Category: High School Basketball

Image – NBABigBoard.com

Another week has gone by and that means John Calipari and the Arkansas basketball staff has been at work putting their roster for the 2026 season. As everyone awaits five-star center Obinna Ekezie’s decision for where he wants to play, Calipari secured a power forward, officially added his combo guard, and five of his players will play in Chicago in a week and a half.

Miikka Muurinen finally commits to Calipari, Arkansas

Image – Miikka Muurinen on Instagram

2026 four-star power forward Miikka Muurinen announced his commitment to play for Arkansas on Monday morning. Muurinen announced his plans on his Instagram. He is ranked as the No. 55 overall player in the 2026 class, per the 247 Sports Composite.

Muurinen began his high school career at Sunrise Christian Preparatory before transferring to Arizona Compass Preparatory. He chose to leave the United States to play for KK Patizan in Serbia, opting to not play his final season of high school basketball.

Muurinen played for Brad Beale Elite program the summer before his senior year. He played with his future teammate, fellow upcoming freshman JJ Andrews, in the summer of 2024. Two weeks ago, he played in the Nike Hoops Summit with another future teammate, fellow upcoming freshman Abdou Torre.

The Finnish forward completed his official visit in Fayetteville back on Sept. 20, 2024. BYU, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina and North Carolina State were also listed as potential options for him in his official announcement on his commitment before he decided on the Razorbacks.

Five-star guard Jordan Smith Jr. officially signs with Arkansas

Image – On3

2026 five-star combo guard Jordan Smith Jr. signed his letter of intent to play for John Calipari and Arkansas, becoming the final Razorback signee to do so before Muurinen’s commitment on Monday

Smith Jr. made his commitment official during a ceremony at Paul IV Catholic School. The No. 2 overall player in the class according to the 247 Sports Composite has been committed to Arkansas since February.

Smith Jr. is the top prospect in the state of Virginia and won many awards this year including being named the Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Player of Year both in the state of Virginia and nationally, the MaxPreps Player of the Year, ad many others.

As a senior, Smith Jr. led the Paul VI Panthers to a 33-2 record and their fourth state championship in five years. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 3.2 steals per game. He shot 56 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from 3-point range and 72.4 percent from the free throw line according to MaxPreps.

Smith Jr. is joined by the aforementioned Finnish forward Muurinen, JJ Andrews, and Abdou Torre are apart of Arkansas’ No. 1 overall 2026 signing class. They join Georgia guard Jeremiah Wilkinson and Furman forward Cooper Bowser, who have signed with Arkansas as transfers this off-season.

Four Razorbacks invited to 2026 NBA Combine

Image – Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball on X
Darius Acuff Jr., Meleek Thomas, Billy Richmond III, and Trevon Brazile have all been officially invited to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago later this month. The news was announced via an official release from the NBA’s communications team on Friday.

The NBA Draft Combine is set to take place May 10-17 at Wintrust Arena and Marriott Marquis in Chicago. The annual pre-draft showcase includes events such as medical testing, interviews, shooting drills, agility testing and five-on-five competition. Portions of the week-long event will be broadcast on NBA.com, NBATV, the NBA App and ESPN’s family of networks. 

Acuff Jr., Thomas, Richmond III, and Brazile are four of 73 total prospects who were invited to the NBA Draft Combine. Arkansas’ group of combine invites is tied with Arizona and Houston as the most invites of any programs this year. There were only 71 early entrants into the 2026 draft, which is a player who declares for the draft with remaining college eligibility. That is the lowest number of early entrants since the 2003 NBA Draft. Of Arkansas’ four combine invites, three are early-entrants. Brazile is the only one who has exhausted eligibility.

Thomas and Richmond III both have until May 27 to announce their return to play at Arkansas in the 2026-2027 season. Acuff Jr. did not keep his college eligibility as he is a presumed top ten pick.

https://247sports.com/college/arkansas/article/four-arkansas-razorbacks-invited-to-nba-draft-combine-283779372

Ewin invited to 2026 NBA G-League Combine

Image – The Arkansas Traveler

Former Arkansas center Malique Ewin has been officially invited to the NBA G League Combine. Ewin is one of 44 players invited to compete in the combine as he awaits a potential waiver to play a fifth season of college basketball either in Fayetteville or elsewhere.

