NCAA Basketball Recruiting: The 20 Best Uncommitted Players in 2016 Class
They won't play a college game for another 17 months or so, but right now the members of the 2016 recruiting class are just as important to college basketball coaches as any of their current players.
It's part of the never-ending recruiting cycle in college sports, which requires teams to keep working in order to stay in contention for conference and national titles. All of the top programs are hard at work acquiring players for the 2016-17 season long before official workouts begin for 2015-16.
At this point, only four players rated as 5-star prospects by 247Sports have committed to a program for 2016, a number that just dropped after guard Tyus Battle backed off his pledge to Michigan earlier this week. Arizona, Louisville, UCLA and Villanova have landed 5-star commitments, but they and plenty of other teams are hot on the trail of the best of 2016's top recruits.
Here's a look at the 20 best remaining uncommitted players in 2016, listed alphabetically, with information on what makes them so highly regarded and which schools are most interested in them.
Edrice Adebayo
1 of 20
Position: Power forward
Height, weight: 6'9", 232 lbs
Rank: 12th
One of three 5-star players from North Carolina in the 2016 class, Edrice Adebayo has been making a name for himself this week at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Virginia. The schools interested in him, which include Louisville, North Carolina and NC State, are getting to see what kind of a force he'll be in college, most notably as a ferocious dunker.
At one point on Saturday he caused a delay in a game after dunking so hard it caused a bolt to come out of the backboard, per Evan Daniels of Scout.com.
Adebayo averaged 32.2 points, 21 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game as a junior at Northside High School in Pinetown, North Carolina.
Rawle Alkins
2 of 20
Position: Shooting guard
Height, weight: 6'5", 210 lbs
Rank: 23rd
It's been a while since a player this talented has come out of New York City, and Rawle Alkins is very much a throwback to the days when Christ the King High School was routinely churning out top-tier talent, such as Khalid Reeves, Jayson Williams, Speedy Claxton and Lamar Odom.
"He appreciates what Christ the King has done for him," Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello told Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. "If New York City had more Rawle Alkinses, New York City would still be on top right now.”
Alkins has offers from 19 Division I programs, including Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Texas and Villanova.
Jarrett Allen
3 of 20
Position: Power forward
Height, weight: 6'9", 210 lbs
Rank: 14th
Schools from all over the country are starting to get into the Jarrett Allen sweepstakes, but they might be too late to beat out all of the Texas schools already pursuing this Austin, Texas, native. All six of 247Sports' predictions so far have him staying in his hometown, but schools like Baylor and Houston are also high on his list.
Allen, the third-best player in Texas and fifth-best at the power forward position in the 2016 class, averaged 13.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game last season for St. Stephen's Episcopal High School.
Udoka Azubuike
4 of 20
Position: Center
Height, weight: 6'10", 280 lbs
Rank: 16th
The top-rated player from Florida also happens to be one of the biggest bodies in his class, but Udoka Azubuike knows how to throw around his weight. At this week's NBPA Top 100 Camp, Azubuike got rave reviews for how he held his own against other bigs. Rick Lewis of Phenom Hoop Report rated him as the second-best player in the field.
The Nigerian-born Azubuike is still only 15 years old—he'll turn 16 in September—but is in position to graduate from The Potter's House Christian Academy in Jacksonville next spring. That would make him only 17 when he debuts in college, but so far his age hasn't been an issue.
Florida State has gone all-in on trying to add Azubuike for 2016, but he also has offers from Kansas, Kentucky and Maryland.
Tyus Battle
5 of 20
Position: Shooting guard
Height, weight: 6'6", 205 lbs
Rank: 19th
A week ago, Tyus Battle wouldn't be on this list. That's because New Jersey's top-rated player had been committed to Michigan since mid-May. But on Thursday Battle backed off that pledge, deciding to re-open his recruitment, and on Friday he made a visit to Syracuse.
Connecticut, Duke and Louisville are among the others interested in battle, but Jerry Meyer of 247Sports believes a commitment to Syracuse seems imminent considering the circumstances.
