As summer comes to an end seniors across the country will be preparing themselves for a school year that will be filled with college applications, personal statements, and the stress of waiting to hear back from their dream school. For many of the ESPN Top 100 this is not the case as Division I schools have been lining up since freshman year to recruit them. With a long list of offers, these players are in no rush to commit to a school and have the luxury of taking their time to consider who their teammates will be, who will be in a position to compete for a championship, and which team will give them the best opportunity to go to the NBA. Today we’ll take a closer look at the players from the top 10 who have yet to make their commitment and see what schools may be the favorites to win their services.
(1) Harry Giles Winston-Salem, NC; Oak Hill Academy
Harry Giles is a 6’9, 230 pound power forward who just recently transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season. He’s blessed with outstanding athleticism, can run the floor, and the big man’s skill set is constantly expanding as he faces even steeper competition. Giles has received a long list of offers from schools such as Kentucky, Wake Forest, and North Carolina but experts agree that Duke is the favorite to land the number one ranked prospect after his close friend Jayson Tatum, ranked second in the ESPN Top 100, committed to Duke earlier this year.
(3) Josh Jackson Southfield, MI; Prolific Academy
Josh Jackson is a 6’7, 195 pound small forward who has been tearing it up this summer at top high school basketball events such as the Under Armour Elite 24 in which he not only performed well in the game but also won the dunk contest. He has received offers from top programs such as Michigan State, Maryland, Duke, Kentucky, and many more but it seems as if the favorites to land his services have become Arizona and Kansas. If Harry Giles commits to Duke as many experts assume he will, then it wouldn’t make sense for Jackson to go to a program such as Duke that already has the top two ranked players and it would be in his best interest to go to a school where he can showcase his abilities as the main option.
(4) Dennis Smith Jr. Fayetteville, NC; Trinity Christian School
Dennis Smith Jr., the top ranked point guard in the class of 2016, is 6’2 and 190 pounds. He’s lightning quick, can score from anywhere on the court, and is absolutely dangerous on the fast break. Unfortunately a couple of weeks ago Smith Jr. tore his ACL at Adidas Nations and as a result will miss the next 6-9 months recovering. Luckily for him it hasn’t effected interest from elite teams as a long list of programs are still strongly recruiting him. The list includes your usual contenders such as Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky but rumors have been circulating that he and Bam Adebayo could team up and join NC State. There’s a lot of credibility to those rumors as NC State is in his local state of North Carolina and players tend to jump on the opportunity to stay close to their family and represent their home state.
(5) Malik Monk Bentonville, AR; Bentonville High School
Malik Monk is a 6’3, 185 pound shooting guard who just recently cut his list down to six teams, which includes Oregon, Arkansas, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Florida State. Experts say Kentucky and Arkansas are heavy favorites as Kentucky’s reputation speaks for itself and Arkansas is his hometown team. Last year, Arkansas’s entire basketball team was seen attending one of Monk’s high school games which is a smart recruiting move that may put them over the top.
(6) Bam Adebayo High Point, NC; High Point Christian Academy
The 6’8, 235 pound power forward has received multiple offers but it seems destined that the athletic big is going to stay in North Carolina. As mentioned before, there have been whispers that he could be teaming up with his friend Dennis Smith Jr. and creating a dynamic duo down at NC State. That would definitely be a force to be reckoned with!
(7) De’Aaron Fox Katy, TX; Cypress Lakes High School
De’Aaron Fox is the second ranked point guard in the class of 2016 and has been treated as such by colleges as Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina and several more have been recruiting him heavily. It appears though his decision may be closer than it seems as Kentucky is seen as the clear favorite to land his services and there will be an opening at point guard if Isaiah Briscoe leaves only stays for one year, as many believe he’ll move on to the NBA.
(8) Miles Bridges SF Flint, MI; Huntington Prep
Last but not least, Miles Bridge is the last of the Top 10 not to commit as 9th ranked Jonathan Isaac and 10th ranked Terrance Ferguson have both announced their commitments earlier this year. Bridges is a 6’6, 225 pound small forward out of Florida and has offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, and North Carolina but like so many of the players we’ve discussed previously Kentucky appears to be the favorite. Miles Bridges is extremely talented and would bolster what we believe is going to be another deep Kentucky roster.
School doors will be opening around the country in less than a week and basketball season will soon be upon us. As the weeks go by commitments will be announced and the dominos will fall in place as one top recruit’s decision could affect another player’s situation. If you’re a fan of high school basketball it’s going to be an exciting next couple of months and Def Pen will have you covered when every commitment breaks!
