High school recruiting has taken a back seat over the past several weeks. The college basketball season came to a sudden, premature end back in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and since then most of the focus has been on the transfer portal. While the few remaining 2020 stars close out their recruitments, the majority of schools across the country have reloaded via the transfer market. Part of the reason for the lack of movement among high school seniors -- and juniors and sophomores -- is that the NCAA instituted a dead period until at least May 31. That means no campus visits from prospects and no in-home visits from coaches.
Fortunately, most members of the 2020 class already wrapped up their recruitments, leaving only a few notable seniors left to make decisions. As we begin the late signing period Wednesday, only seven ESPN 100 prospects are uncommitted, and at least four (Isaiah Todd, Makur Maker, MarJon Beauchamp, Kenyon Martin Jr., possibly Kai Sotto) are not expected to attend college. Top-10 seniors Ziaire Williams and Joshua Christopher kicked off the week in style, with both players deciding to go more unique routes -- Williams pledged to Stanford, while Christopher is headed to Arizona State.
That leaves just three truly big-name 2020 prospects on the board. What's the latest?
Jalen Green, 6-5, 180 pounds, SG, No. 1
We won't have to wait long to find out where Green, the top-ranked prospect in the 2020 class, is headed. He said last week he would have an "announcement party" this week, and that will come on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. While Green has shuffled through a number of schools throughout his recruitment, coming down the stretch it looks to be Auburn, Memphis or the professional route -- with hometown Fresno State as a possible sleeper. Memphis has been involved since Penny Hardaway took over as coach in the spring of 2018, and Green took official visits to the Tigers' campus in October 2018 and October 2019. He has developed a very strong relationship with Hardaway and assistant coach Mike Miller, and Memphis has been a mainstay in his recruitment. Auburn hasn't been in the mix quite as long as Memphis, but it hosted Green on an official visit in September and has been a definite option for Green since the fall. There was a stretch in February and March when it looked as though Auburn was the clear favorite to land Green, and Bruce Pearl's program is a legitimate option. Fresno State is the hometown school, and Green did take an official visit to the Bulldogs' campus.
Then there's the potential to go pro. It's always been a storyline with Green, although he seemed to put those rumors to rest back at the Hoophall Classic in January, when he said that it's "not an option. I'm thinking about college and college only." In an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated in March, Green walked that back, saying "everything is open and an option." He then told Rivals.com in late March that it was essentially 50-50. There's also the chance he commits to a school on Friday and never makes it to campus.
In the mix: Memphis, Auburn, Fresno State, professional
Prediction: Professional (G League)
Confidence level: 60%
Greg Brown, 6-8, 205 pounds, PF, No. 9
Brown will commit one week after Green, on April 24. There were times over the past several months when it looked as though the two players would end up at the same school. In the fall, Memphis appeared to be among the leaders for both Green and Brown, and then Auburn seemed to be in a good position for both in February and March. But there was one variable hovering over the Brown recruitment during the past several months: the job status of Shaka Smart. The Texas coach was squarely on the hot seat entering the 2019-20 season, and down the stretch of the regular season, Smart appeared to be in serious trouble. Brown, an Austin native, had been considered a Texas lean for much of his recruitment, but that would have likely gone out the window if Smart was not retained. Now Smart is back for at least one more season -- and it seems the Longhorns are back in the driver's seat for Brown's commitment.
I don't think it's necessarily a done deal, but most of the buzz around Brown's recruitment has Texas in good shape heading into the final days of his recruitment. He's taken official visits to Texas, Auburn, Memphis, Kentucky and Michigan, with Memphis and Auburn still making strong pushes down the stretch to catch Texas.
In the mix: Texas, Memphis, Auburn, Kentucky, Michigan
Prediction: Texas
Confidence level: 65%
Karim Mane, 6-5, 190 pounds, PG, four-star
Mane isn't ranked in the ESPN 100 because the Canada native plays his high school basketball outside the United States, but his rating would put him somewhere in the 50s. He seems to be a bit further from a commitment than Green and Brown, as the coronavirus pandemic has affected his recruitment more than the other two. Mane has taken only two visits thus far, to Maryland and Marquette, and planned to visit others this spring. But due to the dead period, his recruitment has come to a halt for now. In addition to the Terrapins and Golden Eagles, Mane told ESPN recently that Michigan State, Memphis, Wake Forest, DePaul, Georgetown and Pittsburgh were showing interest. The Spartans in particular have been a program receiving some buzz, while Memphis could ramp up its interest if it strikes out on Green.
It's worth noting that Mane said he would have a hard time committing to a school he didn't physically visit.
"My parents and I are really big on taking a visit before making a decision," he said. "Maybe if this goes on for too long, we'll have to sit down and talk about it. [For now we're] sticking to the plan, making sure we visit before making a decision."
Mane has been rumored to be considered entering the NBA draft, since he's draft-eligible, but he said he's more focused on making a college decision.
In the mix: Marquette, Maryland, Michigan State, Memphis
Prediction: Marquette
Confidence level: 40%
What else?
While there are only three top-100-caliber players left in the 2020 class, we could see more enter the fold in the coming weeks. There were a number of prospects who either didn't sign a letter of intent during the early signing period or committed during the winter, but there don't appear to be any imminent decommitments on the horizon after Todd decided Tuesday to decommit from Michigan and sign with an agent.
Where coaches could decide to look is the 2021 class, where there are a number of prospects who have been rumored to be at least exploring a potential reclassification into 2020.
No. 1-ranked junior Jonathan Kuminga is at the top of the list of players who could reclassify, and he would have his pick of pretty much any school in the country. Auburn, Florida State, Kentucky, Georgia, LSU, Texas Tech and others have been involved.
Moussa Diabate and Moussa Cisse are two more top-10 juniors who have been rumored to be mulling a reclassification. Cisse trimmed his list to 10 schools earlier this week, although it appears that Florida State, LSU, Memphis and Kentucky would be in the best position. Diabate is probably less likely to move into 2020, but Florida and Florida State would be in the mix.
The 2020 class grew by one on Tuesday afternoon, when longtime reclassification candidate Frank Anselem announced he was moving up from the 2021 class. Georgia, LSU and Alabama are his final three. LSU has been the favorite for much of the past several months, but Alabama is making a strong push and has really closed the gap.
Another player who appears likely to make the move is Adama Sanogo (No. 30), who looks to be gearing up for a decision. The likes of Maryland, Seton Hall, Nebraska and Illinois are in the mix.
Other players who have been linked with a possible reclassification include Franck Kepnang, Warren Lynn Kidd, Lynn Greer III and Charles Bediako. One name to come up in recent reclassification discussions with coaches is ESPN 60 point guard Isael Silva.