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Three-Point Play: Short season, Breon Pass, DMV standouts

The Pac-12 won’t have basketball until at least January of 2021. Will more follow? A two-sport star has made his decision and some thoughts from a day in Washington, D.C. National analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans team up for today’s Three-Point-Play.

More Three-Point Play: Updates on Bryce Hopkins, Daimion Collins, Logan Duncomb

2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position

2022 Rankings: Top 75


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1. PAC-12 DECISION A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?

Larry Scott
Larry Scott (AP Images)

While the coronavirus pandemic has dominated headlines for almost half a year, the reality of how it will impact the future of college sports didn’t really start to sink in until football and fall sports started getting canceled. However, things started to hit closer to home in the college basketball world Wednesday when the Pac-12 announced that it was suspending all sports until at least January 2021. This effectively shut down the non-conference season for the league and to say the industry is talking is an understatement. The Big East canceled all fall sports on Thursday but said basketball is unaffected for now.

We deal with college coaches and prospects on a daily basis. High school prospects aren’t thinking too far ahead and the feedback from them is that they aren’t worried about their college future. So a cut in season length for 2020 isn’t yet impacting their decisions. Coaches on the other hand are talking and they are nervous about what this could mean.

The overwhelming thought has been that while football may be in trouble, there is still time to figure out how to make a college hoops season work. The Pac-12’s decision is an aggressive slap in the face to those still clinging to the “we have time to figure it out” school of thought and the slap is saying that it is time to stop thinking there is still time. There isn’t any more time to figure this out and after several conversations with coaches over the past few days, they are nervous more conferences will follow.

We don’t know yet what will happen in other conferences and, unlike the Pac-12, most are still trying to figure out football and other fall sports first. But, that first domino to fall is a big one and it gives others reasons to do the same. If that happens the big boys will still be alright. Sure there will be a loss of revenue – and lets be real, that was going to happen this season anyway – but the impact this could have on the budgets of smaller programs who rely on traveling around the country being paid to play major schools could be titanic and long lasting.

In the meantime, all sorts of solutions are being discussed. Some Pac-12 assistants shared that they think others will follow suit and that the NCAA could step in and move the NCAA Tournament back a few months. That would allow for time to play a non-conference season in January and February. There is talk of bubbles being put together. You name an option, it is on the table.

The next one to two weeks are going to be crucial in saving the college basketball season as we are used to seeing it and unfortunately, the Pac-12 pushing things back is likely a sign of what is to come.

2. BREON PASS MAKES HIS DECISION, SORT OF

Breon Pass
Breon Pass (Rivals.com)

Is Breon Pass the next Ky Bowman? Bowman was a heavily coveted football prospect from the state of North Carolina that decided during his senior summer that he was going to focus on basketball in college, not football. He went on to re-write the record books at Boston College. It's probably not fair to hold Pass to those standards, but there is no shortage of interest in rising senior.

The 27th-ranked athlete prospect in the 2021 class, Pass just decided that he will play basketball, not football, in college.

“Really, it is just going with my first love,” Pass told Rivals.com about his switch in sports. “Basketball has been in my hands since I was born.”

With this decision, Pass becomes the latest high-major point guard target to emerge in the 2021 class. He is not an explosive athlete, but is fluid, crafty and has some wiggle to his game. Pass has the chance to take off in the coming months now that his entire focus is on the basketball side.

Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest and East Carolina have offered Pass the chance to play both sports in college but, for now, basketball will have his attention. He took unofficial visits to ECU and NC State before the pandemic hit but has yet to take an official visit, so a decision could still be far away. Among the basketball programs most heavily involved are Davidson, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, NC State, Providence and St. John’s, but it doesn’t seem that the breakout has stopped for the well-rounded Pass.

3. DMV PROSPECTS IMPRESS

Benny Williams
Benny Williams (HoyaReport.com)

I had the chance to check out a group of rising seniors this weekend in Washington, D.C. that will make an impact on the college game once they enroll next fall.

... Benny Williams, a Syracuse commitment, may be the most gifted, talented prospect to join the Orange program since Carmelo Anthony. Maybe I am drinking the Kool-Aid a little too much, but he is just that good. Williams is now 6-foot-8, 200-pounds, and has developed a killer mindset that will serve him well in college and beyond. He is the embodiment of a mismatch forward that can shoot and finish. If Williams stays on the right track, his stay at Syracuse will be short-lived. He has NBA lottery ability and should be viewed as a top-20 prospect and will receive a rankings bump during our next Rivals150 update.

... Clemson and NC State are now two of the programs to monitor with Jakai Robinson after Seton Hall and UConn each took a wing recruit in recent days. Robinson looks to have grown to at least 6-foot-5 and, with his wingspan, bulldog mentality and perimeter shot-making, there is just no way that he won't produce in college. He reminds me a bit of former Georgia Tech standout Josh Okogie thanks to his alpha mindset and willingness to play both sides.

... I’m not sure how great of a pro prospect Erik Reynolds is, but there is no way that he doesn’t leave a mark on whichever college that he deems fit. He brings toughness and a versatile scoring prowess to the floor. Reynolds is down to George Mason, Richmond, St. Joe’s, VCU and Xavier, but odds are that he will end up in the Atlantic 10 next year.

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