The G League Combine will take place May 8-10 at Wintrust Arena and Marriott Marquis in Chicago. Selected standout players from this event will be invited to stay in Chicago for the 2026 NBA Draft Combine.

Image Courtesy: ABC7

A month ago, I tried to write a blog post about Bronny James and Mikey Williams (Bronny’s former AAU teammate) and their recruitments. I could not find any information about James, who despite being LeBron’s son, was not getting that much buzz on recruitment sites.

But, in the last month, five schools have emerged with interest in Bronny. According to an sbnation report, the interest comes from schools such as Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. He will not play in the NBA G-League, Overtime Elite, or any other pro league before entering the NBA Draft after he becomes eligible according to multiple reports.

Michigan
At first when I looked at this option for Bronny, I questioned why he would ever end up in Ann Arbor. LeBron James always said that if he went to college it would’ve been at Ohio State, Michigan’s main rival. But, a former teammate of LeBron’s (on the Miami Heat), Juwan Howard, is the head coach of the Wolverines. I can’t see James not going there for that reason alone, but this does not seem like Bronny’s landing spot.

Ohio State
Any team would love to have the son of LeBron James but if Bronny ended up in Columbus at Ohio State, he would be the proudest dad on the planet. As I mentioned above, LeBron said he would have attended OSU had he gone to college instead of going to the NBA. This might be the most likely option for James outside of the Pac-12 schools because of that very reason. James also went to an Ohio State football game with his dad, and the fans shouted “We want Bronny” making their want for Bronny a program and fan thing. (Bronny has since visited Ohio State).

Oregon
With Nike headquarters in Eugene and Dana Altman, arguably the top coach in the Pac-12, no one would blame Bronny if he headed up northwest from his LA area home. Altman loves guards that play well on and off the ball, and James fits that mold.

UCLA and USC
I grouped these two schools together just because they bring very similar options. UCLA has won 11 national championships and give Bronny an option to stay close to his family. UCLA coach Mick Cronin has already led the Bruins to back to back NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2021, the Bruins appeared in the Final Four and last season they made it to the Sweet 16. For USC, coach Andy Enfield has been a model of consistency. The Trojans too have made runs in the NCAA Tournament back to back seasons. James would be a good fit both places because of his basketball IQ and willingness to play both guard spots.

As of now, my prediction stays with Ohio State for Bronny. Duke and Memphis have also been showing Bronny interest, and there is a likelihood that both schools will get as involved with Bronny as the above five have.

(Memphis has since reportedly offered Bronny a scholarship and Duke and North Carolina have continued to show interest).

Image Courtesy: Lexington Herald Leader

New Jersey born point guard DJ Wagner is the top ranked high school basketball player in the 2023 247sports composite. But, where will the son of former NBA guard Dajuan Wagner attend school? Well, that is what we are here to find out:

Kentucky
Entering Wagner’s high school career, much of the college basketball media believed it was Kentucky versus the field for the 5-star guard. DJ Wagner’s father Dajuan Wagner played for current Kentucky head coach John Calipari. They have seemed like the favorite ever since as Calipari has coached NBA talent at both Memphis in Derrick Rose and Kentucky in John Wall, Karl-Anthony Towns, and others. But, it gets more interesting when readers here what Louisville has to offer.

Louisville
Entering last college basketball season, Kentucky was seemingly the only place for DJ Wagner to go to school and play ball. But in March of this year, Louisville named former NBA and Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne as their new head coach. Payne played with DJ’s grandfather, Milt Wagner, on Louisville’s 1986 championship team. Milt was hired as the program’s director of player development and alumni relations.

According to an ESPN article, Dajuan Wagner said he’ll be happy wherever his son ends up. But, where do you think DJ Wagner will attend college and play hoops?

My Prediction: Louisville

Hey guys, since college football returned today, I decided to make a college basketball news post. Here it is:

On Wednesday, Forward Emoni Bates joined big man Jalen Duren as Memphis commits and will join the program this year. Earlier this month, I wrote about Bates and Duren announcing they would skip their senior year and reclassify from 2022 to 2021. The once clear top two prospects in the class of 2022 are now ranked number four and five respectfully in the 2021 247Sports Composite. Bates chose Memphis over the G-League, Michigan State (where he was formerly committed to), and Oregon. Duren picked Memphis over the G-League, Kentucky, Miami, and the Australian NBL.

