The 10 Names You Need to Know in the CBB Recruiting Class of 2018

College basketball is in the midst of its spring signing period, where the last of the top prospects from the 2017 recruiting class are deciding where to play for next season. But in the never-ending cycle of recruiting plenty of attention is already being paid toward the 2018 class, none of whom can sign until November at the earliest.

The 2018 class is made up of prospects who are in their junior year of high school, meaning they still have another season of prep ball (as well as plenty of travel-team competition during the summer) in front of them before taking on the college game. But that doesn't mean we can't start discussing the most notable names from that class, the ones you'll probably be hearing quite a bit about a year from now.

We've put together a list of 10 prospects from 2018 who you should know about now. Consider it advance preparation for the 2018-19 season (as well as something to help get you through college basketball's long offseason).

Emmanuel Akot

Scout

Position: Forward

Height, weight: 6'7", 190 lbs

Ranking: 15th

Status: Committed to Arizona

One of just three 5-star prospects in 2018 who have already committed to a school, Emmanuel Akot picked Arizona in March over Louisville, Oregon and Utah. In making that choice he told Scout's Evan Daniels and Josh Gerson "they put players in the NBA, and that’s where I want to go."

And that was before the Wildcats saw four underclassmen—including three freshmen—enter the NBA draft.

Akot, who plays for Wasatch Academy in Utah, is listed as a small forward but has the skills to handle all three perimeter positions. His length makes it possible to guard bigger players, too, something he showed while playing for Canada's U17 team at the FIBA World Championships last summer.

Marvin Bagley III

Scout

Position: Forward

Height, weight: 6'11", 220 lbs

Ranking: 1st

Status: Uncommitted

The top-rated player in the 2018 class is coveted by blue bloods Duke, Kansas and Kentucky which are battling against West Coast powers Arizona, UCLA and USC for his services. Plenty more would love to add Marvin Bagley III a year from now, but they'll be hard-pressed to crack his top six that he unveiled via Bleacher Report in late March.

Bagley, who plays for Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California, had to sit out his sophomore year after transferring from a prep school in Arizona (with a brief stop in San Diego). He's been at four schools in his three years of high school.

"Bagley is as good as any high school player in the country right now," Scout's Brian Snow wrote.

A power forward who prefers to play with his back to the basket instead of stretch the floor like so many big men, Bagley could be the perfect interior piece for whichever school manages to pull him in.

Bol Bol

Scout

Height, weight: 7'2", 220 lbs

Ranking: 13th

Status: Uncommitted

Bol Bol is the son of former NBA standout Manute Bol, the 7'7" center who blocked more than 2,000 shots from 1985-1995. But while dad didn't have much of an offensive game, averaging 2.6 points per game for his career, the younger Bol has much greater potential in that area.

Already about 20 pounds heavier than his father played at in the pros, Bol Bol is cutting his teeth with national powerhouse Mater Dei in California. It's there that he's shown the ability to run the floor in addition to grabbing rebounds, disrupting shots and dunking with ease.

Early on the top suitors for Bol appear to be Arizona, Creighton, Kansas, St. John's, UCLA and USC.

Moses Brown

Scout

Position: Center

Height, weight: 6'11", 210

Ranking: 6th

Status: Uncommitted

Because players from the 2018 class still have plenty of growing to do it's often hard to determine whether someone is going to be a power forward or center. Most big man prospects get listed as the former until their body fills out but Moses Brown has been put into the latter category based not just on the size he already has but how he uses it.

He's playing for New York City's Archbishop Molloy, a school that has produced the likes of Russell Smith and Kenny Smith. Brown is the top-rated center in the 2018 class, and he's just starting to learn how to use his body. His control in transition makes it possible for him to be used as more than just a traditional center, though when he gets the ball down low he almost always finishes.

Brown has a long list of schools interested in him, including Arizona, Duke, Florida, Kentucky and Maryland. Don't expect him to decide anytime soon, though, as in February he told Rivals' Corey Evans it probably wouldn't be until "late senior year" that he'd make a commitment with a list of finalists not coming until August.

Romeo Langford

Scout

Position: Guard

Height, weight: 6'4", 170 lbs

Ranking: 3rd

Status: Uncommitted

The state of Indiana routinely produces some of the top talent in the country, with Romeo Langford topping that list for 2018. The New Albany native is also the nation's top-ranked shooting guard for 2018, which means a laundry list of schools will be hoping to add him to their roster.

So far the notables include Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Purdue and UCLA. Indiana may be working the hardest to get the in-state product, someone who could be a signature addition for new coach Archie Miller's program a year from now and continue that school's tradition of landing the most significant prospects from the Hoosier State.

Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star called Langford the state's best prospect since Eric Gordon in 2007 and "one of the state's biggest draws" since Damon Bailey in 1990. Both of those players ended up becoming Hoosiers, with Bailey holding the Indiana high school career scoring record but maybe not for long.

Langford has more than 2,000 points in three prep seasons and with a strong senior campaign could top Bailey's mark of 3,134 points.

E.J. Montgomery

Scout

Position: Forward

Height, weight: 6'9", 205 lbs

Ranking: 7th

Status: Committed to Auburn

Bruce Pearl hasn't managed to do much winning on the court so far at Auburn, going 44-54 in three seasons on The Plains, but the same can't be said for his recruiting success. His 2017 class ranks 20th while the 2016 class was 19th. The push for another top-20 group is well underway, with a commitment from E.J. Montgomery getting things started in September.

"They've been recruiting me since the eighth grade and they've never stopped," Montgomery told 247Sports. "They've always been recruiting me hard, so I just felt like that was the right place for me."

There's a family connection to Auburn for the Florida native, as his sister Brandy is on the Tigers' women's basketball team.

Such an early commitment isn't unusual, but it also doesn't guarantee Montgomery will end up at Auburn. Expect other schools to closely monitor Pearl's status as coach if he has a poor season in 2017-18.

Shareef O'Neal

Scout

Position: Forward

Height, weight: 6'9", 200 lbs

Ranking: 36th

Status: Uncommitted

Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most unique basketball players to ever come down the pike, both in his time at LSU and during a Hall of Fame NBA career. There's no telling if son Shareef O'Neal has the chance to be as impactful but at least his pedigree has given him a good push in that direction.

Currently playing for Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, O'Neal has had a standing offer from his dad's alma mater for years. The Tigers are on the short list that also includes Arizona, Kansas, UCLA and USC, while his father is hoping Kentucky will make a hard push.

"I don't know where he's going to go, but I'd love for him to play for a coach like [John Calipari]," Shaquille O'Neal told CBS Sports' Kyle Boone.

Jontay Porter

Scout

Position: Forward

Height, weight: 6'8", 215 lbs

Ranking: 43rd

Status: Uncommitted

Coaching changes don't just affect a school's current roster or the one that will be around for the upcoming season, it can also have far-reaching ramifications. Take Washington, which by firing Lorenzo Romar after 15 seasons not only lost a ton of prospects from the 2017 class but also one of its top targets for 2018.

Jontay Porter had been committed to the Huskies, the same school where older brother Michael Porter Jr. was planning to attend for 2017-18. But after Romar was let go it caused a domino effect that started with new Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin hiring Washington assistant Michael Porter Sr. and continued with Michael Porter Jr. asking out of his national letter of intent and switching his commitment to Mizzou.

And the Tigers look to be the most likely landing spot for Jontay Porter as well, since that school is also where two of his sisters play basketball. The first step is Porter moving away from Seattle, where he played this past season with his older brother at Nathan Hale High School.

Javonte Smart

Scout

Position: Guard

Height, weight: 6'3", 166 lbs

Ranking: 9th

Status: Uncommitted

The top-rated point guard in the 2018 class hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the shadow of LSU. The Tigers would love to make him a part of their future plans, but it's going to take a lot more than proximity for them to beat out the competition.

Javonte Smart has offers from nine schools, per Scout.com. These include Baylor, Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma and UCLA. Following his second consecutive Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year award it's likely that many more suitors will come calling.

Whether LSU can keep Smart in town may depend on how new coach Will Wade and his staff click with the prospect, both in their personal interactions and how the Tigers perform during the 2017-18 season.

"He said he likes to win and I like to win, so I just want to see how they play," Smart said of Wade and LSU, per Brian Holland of BRProud.com.

Zion Williamson

Scout

Position: Forward

Height, weight: 6'6", 225 lbs

Ranking: 2nd

Status: Uncommitted

Only Marvin Bagley III is keeping Zion Williamson from taking the top spot in the 2018 recruiting rankings, but if Williamson continues to violently dunk on the competition it's very possible he'll overtake Bagley for No. 1. Even if that doesn't change the rankings, it's not going to stop him from jamming it home on anyone and everyone.

Listed as a power forward but more likely to end up as a wing at the college level, Williamson will do whatever is needed to get to the rim for the flush. But in those rare moments when he has to settle for a jumper his shot is on the plus side.

Williamson plays for Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina, where the in-state Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers are hot on his heels. Same goes for big-named programs like Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon and plenty of others from the south.

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com, unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.