Rivals Roundtable: Memphis, surprising stars
With Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates, the top two prospects in the 2022 class, reclassifying to 2021, it feels prudent to revisit the 2021 rankings in this week’s roundtable. Below, Rivals basketball analysts Rob Cassidy, Jamie Shaw and Dan McDonald take a final look around the class and discuss freshmen that will leave a mark on the upcoming season.
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Rivals Roundtable: NBA Draft, stock boosters
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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1. WHAT WOULD CONSTITUTE A SUCCESSFUL SEASON FOR MEMPHIS IF IT DOES, IN FACT, SIGN BOTH EMONI BATES AND JALEN DUREN?
Shaw: One would think the answer here would be a national title, but when you take a step back look at the roster you see a hole at the point guard position. Having talent will get you to the table, and they will be able to out-talent many of the teams they play, but once you're seated at the table you have to eat. Will this team have the right pieces to eat? Penny Hardaway adding Larry Brown to the staff was a smart move as he can help guide Penny along from an Xs and Os standpoint. Talent wise, national title will be the answer, however, looking at their roster and Penny's past success as a coach I will say a Sweet 16 run, getting out of the first weekend, would be a successful season.
Cassidy: There's a long list of elite college basketball duos that never sniffed a national title, so saddling this team with that sort of expectation seems insane to me. Penny Hardaway is still looking for his first NCAA Tournament berth as a head coach, and making that kind of jump in results is nearly unheard of. Add in I think the fact that there doesn’t really seem to be a proven point guard on the roster, and I think the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament is a reasonable goal. Call it the break-even point if you want. Anything less is going to be regarded as a failure. Anything more should be seen as an overwhelming success for Hardaway.
McDonald: Penny Hardaway has first world problems this upcoming season if he’s able to finish the deal with Emoni Bates to join Jalen Duren. He’ll add two top-five prospects in the 2021 class to an already talented roster at Memphis, but with that comes huge expectations to get Memphis back towards the top of the polls and make a deep run next March. If the Tigers are able to stick in the Top 25 all year and make it to the Sweet 16, that’s a successful season in my opinion.
2. WHICH FRESHMAN OUTSIDE THE TOP-FIVE OF THE RIVALS150 ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO WATCH THIS SEASON?
Shaw: Tamar Bates, D'Marco Dunn, Brandon Murray are some names that came to mind here, but Kendall Brown is the one I think I am going to put in this space. He wound up at No. 11 in the final Rivals150 for the 2021 class. Brown is an unparalleled leaper, he walks on to campus at Baylor with a college ready frame and a winning pedigree. There will be opportunity in the lineup for him and I am excited to see if he takes hold of it. If things go well, you could be hearing Brown's name in some lottery conversations.
Cassidy: I’ll go with TyTy Washington. I’m a sucker for a good story, and Washington’s late emergence as an elite guard in the 2021 class was captivating. It also makes you curious how far away from his ceiling he may actually be. Still, regardless of how complete he is as a freshman, Washington is an electric scorer. That part of his game should translate from the jump. Add in all the hoopla that surrounds Kentucky's quest for a bounceback season, and it results in even more intrigue to Washington’s story.
McDonald: Alabama has another really talented roster this year under Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide are bringing in one of the most exciting prospects in the 2021 class in five-star point guard JD Davison. The Alabama native is a highlight reel waiting to happen, whether it’s a spectacular pass to a teammate or a crazy dunk of his own. With this spacing he’ll have in the Alabama offense with the shooters around him, I’m expecting him to have a terrific year full of highlight reel plays.
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3. WHICH 2021 PROSPECT DO YOU THINK WILL MAKE SCHOOLS THAT PASSED ON HIM WISH THEY WOULDN'T HAVE?
Shaw: At the end of the day, Jonas Aidoo is a 7-footer who will play in the NBA. Of course he is still young (will play half the season at 18-years-old.) and bigs you need to be patient with. So while this may not be a one-year thing, the things Aidoo brings to the table, his hands, his timing, his touch, are just too great to ignore. You bet on Rick Barnes to develop bigs, especially bigs who have a kit full of tools. Aidoo, who ended as a five-star, was passed on by the bluebloods, including the two which reside 10 minutes from the Durham, N.C. native's home.
Cassidy: Matthew Cleveland screams NBA prospect to me. So while he had plenty of offers, most of the true bluebloods neve really became involved. His length plays right into the wheelhouse of Florida State basketball and he has enough versatility to guard almost anyone on the floor. He could have helped any team in the country, but the Seminoles won’t mind that he ended up in Tallahassee.
McDonald: It’s a hard year to really criticize coaches too hard for passing on prospects because of the lack of evaluation periods and the new transfer rule coming into play, but I think there will be a lot of schools in the Southeast that look back at passing on Elijah Tucker with serious regret. The Xavier-bound forward possesses the talent to be a star in the Big East as he’s very skilled and athletic at about 6-foot-8 now. He’s a full year young for his class and a redshirt year could be in play because of the depth the Musketeers have, but don’t be surprised if he’s an all-conference player before he’s done playing for Travis Steele.