Anthony Bennett: Prized Recruit Would Be Well-Served to Pick Oregon

Anthony Bennett, one of the few top-flight recruits yet to pick a school, will do himself a tremendous favor if he decides to take his talents to the Oregon Ducks.

Bennett is an athletic and strong 6'8" power forward. He is explosive around the rim and has three-point range on his solid jumper. He has good instincts on the glass and will definitely make an instant impact on the college level. 

Bennett has narrowed his choices to UNLV and Oregon. UNLV has some advantages. He played high school ball last season for Findlay Prep, which is in Nevada, and the Rebels are definitely a program on the rise. 

While this would allow him to delight hometown fans, it is not in his overall best interest. 

NBA Prep

Bennett has the athleticism and game that will grab the attention of NBA scouts no matter where he goes to school. 

However, at Oregon, he will have a chance to go head-to-head with other elite freshman looking to be one-and-done players. 

UCLA has had a tremendous recruiting class that includes Shabazz Muhammad. Bennett has a similar body and athleticism to Muhammad. 

Playing at Oregon would give him a chance to go up against Muhammad twice next season, and winning that matchup would go a long way towards securing Bennett a lottery selection in the next year's NBA draft. 

He also would have two matchups with Arizona and their two top-flight forward recruits Brandon Ashley and Grant Jerrett. Again, this would be a great chance for him to boost his draft stock. 

Bigger Spotlight

Playing in the Pac-12, Bennett will get much more TV time during the season. The conference has been down in recent seasons, but with the infusion of premier freshman talent, they are ready to climb back into the small pack of power conferences. 

There will be a surge of renewed interest in conference games, and the Pac-12 already has a nice TV contract. 

While Oregon has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2008, they were surging at the close of last season. This is a team on the rise. They also have already landed PG Dominic Artis—Scouts' 62nd recruit in the nation. 

This would give Bennett an excellent ball handler to get him the ball and help him showcase his skills.