NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Class of 2016 Players with Most to Prove in July

The summer is an important time for college basketball recruiting, not just for the coaches out there looking for the next best thing but also for the players. Much of the month of July is off-limits for coaches in terms of contacting or watching players. Evaluations may only occur during designated blocks this month, so any performances must be at a high level in order for players to make a lasting impression.

This is when many of the top players in the 2016 recruiting class will have a big opportunity to prove their worth, since the chances for coaches to see them in action are limited once the school year resumes.

Looking at the 2016 class, there are a number of players—both committed and uncommitted—who can make the most of these July evaluations in order to up their rankings and enhance the interest from key schools. We've highlighted 12 of them, noting what specifically they have to prove this month.

SF Kostas Antetokounmpo

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He can grow into his body

Recruiting rankings aren't an exact science, and they often reflect potential as much as they do performance. That's the case with Kostas Antetokounmpo, who to this point is known more for his name and his absurd length than he is for his game.

The younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannas Antetokounmpo, Kostas is 6'9" but only 190 pounds. That's the same height as Caleb Swanigan, his teammate last year at Dominican High School in Wisconsin, but more than 60 pounds lighter. This long and lanky body sometimes makes him look like a deer when he runs, but there's amazing upside.

"Kostas is still kind of raw, but his upside is unreal," Duane Wilson, who coaches him in Nike EYBL play, told Jerry Meyer of 247Sports.com. "He is really starting to get it. He could even be better than Giannis because he can shoot it better. Kostas already has pro moves, he just needs to get stronger so he can finish them."

The 41st-ranked player in the 2016 class has an offer from Iowa State and heavy interest from schools like Auburn, Florida State, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland, St. John's, Texas and Wake Forest.

SF Brendan Bailey

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He deserves as much attention as his teammate

Lone Peak High School in American Fork, Utah, has produced a number of Division I players over the years, but most of them end up staying in the state and going to BYU or Utah. For 2016, however, the school has a pair of highly regarded recruits, both of whom made headlines during their junior years for backing out of previous college commitments.

Brendan Bailey hasn't garnered nearly as much attention in this regard as his teammate, 5-star guard Frank Jackson, but the 4-star wing is still more than worthy of accolades.

The son of former North Carolina State and NBA star Thurl Bailey, Brendan Bailey is ranked 52nd nationally and considered the 11th-best small forward in 2016. The 6'7" Bailey was committed to Arizona State until late March, when Herb Sendek was fired by the Sun Devils. While he remains in contact with ASU's new staff he's also picked up an offer from rival Arizona, and he'd previously had offers from BYU, Tulsa and Utah.

According to Brad Allis of 247Sports.com, schools like Connecticut, Gonzaga and San Diego State have also expressed interest.

SG Tyus Battle

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He was justified in re-opening his recruitment

Tyus Battle had his mind made up in May, choosing to commit to Michigan over offers from Arizona, Duke, Louisville and Syracuse, among others. But then out of nowhere, only a month later, Battle had backed out of that commitment and made an official visit to Syracuse in late June.

At the same time, it became public that the top-ranked player in New Jersey would be playing elsewhere for his final season of high school ball, no longer part of Gill St. Bernard's School in Edison. It was a whirlwind period of time for the nation's No. 19 player (and fourth-best point guard) in his class, but the 6'6" Battle now has a chance to take his time on making a college choice while also focusing on basketball.

Battle was invited to try out for Team USA at the FIBA Under-19 World Championships, but he backed out just before training began. At this point Battle looks to be putting all his attention into getting back to a top level and figuring out what high school he'll play for next season.

Brendan Quinn of MLive.com tweeted last month that Battle is likely to end up at St. Joseph's in Metuchen, where younger brother Khalif will be a freshman this season. 

PF M.J. Cage

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That he's not just known for his lineage

San Diego product M.J. Cage has a famous name but wants to be known more for his fascinating game. Yet Cage has seen his ranking dip over the past year, going from a 5-star prospect last summer to 50th-best in the 2016 class as of 247Sports.com's latest composite ranking in early July.

As a result, the 6'9", 215-pound Cage is getting more attention now for being the son of former NBA great Michael Cage than for his own skill set.

Cage averaged 13.2 points and 11.7 rebounds per game for his high school, Mater Dei, leading the Monarchs to the California Open Division state final. 

Offers have come from Arizona, Gonzaga, Kentucky, UCLA and San Diego State, where his father was the all-time career rebound leader for the Aztecs.

SG Terrance Ferguson

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He can find a place to play

Terrance Ferguson has been one of the fastest risers in the 2016 class, staying in the top 10 most of this year and sitting at No. 9 overall prior to his time with Team USA at the FIBA Under-19 World Championships in Greece. After a strong performance that showed off his ability to hit clutch three-pointers, he could move up even further.

It's surprising that a player of his ilk is a free agent at the prep level, but after his Dallas high school—Prime Prep—was shut down in the winter, Ferguson has been in search of a place to play. 

College coaches will be watching closely to see where Ferguson ends up, because it could affect his eligibility, due to how classes from Prime Prep would transfer over. For now, he has 10 Division I offers that include ones from Baylor, Florida, Kansas and Louisville.

The 6'7" Ferguson averaged 6.1 points per game for Team USA, making 8-of-24 threes, including two in the gold medal win over Croatia.

PG Alterique Gilbert

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He can be the next great UConn point guard

Alterique Gilbert was the most recent top player from the 2016 recruiting class to take his name off the board, announcing his commitment to Connecticut on Saturday. Illinois, Louisville, Syracuse and Texas were also interested in the 5'10" prospect from Livonia, Georgia.

