15 | Picks: 16 – 20 | Picks: 21 – 30 | Picks: 31 – 50 |

All statistics are updated through February 3, 2020 and are pulled from D1Circuit.com, MaxPreps and RealGM unless stated otherwise.

1. Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State (Committed) 

Catalina Fragoso-USA TODAY Sports

Guard, 6-foot-7, 18 years old, Montverde Academy (Florida)

Cade Cunningham is currently the anchor for Montverde Academy, which is being called the best high school team of all-time. They are currently ranked as the top school in the nation. The point forward is so good that an NBA scout recently told Yahoo’s Krysten Peek he would likely be the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft if he were eligible. That indicates he might already be the best player who is not currently in the league. For proof: Cunningham averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 assists per 36 minutes at the U19 World Cup, trailing just one player for total assists (40) during the tournament. With his size and his playmaking ability, he is already showing flashes of becoming a future franchise cornerstone.

2. Jalen Green, Uncommitted 

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Guard, 6-foot-5, 17 years old, Prolific Prep (California)

Jalen Green is an incredibly explosive athlete who has improved as a shooter over the past few years as well. The scorer has become a more consistent and reliable option on the floor, offering an attacking mentality that will continue to develop as his competition continues. One of his crowning achievements thus far: He took home tournament MVP during the U17 World Cup in 2018, leading the United States to the gold medal behind 15.7 points per game. He averaged 7.7 three-pointers per 40 minutes during this competition, showing he is a fearless shooter. His natural stroke from the free-throw line shows that his three-point percentage will likely increase within time, too.

3. Evan Mobley, USC (Committed) 

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Big, 7-foot-0, 18 years old, Rancho Christian (California)

Evan Mobley was 2019’s Gatorade Player of the Year in California and came into the summer as the highest-rated player on RSCI, which compiles all of the rankings on recruiting sites like 247 Sports and Rivals. The versatile big brags a 7-foot-5 wingspan with a 40-inch vertical leap, a rare measurement combination. He has recently been listed as a small forward, however, which Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo says “points to the dissonance” between his current identity and the best eventual fit in the NBA for someone his size. Still, there is arguably more to like about Mobley’s potential than that of 2020 projected lottery big man James Wiseman.

4. Scottie Barnes, Florida State (Committed) 

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Forward, 6-foot-8, 18 years old, Montverde Academy (Florida)

Scottie Barnes currently plays alongside Cunningham at Montverde Academy and has a lot to offer as he continues to develop. He is a stat-sheet stuffer capable of putting up impressive lines for points and rebounds as well as assists. Like Cunningham, he has a point-forward mentality which is elevated by the fact that he is also measured with an incredible 9-foot-1 standing reach. Barnes can be a plug-and-play option for almost any team on both offense and defense in the NCAA and eventually in the NBA. That was an especially attractive trait for him for Team USA in the U19 World Cup, where he was a strong facilitator from the elbow. He assisted on 16.8 percent of scores for his team when he was on the floor despite never acting as his offense’s primary playmaker.

5. Ziaire Williams, Uncommitted

(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Wing, 6-foot-8, 18 years old, Sierra Canyon (California)

Ziaire Williams is currently playing high school basketball at the high-profile Sierra Canyon. While he had to sit out the first few months of his senior year because of transfer rules, he has been a force to be reckoned with already. But that was no surprise for those who have followed the prospect. Williams led his AAU team (which also briefly included the aforementioned 2021 projected lottery pick Jalen Green) in points as well as rebounds and assists per game on the U17 circuit. The prospect has shown he is an above-average finisher near the rim, which will be important as he continues his growth. The Stepien’s Ross Homan also believes Williams can become the best shooter in this class. It will be fascinating to monitor his collegiate decision as he is the highest-rated recruit without an NCAA commitment yet.

Picks: 6 – 10 | Picks: 11 – 15 | Picks: 16 – 20 | Picks: 21 – 30 | Picks: 31 – 50

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