Friar Basketball

Recruiting Rankings: August 24

Blackwellaugust24

It’s time for a bit of a refresh in the rankings, as a number of 2015 prospects have committed since our last rankings, including Alex Owens and Donovan Mitchell. The Friars desperately need to add guards for 2015, with the makings of a strong class including Owens and Ryan Fazekas already in place.

Kevin Farrahar’s Recruiting Rankings for August 24:

1. Justin Robinson, Manassas, VA, 6’1 PG, class of 2015The Friars are scheduled to host Robinson in September and are one of a handful of schools he’s reportedly still considering. Providence needs 2015 help at both guard positions, and Robinson is one of the top remaining lead guards on the board.

2. Jordy Tshimanga, MacDuffie School, 6’10 C, class of 2016: Can the Canadian big man be the next punishing big to join Ed Cooley’s stable? This is a wide-bodied center (260 pounds) with a growing reputation. 

3. Braxton Blackwell, Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN), 6’6 SF, class of 2016: Blackwell is now up to 20+ offers, with the latest coming from Ohio State. This will be a very tough get.

4. Jermaine Samuels, Rivers School (MA), 6’5 SF, class of 2017: Samuels is the best underclassman in New England from this writer’s perspective. It’s too early in his recruitment to see where it will trend, but I’m expecting a monster sophomore year out of the Massachusetts wing.

5. AJ Turner, New Hampton Prep, 6’7 SF, class of 2015: The Michigan native helped his stock after prepping in New Hampton last season following a down summer in 2013. He’s quietly been one of the better shooting guard/small forward prospects in New England, as evidenced by a recent offer from Michigan State.

6. Jared Wilson-Frame, Believe Prep, 6’4 SG, class of 2015: Very interested to see where Wilson-Frame’s recruitment goes from here. Rodney Bullock was one of a few rising seniors at PC’s Elite Camp two years ago, and Wilson-Frame was at the camp this past year. New highlights:

7. Kimani Lawrence, Cushing Academy (MA), 6’6 SF, class of 2017: After seeing consistent minutes at Cushing as a freshman, the Providence native figures to be one of the go-to players after the departures of Kaleb Joseph (Syracuse) and Jalen Adams (transfer to Brewster Academy). Smooth small forward.

8. Tremont Waters, South Kent, 5’9 PG class of 2017: It’s very early for Waters, but UConn has shown high interest in the explosive point guard. Loved Waters’ game when I saw him in February, and he was outstanding as a freshman at South Kent, being named honorable mention all NEPSAC at the league’s highest level.

Craig Leighton’s Recruiting Rankings for August 24:

1. Justin Robinson, Manassas, VA, 6’1 PG, class of 2015: PC has made Justin’s Robinson’s final list of schools and he is scheduled to make an official visit to Providence  September 19th- 21st. The biggest competition for Justin is probably going to come from VCU and Maryland. Robinson is currently ranked as the 14th best point guard in the class of 2015 by ESPN and would make a great addition to a future Friar backcourt.

2. Davon Dillard, Bowman Academy (IN), 6’5 SG, class of 2015:  Davon recently broke into the ESPN Top 100 for the class of 2015 coming in at no. 85. He is probably the Friars top wing target right now. A big time athlete, Dillard’s outside shot is still a work in progress. Here are some highlights of Dillard in action:

3. A. J. Turner, New Hampton Prep, 6’7 SG-SF, class of 2015: I am looking for the Friars to get more heavily involved in the recruitment of Turner. He is currently ranked 80th nationally by ESPN in the class of 2015 and is also being recruited by Boston College and Arizona State among others. At 6’7 Turner already has a nice handle and shooting touch and is an adept passer and rebounder from the outside.

4.. Braxton Blackwell, Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN), 6’6 SF, class of 2016: Braxton continues to remain the Friars top target in the class of 2016, but the competition is getting more fierce each and every day. By the time he is ready to decide on a school he may be able to choose just about any program in the country. 

5. Jared Wilson-Frame, Believe Prep, 6’5 SG, class of 2015: Wilson-Frame was one of the few class of 2015 players at the recent PC Elite camp which makes me think that there is still serious interest on both sides. A streaky shooter, Jared did not have his best shooting performance at the camp, but he did show with his size he is a real load for other guards to contend with when he drives to the basket.

6. Jordy Tshimanga, 6’10 C, MacDuffie School, class of 2016:  Along with Alex Owens, Jordy Tshimanga was the talk of the PC Elite camp a couple of weeks ago. At 6’10 and 260 he is already a load underneath and has great athletic ability for someone his size. Jordy is currently ranked as the  57th player nationally by ESPN in the class of 2016.

7. Wenyen Gabriel, 6’7 SF-PF, Wilbraham & Monson, class of 2016: Wenyen makes his first appearance on my Top Eight list after an impressive performance at the PC Elite Camp. He is going to need to put on some weight, but Weyyen has a huge upside and may wind up being one of the top players in the country if he continues to show the improvements that he has shown lately.

8. Jermaine Samuels, Rivers School (MA), 6’6 SF, class of 2017: Jermaine has one of the biggest upsides of anyone in the class of 2017. He is currently ranked 23rd nationally in the class of 2017 by ESPN.

Others to Watch: (not an all inclusive list)

Alex Illikainen, Grand Rapids (MN), 6’9 PF, class of 2015

Tomas Murphy, 6’9 PF, Northfield Mount Hermon, class of 2017

Steven Enoch, Norwalk High School, 6’9 PF, class of 2015

Drew Edwards, 6’3 SG, Calvert Hall (MD), class of 2015

Kimani Lawrence, 6’6 SF, Cushing Academy,  class of 2017

Terrell Brown, 6’8 PF, St Andrew’s (RI), class of 2016

Ernest Aflakpui, 6’9 PF, Archbishop Carroll (PA), class of 2015

Gary Trent Jr, 6’4 SG, Apple Valley (MN), class of 2017

Jeremy Miller, 6’9 PF, New Hampton, class of 2015

Mamadou Diarra, 6’9 PF, Putnam Science Academy, class of 2016

Aaron Falzon, 6’8 PF, Northfield Mount Hermon, class of 2015

Mohammed Bamba, 6’9 PF, Westtwown (PA), class of 2017

Dillon Brooks, 6’7 SF, Findlay Prep, class of 2015
Hamidou Diallo, 6’3 SG, Putnam Science Academy, class of 2017
Arkel Ager, 6’5 SG-SF, St. Thomas Moore Academy, class of 2016
Jerome Desrosiers, 6’6 SF, Northfield Mount Hermon, class pf 2017
Kentrell Barkley, 6’5 SF, Northern Durham High School (NC), class of 2015
Simon Wright, 6’5 SF, Hopkins (MN) class of 2017
Trevor Manuel, 6’9 PF, Oak Hill Academy, class of 2015

 

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