In the 2020 men’s basketball recruiting cycle, Shaka Smart earned only one commitment. That came from the number four power forward in the country Greg Brown II. Brown’s recruitment came down to signing with Texas or making the jump to the NBA’s G League. It is well known that his freshman season with the Longhorns will be his only as he will make the jump to the NBA.
As for the 2021 class, the Longhorns have already found a potential replacement for Brown at the power forward position. Keeyan Itejere of Grace Christian in Raleigh, North Carolina has already committed to the Longhorns. The Longhorns are also on the shortened list for two of the top centers in the 2021 class.
The number five center in the country, Daimion Collons of Atlanta, Texas has named the Longhorns among his top ten schools. According to crystal ball predictions on 247Sports, Collins is 100% to Texas based off of three predictions submitted.
🙏🏽💙 pic.twitter.com/kVRDj0wJHQ
— Daimion Collins (@CollinsDaimion) July 3, 2020
His top ten schools:
- Texas
- Houston
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Alabama
- LSU
- Texas Tech
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma State
- Baylor
The second top 10 announcement came from Canada’s Charles Bediako. He is the number one rated player from Ontario, Canada and number three center in the entire class. Bediako stands at 6’11” and 215 pounds. His crystal ball is a little less clear cut as there are two predictions. One is for Alabama and one is undecided.
Thank you to all the coaches that have recruited me, but these will be the top ten I’ll be focusing on. Top 🔟‼️🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/1lCmaaZhWz
— Charles A. Bediako (@CBediako) July 3, 2020
Bediako’s top 10:
- Memphis
- Alabama
- Texas
- Baylor
- Maryland
- Duke
- Tennessee
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Southern California
If Shaka Smart can land either of these two centers, it would be a major win for Texas men’s basketball. The Longhorns are looking to get back to the top of the Big 12 and they will likely need a dominant big man to help them get there.