"Would be more surprised if Tyus Battle doesn't commit to Syracuse by weekend's end than if he does commit," Meyer tweeted on Friday.
It's been a week of change for Battle, who is also searching for a new high school for his senior year after Gill St. Bernard's coach Mergin Sina told Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com that Battle wouldn't be back for 2015-16.
Marques Bolden
6 of 20
Position: Center
Height, weight: 6'10", 235 lbs
Rank: 22nd
Hailing from the same Texas high school that produced Duke guard Matt Jones, DeSoto, Marques Bolden is a far different player than Jones. He's also one who's going to take his time choosing a school, compared to Jones who committed to Duke nearly two years before playing his first game for the Blue Devils in 2013.
Bolden, who if he doesn't grow anymore might be better suited as a 4 in college, has been working on becoming stronger so that he can hold his own against all shapes and sizes in the post. He told Richard Dean of USA Today in May, "I get pushed around too easily a lot of times."
Besides Duke, Bolden has offers from most Big 12 schools, as well as Connecticut, Kansas and North Carolina.
Miles Bridges
7 of 20
Position: Small forward
Height, weight: 6'6", 218 lbs
Rank: 21st
Huntington Prep in West Virginia has given us the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Sim Bhullar, both of whom came from Canada to hone their skills in the states before dominating in college. Miles Bridges didn't come from as far to the north, instead only having to travel from Flint, Michigan, to play for the prep-school power.
Those roots are factoring into his recruiting, as Michigan State has had great success with Flint-area players, including those who were on the Spartans' 2000 national title team. But MSU is just one of a long list of teams after Bridges, which includes Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina and North Carolina State.
According to Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Bridges plans to cut his list to five teams soon and then make official visits. Only Kentucky is a lock for a visit, Bridges said, because he was told by incoming Kentucky freshman Isaiah Briscoe that "it's an amazing visit."
Terrance Ferguson
8 of 20
Position: Shooting guard
Height, weight: 6'7", 180 lbs
Rank: 9th
Terrance Ferguson has been in the top 10 of the 2016 class for quite sometime, and the fact he doesn't have a high school to play for as a senior hasn't had any impact on that ranking.
Ferguson was set to be the next great star produced by Dallas' Prime Prep, the charter school that multi-sport star Deion Sanders was involved in and where likely 2015 NBA draft lottery pick Emmanuel Mudiay played his high school ball. But Mudiay never ended up going to college, passing on his scholarship to SMU for a pro contract in China after it was unclear that he'd be cleared by the NCAA to play in 2014-15, as detailed by CBS Sports' Gary Parrish.
That appeared to be because Prime Prep had eligibility issues, and in January the school was shut down due to financial problems. Ferguson has continued to shine on the travel ball circuit, though, and has offers from Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Kansas and Louisville, among others.
De'Aaron Fox
9 of 20
Position: Point guard
Height, weight: 6'3", 170 lbs
Rank: 7th
Rated as the third-best point guard in the country in 247Sports' composite rankings, De'Aaron Fox is No. 1 overall in that position on 247's own list. Whichever ranking you use, it's easy to see that Fox is going to be a prized possession for whoever lands the Katy, Texas, product.
His offers so far include Kansas, Louisville and Texas, with Fox unofficially visiting Texas earlier this month. Fox told Jerry Meyer of 247Sports his meetings with new Texas coach Shaka Smart were encouraging, especially since Smart's VCU teams played the way he likes.
"I want to play in an up-and-down system but also one that is efficient," Fox said. "Playing style, my relationship with the coach and playing time are what's important to me."
Grabbing Fox would be a major coup for Smart prior to his first season with the Longhorns, though he also could be the answer to the point guard problems that Kansas has had for a few years.
Markelle Fultz
10 of 20
Position: Shooting guard
Height, weight: 6'4", 170 lbs
Rank: 24th
A coast-to-coast battle is already underway for Markelle Fultz, who since March has unofficially visited seven different schools from the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.