With that decision out of the way, it might seem like Gilbert can just relax for the next year before starting his college career. Instead, he probably will end up working even harder now that the inevitable comparisons will be made to previous UConn point guards like Ryan Boatright, Shabazz Napier and Kemba Walker. 

Gilbert is a bit smaller than those predecessors, but his game is no less flashy and explosive. Look for him to use his next performances as an opportunity to show this off as much as possible.

PF Harry Giles

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Maintain the No. 1 ranking

It's tough to be the king, right?

For Harry Giles it's been a part of life, as he's spent most of this year ranked as the No. 1 player in the 2016 recruiting class (other than a one-month stretch when he dipped to second). And with that ranking comes plenty of extra attention, as well as the chance to represent his country overseas.

Giles was one of Team USA's top performers during the FIBA Under-19 Championships in Greece, averaging 14 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. The 6'10" post often had to play center during the tournament, which enhanced his reputation even more.

Now comes the tough part—maintaining that moment through the final stretches of the summer while continuing to weigh his many college options. Giles has 16 offers, with Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest all heavily pursuing the in-state prospect. Kansas and Kentucky are also in the mix.

PG Frank Jackson

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He's worthy of the Duke offer

Had Frank Jackson not opted to decommit from BYU last winter, who knows whether this Utah guard would have risen to the level of prominence he has in the last six months. But what's done is done, and now Jackson sits as the fourth-best point guard in his class and one who's no longer just drawing interest from within the state and out west.

With his June 22 offer from Duke, Jackson has officially hit the big time and now could end up landing even more offers. To this point he's shown he's deserving of that offer, as it came right after he was one of the top scorers at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"Jackson blows by bigger defenders and bullies smaller guards," wrote Darnell Johnson of NBADraft.net. "If you play off of him, he can kill you from both mid- and long-range. At this point in time, his game is about as complete as one could hope, with continued strength being the most important thing to his future development."

The key for Jackson is being able to maintain this high he's on, because by doing so he'll have more than just Duke after him among the top-tier programs.

SG Tyson Jolly

He's not deterred by the academic setback

When he initially committed to California in April, Tyson Jolly was one of the first pieces of what would end up being a stellar 2015 recruiting class for the Golden Bears. Not long after he came on board, Cal also picked up 5-star prospects Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown, and the Bears were getting dubbed as a dark horse Final Four contender for 2015-16.

That might still end up happening, but it won't include Jolly after Scout.com broke the news last week that the 4-star guard was going to attend a prep school this fall instead of Cal. He's still considered a commitment for the Bears, but now in the 2016 class as the No. 112 overall prospect.

The 6'4" Oklahoma City native now must show he can move on from this setback and remain focused on his college career, while using this extra year to get seasoned for the Bears. It should pale in comparison to past hurdles he's had to overcome, though, such as when was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism that led to severe bouts of pneumonia.

PF Thon Maker

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That he made the right choice

Thon Maker has had a roller coaster of a past year on the recruiting circuit, bouncing back and forth between the 2015 and 2016 classes before ultimately settling on staying in 2016, despite having offers from Kentucky and other major programs to play this season. That means starting all over when it comes to getting courted by college programs, continuing his long journey from Sudan.

Maker has lived in Australia, Louisiana, Virginia and now Canada during his basketball journey, and in 2016-17 that could take him to Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas or Kentucky, among others.

Since finalizing that he wouldn't be in college this year, Maker has been on a tear. At the NBPA Top 100 Camp he was named the event's MVP, showing off every part of the 7-footer's game against elite competition.

"While Maker made some perimeter shots and showed a face-up game in the mid post, his speed and ability to handle the ball in the open floor is hard to stop for a player his size," Scott Phillips of NBC Sports wrote. "Also leading the camp in rebounds and placing fifth in blocks, Maker was a complete threat who looks back on track as a top prospect."

CG Seventh Woods

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He deserves more offers

For a player as highly ranked and well-regarded as Seventh Woods, it's surprising that more teams haven't gotten involved in his recruitment to this point. With only four scholarship offers, the nation's 30th-ranked player is looking at this point like a hidden gem that only a few schools have discovered, despite being on the national radar for several years.

Woods, from Columbia, South Carolina, recently participated in the Stephen Curry Select Camp in Oakland, California. He told Evan Daniels of Scout.com that he is getting the most interest from Florida, Georgetown, Louisville, North Carolina and hometown school South Carolina, though he expects things to pick up now that he's fully recovered from a wrist injury that sidelined him last summer.

"It's cranked up more since I've been back up on the court," Woods told Daniels. 

Only two of those schools—North Carolina and South Carolina—have formally offered Woods, as has East Carolina and NC State. With more time on the court and continued improvement, look for that number to skyrocket.

PF Kassoum Yakwe

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Shed the 'underrated' tag

A year ago at this time, Cheick Diallo had just begun starting his meteoric rise that saw him become one of the hottest commodities in the 2015 recruiting class. He ultimately signed with Kansas after a dominant spring, which came after great performances for Our Savior New American School in Centereach, New York.

That same team featured Kassoum Yakwe, an incredibly athletic power forward who plays much bigger than his 6'7", 220-pound frame. Yet at No. 128 overall in the 2016 class, he's not garnering as many accolades as Diallo did at this point.

Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com recently called Yakwe "way underrated" on Twitter, and this seems to be the consensus assessment. But with Zagoria also noting that Yakwe could still end up as part of the 2015 class, expect further interest to arise for teams looking for a late addition.

Yakwe was recently named the Nike EYBL Defensive Player of the Year, just as Diallo was. If he can develop his offensive game as well, he'll quickly shed that underrated tag.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.