2023 Men's Basketball Recruiting

[sagegrouse]

Some familiar names will appear on this list for those that know their basketball history.

1. DJ Wagner, 6'3" PG, Camden, NJ
2. Jalen Lewis, 6'8" C, Oakland, CA
3. Mikey Williams, 6'1" SG, San Ysidro, CA
4. Omaha Bielew, 6'7" PF, Phoenix, AZ
5. Mookie Cook, 6'5" SF, Portland, OR
6. Baye Fall, 6'11" PF, Denver, CO
7. Kwame Evans, 6'6" SF, Baltimore, MD
8. Simeon Wicher, 6'3" SG, Roselle, NJ
9. Matt Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
10. Tyler Smith, 6'7" SF, Houston, TX
11. Akil Watson, 6'7" PF, Ramsey, NJ
12. Ron Holland, 6'6" SF, Duncanville, TX
13. Chris Lockett, 6'3" SF, New Orleans, LA
14. Ryan Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
15. Isaiah Collier, 6'2" PG, Marietta, GA
16. Kanaan Carlyle, 6'2" PG, Milton, GA
17. Curtis Williams, 6'5" SF, Birmingham, MI
18.Sam Walters, 6'7" PF, The Villages, FL
19. Mackenzie Mgbako, 6'7" PF, Gladstone, NJ
20. Javonte Taylor, 6'7" SF, Chicago, IL
21. Jordan Butler, 6'9" C, Mauldin, SC
22. Rayvon Griffith, 6'4" SG, Cincinnati, OH
23. Cameron Barnes, 6'10" C, Duncanville, TX
24. Bronny James, 6'2" PG, Los Angeles, CA
25. Jared McCain, 5'11" PG, Corona, CA

Well, I have mixed emotions about "Cameron Barnes." I see a few familiar surnames -- Baye Fall -- and, of course, LeBron the Younger.

[jimsumner]

Some familiar names will appear on this list for those that know their basketball history.

1. DJ Wagner, 6'3" PG, Camden, NJ
2. Jalen Lewis, 6'8" C, Oakland, CA
3. Mikey Williams, 6'1" SG, San Ysidro, CA
4. Omaha Bielew, 6'7" PF, Phoenix, AZ
5. Mookie Cook, 6'5" SF, Portland, OR
6. Baye Fall, 6'11" PF, Denver, CO
7. Kwame Evans, 6'6" SF, Baltimore, MD
8. Simeon Wicher, 6'3" SG, Roselle, NJ
9. Matt Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
10. Tyler Smith, 6'7" SF, Houston, TX
11. Akil Watson, 6'7" PF, Ramsey, NJ
12. Ron Holland, 6'6" SF, Duncanville, TX
13. Chris Lockett, 6'3" SF, New Orleans, LA
14. Ryan Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
15. Isaiah Collier, 6'2" PG, Marietta, GA
16. Kanaan Carlyle, 6'2" PG, Milton, GA
17. Curtis Williams, 6'5" SF, Birmingham, MI
18.Sam Walters, 6'7" PF, The Villages, FL
19. Mackenzie Mgbako, 6'7" PF, Gladstone, NJ
20. Javonte Taylor, 6'7" SF, Chicago, IL
21. Jordan Butler, 6'9" C, Mauldin, SC
22. Rayvon Griffith, 6'4" SG, Cincinnati, OH
23. Cameron Barnes, 6'10" C, Duncanville, TX
24. Bronny James, 6'2" PG, Los Angeles, CA
25. Jared McCain, 5'11" PG, Corona, CA

I assume D.J. Wagner is related to Milt Wagner, of '86 Louisville fame.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Dajuan "DJ" Wagner, Jr. is indeed the grandson of Milt Wagner and son of Dajuan Wagner. He has the chance to become the first third generation player in NBA history.

Also of note in this class if Mikey Williams. Like Zion before him, Mikey is the next "social media star" with a huge following. Unlike Zion, Williams is more traditional in his physique as a blossoming guard prospect.

From Florida, Matthew and Ryan Bewley are the next set of basketball twins to grace the Top 25, joining the Lopez, Harrison, and Wear twins before them.