Fultz is trending upward after averaging 13.7 points per game at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, making the All-Star team. Despite his thin frame, Fultz showed off a great shooting touch that is among the reasons schools like Arizona, Florida State, Louisville and Virginia are so interested.
He is the latest star product from Maryland's DeMatha Catholic, where Jerian Grant and Victor Oladipo also played.
Harry Giles
11 of 20
Position: Power forward
Height, weight: 6'10", 210 lbs
Rank: 1st
The crown jewel of the 2016 recruiting class has every major program in his home state of North Carolina after him, but those schools have plenty of competition. Harry Giles has 16 Division I offers, including Kansas and Kentucky, and we could see a similar situation to how many top teams spent much of their recruiting time in High Point like they did last year going after Brandon Ingram from Kinston.
Duke secured Ingram, and the Blue Devils are considered the favorite to get Giles as well, according to 247Sports' Crystal Ball predictor. More than 60 percent of the picks made so far have Giles ending up in Durham, where he could be a cross between Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor, as well as incoming Duke freshmen Ingram and Chase Jeter.
Giles recently made the Team USA under-19 national roster, and he'll play for Arizona coach Sean Miller at the FIBA World Championships in Greece.
Jonathan Isaac
12 of 20
Position: Small forward
Height, weight: 6'8", 190 lbs
Rank: 20th
One of the lankiest players in the 2016 class, Jonathan Isaac still has plenty of room to add to his frame. But the lack of weight hasn't caused him to lack in interest, and Isaac has had to narrow his list down to just 12 teams heading into his senior year at IMG Academy in Florida.
In early June Isaac listed Auburn, California, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Miami (Florida), Michigan, Stanford, Texas, Virginia, Wake Forest and Wisconsin. All told he has 29 offers.
Isaac has been compared favorably to Brandon Ingram, a 2015 prospect with a similar long-and-lean body who was No. 3 in that class and ended up signing with Duke.
Frank Jackson
13 of 20
Position: Point guard
Height, weight: 6'3", 180 lbs
Rank: 15th
Frank Jackson's stock was already rising even before this past week, but after averaging about 15 points per game at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, this Utah point guard will continue to climb up the 2016 rankings.
"Frank Jackson is a point guard of the future with his size, athleticism and playmaking ability," 247Sports' Jerry Meyer wrote. "Highlighting that playmaking ability is his ability to score. He is a great three-point shooter off either the catch or the dribble, and he finishes well at the rim."
A former BYU commit who backed out of that far-too-early pledge in November, Jackson now seems to be taking his time making a new decision. He's set to visit Duke, Maryland and Stanford over the next few weeks, while Arizona is also heavily in the mix.
Josh Jackson
14 of 20
Position: Shooting guard
Height, weight: 6'7", 185 lbs
Rank: 2nd
Detroit's Josh Jackson will have a chance to do something that few players his age have been able to accomplish, that being earn three gold medals for international play before getting into college.
Jackson was named to the Team USA under-19 team for the FIBA World Championships in Greece, and if the Americans can claim the championship, it would mean Jackson could add to his previous medals won with the U-17 team in 2014 in Dubai and the 2013 U-16 gold in Uruguay.
All that international experience has prompted some to speculate that Jackson might go overseas the 2016-17 instead of play in college, similar to Emmanuel Mudiay this past year. However, he told Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News that he is "definitely going to college."
Where that will be is still unclear. His top suitors include Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, NC State and UCLA.
Josh Langford
15 of 20
Position: Combo guard
Height, weight: 6'6", 200 lbs
Rank: 13th
An official visit this past week to Michigan State had it looking like Alabama-bred Josh Langford was close to making a college decision, but so far no commitment has been made public.
The Spartans aren't the only one going after Langford, who has 22 offers that include Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan. He averaged 24.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last year as a junior at Madison Academy.