(Sorry guys there wasn’t much other than that. Make sure you are ready for my week 1 college football preview, coming out on Thursday :).

The consensus top two players in the 2022 247sports 150, forward Emoni Bates and big man Jalen Duren are both moving forward in reclassifying to 2021. Although both reclassifications are not “officially official”, both are down to their final schools. Duren is down to Kentucky, Memphis, Miami, the NBA G-League, and the NBL. Bates is down to Memphis, Michigan State (where he is formerly committed to), NBA G-League, and Oregon. Many think the two could team up at the next level as both played for Team Final, the same AAU team this summer at either Memphis or the G-League.

Huge college basketball games are coming up this season as we are 98 days away from this season. Gonzaga and UCLA are set for a rematch of their awesome Final Four game on November 23. The Zags will also face Duke three days later on November 26.

FOOTBALL:

The NCAA Board of Governors has agreed to-season or not-give seniors playing fall sports an extra year of eligibility. Football players will get to stay a year more if they choose, which will not count towards the 85 scholarship limit next season.

Senior QB Feleipe Franks, RB Rakeem Boyd, OL Myron Cunningham have been named to the Senior Bowl watch list.

BASKETBALL:

The biggest news of last week was when former All-SEC Guard Isaiah Joe announced he had changed his decision to return to Arkansas, and he will enter the 2020 NBA Draft. Joe changed his decision due to the unprecedented fall sports seasons coming in 2020.

Ranked number nine in the 2020 ESPN 100, Forward Greg Brown made his college announcement on Friday. The McDonald’s All American selection chose hometown Texas over Auburn, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan, or the NBA G-League for a year. Brown heads to Texas just like his dad before him, who played football for the Longhorns.

Memphis Forward Precious Achiuwa has decided to enter his name into the 2020 NBA Draft. The former five-star recruit signed with an agent, so he cannot return to school in the fall of 2020. The American Athletic Conference Player of the Year he averaged 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game during his lone season in Memphis.

Many consider center Matt Haarms the top available tansfer. The former Purdue big man committed to play his final season at BYU on Friday. Haarms chose BYU over Kentucky and Texas Tech after being contacted by 25 plus schools when he entered his name into the portal.

Another top international big man Daniel Batcho has committed to Arizona. Batcho posted plus twenty points and plus ten rebounds in many big games.

1.Kentucky
6.BJ Boston (#1SF) Chatsworth,CA (Sierra Canyon)
8.Terrence Clark (#3SF) Wolfebro,NH (Brewster)
25.Devin Askew (#7PG) Santa Ana,CA (Mater Dei)
30.Isaiah Jackson (#5PF) Pontiac,MI (Waterford Mott)

2.Duke
15.Jalen Johnson (#4SF) Glendale,WI (Nicolet)
18.Jeremy Roach (#4PG) Leesburg,VA (Paul VI)
23.DJ Steward (#6SG) Chicago,IL (Whitney Young)
24.Jaemyn Brakefield (#4PF) Jackson,MS (Huntington Prep)

3.North Carolina
11.Day’Ron Sharpe (#2C) Winterville,NC (Montverde)
14.Walker Kessler (#4C) Fairburn,GA (Woodward)
17.Caleb Love (#3PG) Saint Louis,MO (Christian Brothers)
39.RJ Davis (#8PG) White Plains,NY (Archbishop Stepinac)

4.Michigan
36.Hunter Dickinson (#7C) Hyattsville,MD (DeMatha)
71.Zeb Jackson (#14SG) Toledo,OH (Montverde)
76.Terrance Williams (#14PF) Washington,DC (Gonzaga College)
NR.Jace Howard (#66SF) Fort Lauderdale,FL (NSU University)

5.Tennessee
16.Jaden Springer (#3SG) Charlotte,NC (IMG)
26.Keon Johnson (#5SF) Bell Buckle,TN (The Webb)
73.Corey Walker (#12PF) Jacksonville,FL (Hargrave Military)
NR.Malachi Wideman (#29SG) Sarasota,FL (Riverview)

6.Arkansas
38.Moses Moodey (#10SG) Little Rock,AR (Montverde)
82.KK Robinson (#20PG) Little Rock,AR (Oak Hill)
83.Davonte Davis (#18SG) Jacksoville,AR (Jacksonville)
88.Jaylin Williams (#13C) Fort Smith,AR (Northside)