And then, of course, there is Bronny James.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Interesting new recruiting tactic from Duke

[JasonEvans]

Duke has reached out to 2023 5-star PG Rob Dillingham: https://twitter.com/jakeweingarten/s...89123072790533

Here is a somewhat ridiculous mix-tape of his shiftiness and dribbling/shooting skills: https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1392531272044531716

[cbolden1]

The OAD rule isn't going away anytime soon. Logically the GMs don't want to scout high school kids and have to draft them and NBA players aren't giving something up to get it to go away. With the Gleague and other pathways opening up the OAD rule will be here for a while

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Duke has reached out to 2023 5-star PG Rob Dillingham: https://twitter.com/jakeweingarten/s...89123072790533

Here is a somewhat ridiculous mix-tape of his shiftiness and dribbling/shooting skills: https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1392531272044531716

He goes to a school called "Combine Academy" in the Charlotte area - their mascot is the Goats. Looking at their web site, they are affiliated with New Balance and their "Executive Director of High School Basketball" is the one and only Jeff "Have you driven a Ford lately" McInnis.

https://www.combineacademy.com/

[DavidBenAkiva]

The OAD rule isn't going away anytime soon. Logically the GMs don't want to scout high school kids and have to draft them and NBA players aren't giving something up to get it to go away. With the Gleague and other pathways opening up the OAD rule will be here for a while

The NBA has been and continues to scout high school recruits, for what it's worth. The NBA is allowing NBA scouts to be in person at Peach Jam and Nike's EYBL events this July.

https://twitter.com/JeremyWoo/status...70566959501313

[sagegrouse]

The OAD rule isn't going away anytime soon. Logically the GMs don't want to scout high school kids and have to draft them and NBA players aren't giving something up to get it to go away. With the Gleague and other pathways opening up the OAD rule will be here for a while

It seems the whole basketball world is headed toward "one-and-done." The NBA-ready players will stop off for a season in college or an alternative league. Those far from NBA ready will go to Div II or the lesser Div I schools and transfer to a Power Six program if they show a lot of ability. (And if they are really good, they can be OAD times two.)

Gee, I wonder why Roy and K decided to retire?

[budwom]

The OAD rule isn't going away anytime soon. Logically the GMs don't want to scout high school kids and have to draft them and NBA players aren't giving something up to get it to go away. With the Gleague and other pathways opening up the OAD rule will be here for a while

maybe we amend it to One and Elsewhere?

[cbolden1]

The NBA has been and continues to scout high school recruits, for what it's worth. The NBA is allowing NBA scouts to be in person at Peach Jam and Nike's EYBL events this July.

https://twitter.com/JeremyWoo/status...70566959501313

I think this prob has more to do with the League pathway than the OAD rule. I don't think the NBA puts as much money as they are doing for that pathway program if they honestly thought that the OAD would be done with the next CBA which isn't until 2024 (I believe). Things could change and I could be very wrong it just doesn't seem lot me in my opinion from all the breadcrumbs and logic ( neither owners giving up more money or players giving something up like more BRI or changes to the combine rules/draft rules)

[DukieTiger]

Dajuan "DJ" Wagner, Jr. is indeed the grandson of Milt Wagner and son of Dajuan Wagner. He has the chance to become the first third generation player in NBA history.

Also of note in this class if Mikey Williams. Like Zion before him, Mikey is the next "social media star" with a huge following. Unlike Zion, Williams is more traditional in his physique as a blossoming guard prospect.

From Florida, Matthew and Ryan Bewley are the next set of basketball twins to grace the Top 25, joining the Lopez, Harrison, and Wear twins before them.

And then, of course, there is Bronny James.

Also of note about Mikey is that even though he’s from CA, he’s a local prospect who plays HS ball outside of Charlotte.

[gam7]

Also of note about Mikey is that even though he’s from CA, he’s a local prospect who plays HS ball outside of Charlotte.

One other thing of note about Mikey is that he has spoken very positively about the idea of playing at a HBCU (and his mom attended an HBCU - Hampton University).

Also, I'm ready for us to offer Mookie Cook based on name alone. Coco Crisp too!

[bullettoothtony]

Duke has reached out to 2023 5-star PG Rob Dillingham: https://twitter.com/jakeweingarten/s...89123072790533

Here is a somewhat ridiculous mix-tape of his shiftiness and dribbling/shooting skills: https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1392531272044531716

Is he a reclass candidate? Too early to tell?

