Starting Five: College programs feeling best about the Hoophall West
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Which college programs should be feeling best after the Hoophall West? In this week's Starting Five, Eric Bossi has the answer.
CONNECTICUT
The Andre Jackson that I saw over the weekend in Arizona is not the Andre Jackson that I had become accustomed to seeing over the last few years. It's definitely an Andre Jackson that UConn fans and Dan Hurley will be excited to have if he keeps it up.
When Jackson first burst onto the scene as a somewhat raw but very athletic 6-foot-6 wing early in his high school career, he looked like he could end up one of the top ranked wings in the country. While his athleticism only improved, much of the last 18 months for Jackson has been marked by inconsistent performances.
As a senior, Jackson looks to be putting it together. He spent a lot of time with the ball in his hands and I was blown away by some of the passes he made. He can also be a lockdown defender that switches up and down lineups.
Don't get me wrong, being ranked in the top 80 nationally like he is, that's still very impressive. However, he plays like this the rest of the season, he could make a big move up.
FLORIDA
When I saw Samson Ruhzentsev last spring, he looked to be primed for a major breakout summer and a crazy recruitment. Credit Florida for hanging in there and continuing to fight for him after he missed the summer with an injury because it has something in the senior who hails from Russia.
Ruhzentsev may be a legit 6-foot-7 at this point. He's a high-level athlete with body control, skill and a very dangerous jump shot. But, it's the edge and confidence that he plays with that I keep coming back to. Some kids just have an extra level of confidence that helps drive their success and I see that in him. Mike White and Gators fans are really going to appreciate the swagger he'll bring to Gainesville.
GONZAGA
Mark Few has built Gonzaga into a true national power in Spokane and the Zags aren't going away anytime soon.
I liked what I saw from signed guard Dominick Harris of Temecula (Calif.) Rancho Christian in a pair of games.
Most notably, Harris has added some strength and the added ability it's given him to play through contact and be a little more explosive bodes really well for his future at Gonzaga. They are going to need playmakers who can get a bucket off the bounce next season and he does that. Harris can also shoot and could play as either a one or a two.
The other Gonzaga signee in town, Julian Strawther, well he went for 51 in a game I was unable to attend.
KENTUCKY
Five-star Kentucky signee B.J. Boston has acclimated himself quite well since moving from Georgia to Southern California to be a major part of the Sierra Canyon show.
For the second weekend in a row, Boston did exactly what you would want and expect a guy ranked as highly as him to do on a team loaded with talent. He knocked down open jumpers had some fun in transition and helped his team roll in front of a huge crowd. This kid really seems to relish playing on the big stage, which is important because it won't get much bigger than what he'll see playing for John Calipari in Lexington next season. If he can shoot this consistently in college, he's going to make Wildcats fans very happy.
Also hitting the floor from UK's No. 1 ranked 2020 recruiting class was five-star guard Devin Askew. A good sized point guard who is a scorer and is at his best in an up-and-down game, Askew had some foul trouble but was pretty obviously the best player on the floor.
Looking down the road, one of Kentucky's major 2021 targets Jaden Hardy was ridiculously good. There appears to be some pretty serious mutual interest there and he's going to have the eyes of BBN on him moving forward.
USC
I wrote over the weekend that the battle to finish ranked as the No. 1 player in the class of 2020 is a free-for-all and that USC-bound Evan Mobley is in for a fight from Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green.
He had two chances to show what he could do. His Friday night game he gave glimpses. On Saturday night, though, he did anything that I could have asked a guy playing for the top spot to do. Sometimes big men are limited by their teammates willingness or ability to get him the ball. Sometimes, Mobley seems to accept it when he's not getting the rock. That wasn't the case in his second game and he pushed the action.
I'm sure Andy Enfield will be glad to hear from assistant (and Evan's dad) Eric Mobley that the seven-footer was barking at his teammates to give him the ball and letting them know they need to be in the right spots defensively. If Onyeka Okongwu goes pro, USC will still have their rim protector. If he stays to play a sophomore season, good luck to anybody scoring on them in the paint during the 2021-22 season.
I also thought it was a pretty good event for 2021 commit Harrison Hornery. An unranked three-star, I'm not sure if he's going to crack the national rankings but he's got skill, is getting stronger and could add an element the Trojans don't have as a guy who may be able to stretch and soften defenses as a shooter or passer from the high post.
Like Kentucky, the Trojans are in the thick of it early for Jaden Hardy and they are still in the mix with senior scoring machine Jalen Green.