Thon Maker
16 of 20
Position: Power forward
Height, weight: 7'0", 205 lbs
Rank: 11th
The long and winding path Thon Maker has taken over the last few years took another turn this past week, as the top unsigned player from the class of 2015 officially moved back into the 2016 class. That's where he'd been until February, when interest from schools such as Kansas, Kentucky and others prompted him to push to finish school early.
In the end, though, the Sudanese-born, Australian-raised Maker opted to stick to the original plan. He announced last week he would graduate in June 2016 after playing one more season at Orangeville Prep in Canada. Younger brother Matur Maker, a 6'10" forward, is ranked 30th in the 2017 class by 247Sports.
Thon Maker's return to the 2016 class came just before he dominated the NBPA Top 100 Camp, earning MVP honors.
Many schools are still in on Maker, but the top candidates right now appear to be Arizona State and Indiana. Each was willing to wait for Maker to enroll mid-semester for 2015-16 but now will keep after him for 2016-17.
Malik Monk
17 of 20
Position: Shooting guard
Height, weight: 6'3½", 171 lbs
Rank: 5th
The first 5-star prospect from Arkansas since Bobby Portis in 2013, Malik Monk has connections to the Razorbacks because his brother, Marcus, played there. And while Arkansas is high on his list, many out-of-state schools are just as interested and staying as involved as possible with Monk before he signs.
Monk is one of the most prolific scorers in the country, both for his high school team in Bentonville and on various traveling teams. He had games of 45 and 50 points last winter, and in April he dropped 39 in an EYBL game in Lexington, Kentucky. It was at this time that Kentucky coach John Calipari compared Monk to Derrick Rose, per Kyle Tucker of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Kobi Simmons
18 of 20
Position: Combo guard
Height, weight: 6'5", 170 lbs
Rank: 8th
For the second year in a row, the state of Georgia has a top-10 player causing all of the nation's top programs to head down south. For 2015 it was Jaylen Brown, who ultimately chose California over a slew of other major programs, and this year's coveted prospect is Kobi Simmons.
Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina are in on Simmons, as is Georgia and Missouri among the 22 schools that have made offers. Kentucky seems to be in the lead, based on an 81 percent figure in the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictor and because of Simmons' frequent interactions with the Wildcats.
Simmons' favorite player is John Wall, according to 247Sports' Chris Fisher, and he has the size that John Calipari likes from point guards.
Dennis Smith
19 of 20
Position: Point guard
Height, weight: 6'3", 180 lbs
Rank: 3rd
Much like there was this past recruiting cycle with Brandon Ingram, there's the potential for a fierce battle getting started between rivals Duke and North Carolina for in-state product Dennis Smith. Since the winter each school has made several visits to see the Fayetteville guard, and Smith attended Duke's overtime win over UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium to get a feel for what the rivalry was really like.
Those aren't the only schools interested in the top-rated point guard in the 2016 class, though, as Florida, Kansas, Memphis and North Carolina State are also doing their best to sway Smith.
Jayson Tatum
20 of 20
Position: Small forward
Height, weight: 6'8", 195 lbs
Rank: 4th
Jayson Tatum has a plan in place for his college decision-making, having already cut his list to four schools with the intent on making a commitment some time in the fall. One thing that could delay his process, though, is where things stand with North Carolina and its ongoing NCAA investigation.
Though the Notice of Allegations recently released by the school doesn't make much mention of men's basketball, the uncertainty of what sort of penalties might be levied against UNC has led to many prospects shying away from the Tar Heels. Brandon Ingram cited that in choosing Duke over UNC for 2015-16, per an interview with Langston Wertz Jr. of the Charlotte Observer, and it could impact Tatum's decision.
UNC is one of the finalists, along with Duke, Kentucky and outlier Saint Louis, the Missouri prospect's hometown school and where father Justin Tatum played in the 1990s.
"I know how much it would mean for my family and for the city of St. Louis if someone my caliber of talent were to stay home and play for SLU," Tatum told Brian Feldman of TV station KMOV. "It'd be a big deal."
Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
