NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Breaking Down Battles for the Top Unsigned Players

Although most of the top-rated recruits for 2014 signed letters of intent in November, a number of quality players will not sign until the spring.

And, one big-time recruiting prize being pursued by Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Arizona, among others, is still out there. His decision could change the fortunes of his chosen team considerably and affect the rankings assigned to the 2014 classes by the recruiting services.

Nine players ranked by one of the three major recruiting services (Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com) have not yet picked a college.

Four of them would provide nice complementary pieces for major programs and could be instant stars if they sign with less talented teams.

Three others rate as major recruits who are likely to have an immediate impact as freshmen at big-time basketball colleges.

And, there are two available high school players who would be automatic game-changers for any elite program; although, one of them seems likely to bypass college and enter the 2014 NBA draft.

We present those nine available players in ascending order of their ranking, with the highest-rated unsigned recruit listed last.

Matt Cimino

Matt Cimino, a 6'10" power forward from Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, is not going to dominate games in college, but he can provide a significant inside-outside presence for a team that uses him wisely.

Cimino is ranked as the nation's No. 138 recruit by Rivals.com and is unranked by Scout.com and ESPN.com.

Boston College and Kansas State seem to be the leaders for this versatile, polished player; although, he might fit nicely at Stanford, Notre Dame or Virginia, all of whom have some interest.

Cimino is a smooth player who has good skills and can face up and shoot with range. He could be an effective stretch 4 in the right system, but his limitations in strength and athleticism may prevent him from being a dominant player. He will have trouble defending players on the perimeter.

From the outside looking in, he seems like a good fit for Tony Bennett's system at Virginia.

Andre Adams

Andre Adams, a 6"8" power forward from Westview High School in Avondale, Ariz., has garnered interest from programs that can't quite compete in recruiting with the powerhouse teams.

A good athlete who can finish around the basket, Adams has not had the consistent offensive production needed to draw rave reviews. He still needs work on his fundamentals, but his occasional displays of brilliance intrigue some teams.

Rated the nation's No. 119 recruit by Rivals.com, Adams may stay in state and play for Arizona State, which is just a few miles from his home. Boise State, Oregon State, New Mexico, Colorado and UNLV are among the other schools showing interest. If all else fails, Adams could wind up at Northern Arizona, where he would be a star. He's likely to sign with a higher profile school, though.

Josh Cunningham

Josh Cunningham, a 6'7" small forward from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, is still wide open in his recruitment. However, he has taken visits to Northwestern, Creighton, Iowa State and Oklahoma, suggesting those are his favorites.

Rated the nation's No. 80 recruit by Rivals.com, Cunningham's best assets are his toughness and nose for the ball. Although his size suggests he should be a small forward in college, his work on the glass means he may end up being an undersized power forward.

The group first-year Northwestern coach Chris Collins signed in the early signing period might be considered the best recruiting class in school history, according to the Chicago Tribune. Adding Cunningham to a class that is currently ranked No. 25 in the country by ESPN.com would boost the prospects for the Wildcats, who have never played in an NCAA tournament.

D'Angelo Allen

Major basketball colleges remain interested in D'Angelo Allen, a 6'7" small forward from Kimball High School in Dallas, Texas.

Arkansas, Marquette, Oklahoma and Georgetown seem to be the favorites for Allen, an athletic player with the potential to be a star.

He is still unpolished, and his ball-handling skills and knowledge of the game need work. He is by no means a can't-miss star at this stage. However, he is a good jumper who can hit the three-pointer, and his ceiling his high. He has the raw ability to be something special if he develops. 

That's why ESPN.com ranks him as the nation's No. 85 recruit; although, he is unranked by Scout.com and Rivals.com.

Hoyas coach John Thompson III and Oklahoma's Lon Kruger have a history of developing raw talent into quality players, which is why they show interest.

Jonah Bolden

Jonah Bolden is the first of the five remaining unsigned players who can have a major impact as freshmen. 

Bolden, a 6'8" power forward from Australia who plays for talent-rich Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev., cut his list of colleges to six on Nov. 18. 

Kentucky and Indiana, both of whom started recruiting Bolden late, are among the six contenders along with UCLA, Louisville, USC and SMU. SMU is the most intriguing name on the list because Mustangs coach Larry Brown has already signed Emmanuel Mudiay, the nation's No. 2 recruit, according to Rivals.com. Adding Bolden would give Brown some impressive talent with which to work.

Bolden is rated the nation's No. 30 recruit by Scout.com, No. 62 by Rivals.com and No. 70 by ESPN.com. Assessing Bolden's work with his high school team may be difficult with all the talent at Findlay. Three other Findlay players (Kelly Oubre, Rashad Vaughn and Craig Victor) are ranked among the nation's top-17 recruits by Scout.com.

Bolden's potential is what has college coaches excited. A good athlete who has excellent court vision, solid ball skills and excellent shooting range, Bolden has a chance to be a star. His thin, Kevin Durant-like frame makes some wonder whether he has the strength to maneuver effectively against top-level college competition.

