Starting Five: Jonathan Kuminga decision on the way
The time for speculation is coming to an end and Jonathan Kuminga will announce his future plans this week.
Four-star Frankie Collins and 2021 Rivals150 wing Gabe Dorsey are both down to a group of eight. Vanderbilt has a late addition to their 2020 class and a pair of rising seniors in the St. Louis area are worth keeping tabs on.
1. KUMINGA SET TO ANNOUNCE DECISION
Currently ranked as the top player in the class of 2021, Jonathan Kuminga will announce his plans for the future on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET.
The explosive 6-foot-8 wing will choose between Auburn, Duke, Kentucky, Texas Tech and the G League initiative. He is also likely to make official a move to the class of 2020.
The heavy expectation here is that Kuminga will the be the latest to choose the professional route and move to 2020. However, if he does pick a college, Texas Tech -- where his brother Joel Ntambwe plays -- would appear to be in the best spot to land him.
He has size, he has athleticism and he has a versatile inside and out game to go along with an already well-put-together frame. Should he choose to go to college, he would put any of these already loaded programs on another level and his presence would have a significant impact on how the 2020-21 season plays out.
Assuming Kuminga moves to the class of 2020, he will likely be slotted at the No. 3 overall spot behind Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green. In 2021, Patrick Baldwin Jr. would be moved up to the No. 1 spot with a Kuminga reclass.
2. FOUR-STAR FRANKIE COLLINS DOWN TO EIGHT
One of the most explosive point guards in the class of 2021, four-star floor general Frankie Collins is down to eight schools.
Transferring to Henderson (Nev.) Coronado where he will play with five-star Jaden Hardy, Collins is down to Arizona State, Auburn, Georgetown, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, USC and Vanderbilt.
A driver who sets up teammates, defends well and plays above the rim, Collins is a high octane guy who has been a steady performer. He took an official visit to Georgetown back in March but at this point I feel like his recruitment is a little too early to read and it would be tough to declare one program or another as the favorite.
3. RIVALS150 WING GABE DORSEY CUTS LIST
Gabe Dorsey was primed to have a big summer and prove his value as one of the top wing players in America. With no travel ball yet for him with Team Durant, the Hill School product is putting more focus into his recruitment.
A shot-maker from deep, Dorsey is down to a final eight of Harvard, Miami, Penn State, Providence, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Xavier.
I wouldn't name a leader for him just yet, but it is important to note that Dorsey's older brother Caleb Dorsey will be a freshman at Penn State this year. That certainly helps their case. Also thought to be doing well with him are Harvard and Vanderbilt because of how big a factor academics are expected to be in his decision.
4. LATE 2020 ADDITION FOR VANDERBILT
Jerry Stackhouse and Vanderbilt made a very late addition to their 2020 recruiting class over the weekend when they added Trevon Thomas.
A point guard from Canada, Thomas is an interesting add at this juncture. He can definitely shoot the ball with some range and looks to have decent quickness, but he's a also a little bit on the smallish side and has to get much stronger for the rigors of SEC play.
Looking at their roster, I like the idea of giving Thomas some time and perhaps redshirting him for the 2020-21 season to give him more time to develop physically and increase his chances of being a contributor down the road.
5. RISING SENIOR DUO AT HAZELWOOD CENTRAL WORTH A LOOK
Coaches on the mid major level might be well served to take a look at a pair of rising senior teammates from the St. Louis area.
Six-foot-3 combo guard Cole Farrell and 6-foot-7 forward Jonathan Dunn of Florissant (Mo.) Hazelwood Central can both go and were poised to have big summers.
Farrell is an athletic slasher who finishes strong at the rim and can be a streaky shooter from deep. He has good size for a combo and a nice frame to build on in a college weight room. As for Dunn, he's a rim-running forward who is explosive in the paint. He's long and lean, can make a mid range jump shot and is a bit of a matchup problem for some bigs because of his quickness and ability to attack while facing the rim.
Both have offers from Louisiana-Monroe and SIU-Edwardsville while Dunn has also been getting significant interest of late from Murray State. Had they had a usual summer, I'm pretty sure they would both have many more offers at this point and they are worth doing some homework on.