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Three-Point Play: Underrated prospects, Makur Maker, Femi Odukale

We updated the Rivals150 rankings last week, but already a few prospects have enhanced their argument for a better ranking. In this week’s Three-Point Play, national analyst Corey Evans discusses those potentially underranked prospects, Makur Maker’s timeline and the breakout of Femi Odukale.

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2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position

2022 Rankings: Top 75


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SOCHAN LEADS THE UNDER-RANKED

Jeremy Sochan
Jeremy Sochan

Over the weekend, I spent a day at both the Bob Kirk Invitational Tournament and the St. James Invitational Tournament and the performance of three prospects had me second-guessing their rankings.

... Jeremy Sochan was amazing. He finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, all while making 9-of-11 shots from the floor. Sochan is skilled, defends up to four positions and can impact the game in the half-court setting. From what I saw, he looked like a top-30 recruit. Believe it or not, he has no high-major offers at this point, though Baylor, Creighton, DePaul, Michigan State and Vanderbilt are among the many that have shown interest.

... Dimingus Stevens really stood out with his shot-making. He has been a bit of a feast-or-famine prospect in recent years, but if he can improve his consistency and not be as shot-reliant, his stock should rapidly rise. The future Seton Hall Pirate, Stevens can do one thing super well and that is knock down shots. He made nine 3-point shots when I was watching him and easily outplayed his meager 45th shooting guard ranking in the 2020 class.

... Ike Cornish has been the most discussed name this winter, but his Legacy Charter teammate, Jacobi Wright, deserves his dues, too. Winthrop has invested the most into his recruitment, while South Carolina is also in the mix, but competition for his commitment should pick up. Wright is a bigger guard that is great at making his teammates better. He fell just outside of the Rivals150 but sure looked the part of a nationally ranked prospect.

MAKUR MAKER IN NO RUSH

Makur Maker
Makur Maker (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Makur Maker was unable to play at the SJIT due to eligibility questions surrounding his fifth-year status.

While I was unable to see him in action, there was information to gain about his future plans. This fall, the thought was that there was a only a small chance that he would play college basketball. The possibility of Maker playing in the college ranks has increased in recent weeks, however.

Maker has already taken an official visit to Howard, and Auburn and Oregon sitting as two other legitimate suitors. His first option remains the NBA, however. The only issue is that the league is in no rush to make a decision on whether he would be eligible to enter the draft in June.

I would be surprised if a ruling on his NBA Draft eligibility comes before late April or May. All of this would coincide with NBA early entry eligibility deadline, which only means that Maker, if he does actually decide on college, could be the final domino that would fall in clarifying the national title picture next season.

FEMI HAS HIS BREAKOUT

Femi Odukale
Femi Odukale

Femi Odukale is beginning to earn the recognition he deserves.

Attending Springfield Commonwealth Academy for his prep year, Odukale has shown the capacity to play all three spots along the perimeter, is a more than serviceable defender that brings a competitive edge to the court and also ability to make shots.

His recruitment has been a fluid one throughout recent months. Two weeks ago, Odukale took an official visit to UMass. In recent weeks, Pitt, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and Washington State have all jumped in with offers.

Odukale’s breakout could be a quick one. A decision could be made by April, and he plans to take an official visit to Pitt on Feb. 21. Look for more power programs to take a look at him in the meantime as he looks the part of one of the winter’s top stock boosters.

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