[DavidBenAkiva]

I think this prob has more to do with the League pathway than the OAD rule. I don't think the NBA puts as much money as they are doing for that pathway program if they honestly thought that the OAD would be done with the next CBA which isn't until 2024 (I believe). Things could change and I could be very wrong it just doesn't seem lot me in my opinion from all the breadcrumbs and logic ( neither owners giving up more money or players giving something up like more BRI or changes to the combine rules/draft rules)

My point is that NBA scouts attending high school events is not a new thing. They have been scouting high school players before and during the one-and-done era. The NBA front offices don't begin their background work on players when they enter college or the G-League or wherever. They have long scouting reports and files on these players. It's the same thing with the Duke coaching staff. They know who a lot of their top targets will be years before they receive an offer. What I was sharing was news in that the NBA stopped sending scouts out to AAU events during COVID. Maybe OAD goes away or maybe it doesn't. In the end, I think it has to do with how the NBA and PA feel about the issue rather than a dollars and cents discussion.

When Adam Silver changed his position a couple of years ago to oppose OAD in favor of the professional route, he mentioned that he was moved by the general push in favor of players' ability to make their own decisions rather than the paternalistic model we have now that arbitrarily decides when a player is ready. If you follow that to its logical conclusion, we might eventually see a push for a system similar to European soccer where clubs sign prospects to academies rather than the current approach which locks players into exclusive contracts with teams. The current system in American sports is very anti-labor until players reach free agency. I wonder if the next crop of NBA owners will see this and move towards a different system for basketball. The G-League ignite is a move in that direction. The Overtime Elite team seems to be designed to be bought out by a professional team at some point. Until then, one-and-done is sort of window dressing. It matters a whole heck of a lot to the college game and the few teams that get one-and-done players. It's kind of beside the point for the people that are making the decisions.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Travis Branham of 247Sports reports that Duke, among many others, has recently contacted 6'2" PG Caleb Foster from Virginia's Oak Hill Academy. Duke has had success with Oak Hill point guards...

[cbolden1]

My point is that NBA scouts attending high school events is not a new thing. They have been scouting high school players before and during the one-and-done era. The NBA front offices don't begin their background work on players when they enter college or the G-League or wherever. They have long scouting reports and files on these players. It's the same thing with the Duke coaching staff. They know who a lot of their top targets will be years before they receive an offer. What I was sharing was news in that the NBA stopped sending scouts out to AAU events during COVID. Maybe OAD goes away or maybe it doesn't. In the end, I think it has to do with how the NBA and PA feel about the issue rather than a dollars and cents discussion.

When Adam Silver changed his position a couple of years ago to oppose OAD in favor of the professional route, he mentioned that he was moved by the general push in favor of players' ability to make their own decisions rather than the paternalistic model we have now that arbitrarily decides when a player is ready. If you follow that to its logical conclusion, we might eventually see a push for a system similar to European soccer where clubs sign prospects to academies rather than the current approach which locks players into exclusive contracts with teams. The current system in American sports is very anti-labor until players reach free agency. I wonder if the next crop of NBA owners will see this and move towards a different system for basketball. The G-League ignite is a move in that direction. The Overtime Elite team seems to be designed to be bought out by a professional team at some point. Until then, one-and-done is sort of window dressing. It matters a whole heck of a lot to the college game and the few teams that get one-and-done players. It's kind of beside the point for the people that are making the decisions.

I think you misunderstood me. I know scouting high school has been a thing for a long time, I said NBA GMs don't like doing it and don't want to have to do it to the point they will have to if they had to draft a bunch of kids out of HS. Having to Scout players in HS got a lot of GMs and Owners in problems in the past thats why the rule got changed to save teams from themselves. While scouting has gotten a lot better since then if Teams don't have to figure out a new way of doing things while having other Orgs doing some of the Development of the players for them they won't have to. I agree the model we have now will be down with at some point it won't be in time for any recruit we know about now especially Bronny James

[907bluedevils]

According to Andrew Slater, we've reached out to Mackenzie Mgbako and Taylor Bowen

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/s...308257793?s=20

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/s...508655617?s=20

[JasonEvans]

Jon Scheyer has a rep as a stud recruiter... and he's making sure no one forgets it. He's going HARD at the class of 2022 and 2023.

Would really love to see Bronnie pick Duke because I suspect he will have some influence over other top-tier prospects.

[907bluedevils]

Add Kwame Evans Jr to the list.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/s...685543937?s=20