JaQuan Lyle

Kansas is trying to arrange to have JaQuan Lyle visit the campus sometime in December, and if the Jayhawks sign Lyle, they could have a class comparable to ones landed by Kentucky and Duke.

Lyle, a 6'5" point guard from Evansville, Ind., who attends Huntington Prep in West Virginia, is ranked the nation's No. 22 recruit by both Scout.com and Rivals.com. He originally committed to Louisville but decommitted in July.

He told ESPN.com he'd have trouble turning down Kansas if the Jayhawks came calling, and the fact that Cliff Alexander, a top-five recruit, signed with Kansas makes it more likely Lyle will sign with Kansas.

Lyle and Alexander have become friends and expressed interest in playing for the same college team, according to The Sporting News. However, they were never the package deal that Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones were for Duke.

Oregon, Baylor, Connecticut and Indiana are the other schools on Lyle's list of contenders, and Lyle expects to make a choice in January or February.

Though not an excellent athlete, Lyle is a smooth player who can play either guard position effectively and has good court vision. 

Rashad Vaughn

Kansas is also on the list of contenders for Rashad Vaughn; although, the Jayhawks may not be the favorites for Vaughn, considered a player who can make a major impact as a freshman.

Ranked the nation's No. 7 recruit by Rivals.com, Vaughn is a 6'6" shooting guard out of Golden Valley, Minn. He plays for the powerhouse Findlay Prep team in Henderson, Nev., that features four players rated among Scout.com's top-30 recruits for 2014.

At the moment, UNLV, Iowa State and North Carolina look like the leaders for Vaughn; although, Kansas, Arizona, Minnesota and Baylor are still in the running.

Vaughn has already visited Iowa State and was scheduled to visit nearby UNLV on Nov. 25. He is trying to arrange a visit to North Carolina. 

Vaughn has the look of a star with his long arms, broad shoulders and solid frame. He can hit the outside shot but needs a little work on his ball-handling.

Dante Exum

Dante Exum, a 6'6" guard from Australia, may be the most intriguing recruit available. However, it's beginning to look as though he will never play college ball in America even though he is just 18 years old.

Because of Australia's academic calendar, Exum was scheduled to graduate from the Australian Institute of Sport in November. That early graduation date and the fact that he is an international player who will turn 19 next July provide Exum two interesting options not available to Americans.

1. He could enroll at an American college in December and play the second half of the 2013-2014 season. 
2. He could enter the 2014 NBA draft without having to play a season of college ball.

The first option was dismissed this past summer, according to ESPN.com. However, the option to enter the NBA draft next year is being considered seriously. In fact, Chad Ford of ESPN.com wrote in a chat room that Exum and his family are "strongly leaning toward skipping college and having him go straight into the NBA."

Ford rates Exum as the No. 4 prospect, behind Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Andrew Wiggins and ahead of Marcus Smart.

Exum has not completely rejected the idea of attending an American college for a year, so some program could get a star. Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon are the schools that interest Exum, and he visited Indiana. Although, there seems to be no particular front runner.

Patellar tendinitis has kept him off the court in recent weeks, according to a report by Lee Gaskin of The Canberra Times, but that is not considered a long-term problem.

Recruiting talk for Exum will heat up only if he decides not to enter the NBA draft next year.

Myles Turner

From now until Myles Turner announces his college choice, recruiting talk will focus on him, as this ESPN.com round-table discussion indicates.

Rated the nation's No. 2 recruit by both ESPN.com and Scout.com, Turner is the one remaining unsigned player who can lift a program by himself. He's in that category reserved for the likes of Jabari Parker and Julius Randle.

A 6'11" center out of Bedford, Texas, Turner has all the tools needed to be an immediate star. He is long and athletic, runs the floor well and has shooting range to nearly 20 feet.

The college that lands Turner will improve its recruiting class significantly, and it's noteworthy that five of the top-eight teams in ESPN.com's ranking of the 2014 recruiting classes seem to have a shot at Turner.

The seven schools apparently in contention for Turner's services at the moment are Duke, which already has the No. 1-ranked class; Kentucky, which is No. 2; Ohio State (No. 3); Kansas (No. 7); Arizona (No. 8); Oklahoma State; and Texas.

Turner has already visited Ohio State, Kansas and Texas and is lining up a Dec. 6 trip to Oklahoma State, according to SNY.tv (h/t Zagsblog.com). That may suggest those four are the leading contenders.

The fact that Duke already signed Jahlil Okafor, a center who was the No. 1-rated recruit in the country, would imply that Duke's interest in Turner and Turner's interest in the Blue Devils may have waned. But his father told SNY.tv (h/t Zagsblog.com) that Duke is still in the picture.

Duke strengthened its already monster class by signing Justise Winslow a few days after the fall signing period began. Whether the addition of Turner to Kentucky's or Ohio State's class would enable either to supplant Duke as the nation's No. 1 recruiting class for 2014 is an open question. But, it would be close. 

Texas is considered a leading contender for Turner, but coach Rick Barnes is on the hot seat. If he loses his job after the season, Turner may look elsewhere before the spring signing period begins on April 16. That may be why he's waiting.