College basketball's regular signing period began yesterday, and with only a handful of players still undecided, the 2020 recruiting class has begun to take shape.
By the numbers: The chart above specifically captures the 119 four- and five-star recruits, per 247 Sports.
- 40 players come from four states: California (14), Georgia (11), Virginia (8), Florida (7).
- 39 locations represented: 34 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand.
- 57 schools: The 119 recruits have committed to 57 different schools, while five players are hoping to jump straight to the NBA and six remain undecided.
- 7 schools: There were seven schools who ended the 2019-20 season in the AP Top 25 but failed to land a single four- or five-star recruit (Dayton, San Diego State, Villanova, Seton Hall, BYU, Butler and Iowa).
Highlights:
- Top 10 recruits: 1. Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State), 2. Evan Mobley (USC), 3. Jalen Green (undecided), 4. Terrence Clarke (Kentucky), 5. Ziaire Williams (Stanford), 6. Scottie Barnes (FSU), 7. B.J. Boston (Kentucky), 8. Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga), 8. Greg Brown (undecided), 10. Joshua Christopher (Arizona State).
- Top 10 classes: Kentucky and Duke lead the way with six four- and five-star recruits each, while North Carolina, Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, NC State, Oklahoma State and Gonzaga round out the top 10.
The backdrop: College basketball used to be a place where teenage superstars introduced themselves to the world and first became household names.
- But in an era where star athletes have already built "brands" by the time they graduate high school — and with the one-and-done rule expected to be reversed by 2022 — the role of college hoops is in flux.
- For some top-tier talent, like No. 10 prospect Christopher, college is merely a mandated pit stop en route to the NBA.
What they're saying: Here's Josh's father, Laron Christopher, speaking with The Athletic (subscription):
"I asked every college that we've spoken to, 'OK, you guys have a platform. We have a brand.' I told them, 'We're not going to stay [in college] forever, so we want to know how you're gonna roll this out. How can we use your platform to increase our brand, as well as your brand? Both are important. They're important to you, they're important to us.'"
P.S. ... This recruiting class is chock full of NBA legacies, with Jamal Mashburn Jr., Kenyon Martin Jr., Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Shareef's son), Makur Maker (Thon's brother) and Marcus Bagley (Marvin's brother) all among the top 100.
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