7.Gonzaga
5.Jalen Suggs (#2PG) Minneapolis,MN (Minneheha)
54.Dominick Harris (#11SG) Murrieta,CA (Rancho Christian)
59.Julian Strawther (#17SF) Henderson,NV (Liberty)

8.Oklahoma State
3.Cade Cunnigham (#1PG) Arlington,TX (Montverde)
52.Rondel Walker (#11PG) Oklahoma City,OK (Putnam City West)
NR.Donavan Williams (#23SG) Lincoln,NE (Lincoln North Star)
NR.Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe Vaughan, Ont., Canada (Orangeville Prep)

9.NC State
44.Josh Hall (#11SF) Hickory,NC (Moravian Prep)
62.Cam Hayes (#14PG) Greensboro,NC (Greensboro Day)
NR.Shakeel Moore (#24PG) Greensboro,NC (Moravian Prep)
NR.Ebenezer Dowuna (#22C) Newman,GA (Heritage)

10.Texas Tech
21.Nimari Burnett (#4SG) Chicago,IL (Prolific Prep)
31.Micah Peavy (#6SF) Houston,TX (Duncanville)
NR.Chibuzo Agbo (#32PF) San Diego,CA (Saint Augustine)
NR.Esahia Nyiwe (Unranked) Clarendon,TX Clarendon College (JC)

Ranked number ten in the 2020 ESPN 100, Five-Star Shooting Guard Josh Christopher is one of the lone 2020 prospects that has not signed. He ends his long recruitment with a decision today. Also to note, even if Christopher makes his decision before 2 PM CT (when this post goes up), I’ve been working on the post way before then. Anyway let’s take a look at the contenders to land Josh Christopher.

Arizona State:I’m sure Coach Bobby Hurley wants him to come to Tempe but even with Christopher’s brother playing there, it seems unlikely. It might be the second closest to home for him (he’s from California) but again, the Sun Devils seem like their third in the running at this point.

Michigan:Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard started recruiting Christopher the minute he walked into Ann Arbor. Howard helped Michigan get to be the definite favorite to land his services and it may not be close.

Missouri:Missouri doesn’t belong here. After searching reliable source articles, there is nothing mentioned about how the tigers will land Christopher.

UCLA:UCLA was the early favorite to land Christopher. Once Forward Shareef O’Neal transferred to LSU, the UCLA coaching staff stopped recruiting Christopher heavily, so they could be called a “far away” second place in the race for Josh Christopher.

Prediction:I’m going with Michigaan because they have been committed to him most since Juwan Howard was named head coach.

The five finalists for the men’s basketball John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award were announced for the 2019-2020 award. The finalists were Kansas big man Udoka Azubuike, Iowa big man Luka Garza, Marquette Guard Markus Howard, Seton Hall Guard Myles Powell, and Dayton Forward Obi Toppin.

Washington Freshman big man Isaiah Stewart told the media today that he was entering the 2020 NBA Draft. The big man is signing with Roc Nation to be his agency. Stewart averaged seventeen points, nine rebounds, and two blocks in his only season in Seattle.

Former Boston College Forward Jairus Hamilton committed to transfer to Maryland on Wednesday. Hamilton averaged almost ten points during his sophomore season in Chestnut Hill.

USC signee Evan Mobley has been named the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year. The award given annually by the McDonald’s All American Game to the best high school basketball player in the country. Mobley will head to Los Angeles this fall and team up with brother Isaiah Mobley and dad Eric Mobley, who is an assistant coach. Mobley averaged nineteen points and eleven rebounds this past season.

The Division I council coordination committee and the Division II administrative committee came together and announced Wednesday that the recruiting dead period will be extended through May 31 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

2021 five-star point guard Khristian Lander announced his commitment to Indiana on Tuesday night. Louisville, Michigan, and Memphis were the other schools involved in his final recruitment. Lander is currently a junior but the option of reclassifying is not out of the question. Lander said “I’m thinking about going 2020 very strongly but I’m not for sure yet” in an article reported by espn. Lander is currently ranked number twelve overall in the junior rankings in the href=”http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2021/order/true”>2021 ESPN 60.

#1 2019 high school basketball player James Wiseman has chosen to attend hometown Memphis over Kentucky,Vanderbilt,and Florida State.Wiseman will team up with his former AAU coach Penny Hardaway at Memphis.