Tag: Kwame Evans

5-star Mookie Cook sets announcement date; Ducks back in the driver’s seat

5-star Mookie Cook is set to make an “announcement” later this week. Will it be that he’s coming back to the Oregon Ducks?

At one point earlier in the summer, it looked like Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks fumbled what was one of the biggest recruiting wins the program had seen in a long time.

5-star SF Mookie Cook, the No. 4 player in the 2023 class, announced his de-commitment from the Ducks, and plummeted Oregon’s recruiting ranking.

However, the tides have since turned. 5-star PF Kwame Evans committed to the Ducks last week, and Cook has since received more predictions on 247Sports to come back to Eugene and join Altman’s squad. On Tuesday, Cook pointed to the fact that he will be making an announcement this coming Friday.

Will Cook announce that he is coming back to Oregon? Everything seems to be pointing in that direction. We’ll have to wait and find out.

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Mookie Cook’s Recruiting Profile

Kwame Evans, the No. 2-ranked senior in …

Kwame Evans, the No. 2-ranked senior in the country, told ESPN he has committed to Oregon. Evans chose the Ducks over a final list that also included Arizona, Auburn and Kentucky. He also took an official visit to UCF in late July, but his recruitment was long considered a battle between Oregon and Arizona. Dana Altman made Evans a priority during the July evaluation period and was a staple at his games all month. “I chose Oregon because I feel like it fits me the best and gives me the best chance to go to the NBA,” Evans said. “It felt like family since day one.”

Oregon’s place in national recruiting rankings after 5-star Kwame Evans’ commitment

Oregon ranked in the 30’s nationally before the addition of 5-star Kwame Evans. It’s safe to say that ranking has changed drastically now.

It was a great day for Dana Altman following a tough month of July.

After both 5-star PG Dior Johnson and 5-star SF Mookie Cook decommitted from the Oregon Ducks over a month ago, Altman turned things around and picked up a commitment from 5-star PF Kwame Evans, the No. 2 ranked player in the 2023 class, per ESPN.

Evans, who is among the highest-rated players to ever commit to the Ducks, will now headline Oregon’s class and potentially bring other talented players with him. Over the weekend, Cook picked up a couple of predictions to commit to the Ducks once again, where he would now join his good friend Evans.

So where do the Ducks now rank in the 2023 national recruiting rankings following the addition of Evans? Here’s a look:

BREAKING: 5-star PF Kwame Evans commits to the Ducks

Massive pickup for Dana Altman and the Ducks. 5-star PF Kwame Evans is coming to Oregon, and he may bring another 5-star player with him.

The signs started pointing towards this a couple of days ago, but the final announcement was still just as sweet as if it had come out of the blue.

5-star power forward Kwame Evans, the No. 7 overall player in the 2023 class, announced his commitment to the Oregon Ducks on Tuesday. He was favored to choose the Ducks a couple of months ago, but after his good friend Mookie Cook — another 5-star — de-committed from the program in June, Evans was said to be an Arizona Wildcats lean.

In the end, though, Evans ended up siding with Dana Altman and the Ducks, which bodes well for Oregon’s chances to get Cook back into the fold as well. Both players picked up Crystal Ball predictions to choose Oregon over the weekend, and with Evans now verbally committed, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cook follow suit soon.

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Kwame Evans Recruiting Profile

Dana Altman’s Ducks see massive recruiting turnaround with 5-star predictions

Dana Altman had some tough recruiting losses earlier this spring. That seems to have quickly turned around with a pair of 5-star players projected to pick the Ducks.

A month ago, the state of the Oregon Ducks basketball recruiting world was struggling. In a matter of weeks, 5-star PG Dior Johnson and 5-star SF Mookie Cook both announced that they would be de-committing from the program and looking to play elsewhere.

READ: Ducks favored to land elite 5-star SF following de-commitment

With that news, both Oregon’s 2022 and 2023 classes tanked in the national rankings, and things did not look very promising.

However, the past 48 hours have offered a major change in momentum.

In that time, Dana Altman and the Ducks have picked up a number of predictions to land not only 5-star PF Kwame Evans, the No. 7 player in the 2023 class, but they also are now the predicted landing spot for Cook, who opened up his recruitment at the end of June.

Predictions only mean so much in the recruiting world, but with Evans expected to announce his final decision on August 2nd, we will see how much truth there is to this story.

READ: Oregon is now massive favorite to land 5-star PF Kwame Evans

If Evans does end up committing to the Ducks on Tuesday, then Oregon fans should feel good about the prospect of getting Cook back as well. After Cook originally committed to the Ducks, he openly recruited Evans to Eugene as well, who he had already had a previous friendship with.

Does this mean that both players are back in the fold? Should Evans commit, how quickly will Cook follow suit? That’s all yet to be seen, but Duck fans should love to hear this news to start the month of August.

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Oregon is now massive favorite to land 5-star PF Kwame Evans; commitment coming August 2

5-star PF Kwame Evans is scheduled to announce his commitment on Tuesday. The Ducks are now the heavy favorite to get him.

Things in the college basketball recruiting world happen quickly.

It was just over a month ago that the Oregon Ducks’ No. 2 ranked recruiting class suffered a gut punch after 5-star SF Mookie Cook, the No. 4 ranked player in the 2023 class, announced his de-commitment from the Ducks.

Now, in the past 24 hours, not only have the Ducks picked up several predictions for Cook to choose Oregon once again, but they are also the overwhelming favorites to land 5-star PF Kwame Evans, the No. 7 ranked player in the class.

According to three analysts on 247Sports, plus one analyst from On3, Evans is overwhelmingly predicted to commit to the Ducks for his college ball. Anyone who followed the Mookie Cook recruitment shouldn’t see this as a surprise if we are to believe that Cook is going to come back to Oregon as well. After he originally committed to the Ducks, he was openly recruiting his good friend and former teammate to come play with him in Eugene.

So could we see the two pair up a year from now? It’s seeming incredibly likely. Evans has set a commitment date for August 2nd, so we will find out soon.

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Kwame Evans Recruiting Profile

Ducks back in the running to land elite 5-star SF following de-commitment

Just over a month ago, 5-star SF Mookie Cook de-committed from Oregon. He’s now being predicted to land with the Ducks once again.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball program took a huge hit earlier this summer when 5-star small forward Mookie Cook — who had previously committed to Dana Altman’s team — announced that he would open up his recruitment and look at other schools once again.

What was a No. 2 ranked Oregon 2023 recruiting class tanked instantly. 

However, there has been some movement on that front. According to 247Sports, Cook picked up a Crystal Ball prediction that once again has the Ducks as the landing spot for the 5-star player who ranks as the No. 4 play in the 2023 class. The prediction came from Travis Branham, a National Basketball Analyst from 247Sports.

Branham also put in a prediction for Oregon to land 5-star PF Kwame Evans on the same day.

Does this mean that Altman was able to turn things around and convince this elite talent to reconsider the Ducks after losing him? It may be too early to tell, but it’s certainly a major development after a tough recruiting stretch for Oregon.

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Mookie Cook’s Recruiting Profile