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Florida Man: Georgia Elite Fall League, Jabari Smith, commits

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - Each week, Rivals national basketball analyst and very own Florida man Rob Cassidy takes readers around the hoops recruiting world, touching on news, notes and developments that relate to prospects from coast to coast.

Fresh off of a weekend at the Georgia Elite Fall League outside of Atlanta, he previews a pair of upcoming commitments, makes note of a Clemson pledge on the rise and recaps a conversation with the No. 4 prospect in the country.

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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team

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UPDATE OF THE WEEK: Jabari Smith 

Jabari Smith
Jabari Smith (Rivals.com)

From a rankings standpoint, the headliner of Saturday's Georgia Elite Fall League event was Jabari Smith. Between games, the No. 4 overall prospect in the class of 2021 spent some time outlining what’s new in his recruitment, detailing recent zoom calls with both North Carolina and LSU as he gets closer to his Oct. 9 decision date.

I left the conversation confused. But after speaking with others linked to Smith, it's clear Georgia, Auburn and Tennessee are the major players. Everything else seems to be noise at this point.

On the surface, the fact that the five-star prospect’s father attended LSU before turning pro doesn’t seem to be a factor. Smith actually went out of his way to downplay the allure of following his dad’s footsteps to Baton Rouge. That said, the family tie makes it impossible to rule the Tigers out completely.

I'm riding with Auburn here, but you never know when it comes to recruiting. Georgia is the biggest threat but I expect the Tigers to hold the Bulldogs off down the stretch.

COMMITMENT WATCH: Alex Fudge and Jonathan Lawson

Four-star power forward Alex Fudge has set a commitment date of Oct. 10 and officially has a list of 10 schools in running to land his pledge. Arkansas, Florida, USC and Georgia Tech are among the programs in the thick of the chase, but LSU seems to be the team to beat here.

The picture of Jonathan Lawson’s recruitment is a little blurrier than the one depicting that of Fudge. On Wednesday evening, Lawson will choose either Oregon, Alabama, Arkansas, Vanderbilt or Iowa State. The Ducks are the smart money here, but it wouldn’t be wise to wager much. Alabama is very much alive. Any other choice would bring some semblance of surprise.

STOCK UP: Ian Schieffelin

Ian Schieffelin
Ian Schieffelin (Rivals.com)

Recent Clemson commit Ian Schieffelin had an impressive day at Saturday’s Georgia Elite Fall League, leading his team to victory over a Milton team loaded with prospects before holding his own on both ends against No. 4 overall prospect Jabari Smith. A versatile power forward, Schieffelin lacks truly elite length for the position but is certainly big enough and plays inside as well as out. He shot the three relatively well on Saturday and finished through contact on several occasions.

He played admirable defense on Smith when they were matched up, frustrating the five-star at times. The Clemson-bound forward certainly compares favorably to some prospects currently ranked in the top 150 and has a case to slide into the rankings after the next update.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH CLEMSON FANS AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.COM

EMERGING: Myles Rice

Myles Rice
Myles Rice (Rivals.com)

A class-of-2021 point guard, Rice recently picked up an offer from Washington State to go along with a handful of low and mid-majors opportunities. The three-star prospect’s offer list may grow in the months ahead, however, as the guard handles the ball well and gets to the rim with relative ease. On Saturday, he finished a number of buckets through fouls and should become even better at scoring around the basket as he adds much-needed muscle. Right now, his on-ball defense is what stands out about his game.

Despite admittedly knowing little about Washington State other than the fact that Klay Thompson attended the school, Rice named the Cougars along with James Madison as the current leaders of his recruitment. The Georgia-based guard is hoping more schools get involved this season, but, despite the distance from home, I’d give Wazzu the edge if Rice were to commit today.

PARTING THOUGHT

Ryan Mutombo’s weekend commitment to Georgetown is obviously a win for the Hoyas, It’s also one for nostalgia and those old enough to remember the four-star prospect’s famous father. I mean, just imagine the pop from the Capital One Arena crowd the first time he breaks out the finger wag after a block into the third row.

His commitment, however, is also an underrated victory for notable grudge holder and overall jerk Michael Jordan. The fact that not one but two of Jordan’s NBA rivals -- Hoyas head coach Patrick Ewing, plus former Hawks great Dikembe Mutombo -- two men he helped keep from ever winning titles, will now be required to wear his personal logo most days as part of a Jordan Brand program is certainly not lost on the undisputed king of petty,

Is this insignificant? It sure is. But is it kind of funny? Definitely.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH GEORGETOWN FANS AT HOYAREPORT.COM

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