taking stock of summer
steward, Kochera, bloom among those who made huge gains on recruiting trail Summer’s biggest stock-riser: DJ Steward, Young
Abusy June and July included heavy evaluations by college coaches of high school talent from across the state. Here’s a summer rewind of the players who raised their stock the most, including some players still overlooked in the senior class.
Steward’s national reputation has soared. In addition to vaulting up the national rankings and putting himself in the McDonald’s All-American Game conversation, the sharp and affable Young now is writing a blog for USA Today.
The 6-3 combo guard added headline offers from Duke and North Carolina — along with heavy interest from Kentucky, which could be making an offer — and received summer offers from Maryland, North Carolina State, Oregon, Arizona and Arkansas. Plus, Louisville, Texas, Indiana and Illinois had nice head starts in their interest and offers entering the summer.
While Steward will narrow his list and figure out upcoming visits, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than the blue bloods and those that have been on him for a while breaking through.
Biggest June stock-riser: Connor Kochera, St. Viator
Before the summer months arrived, Kochera was sitting on spring offers from Cleveland State, Lafayette and Western Illinois. Then the June live period hit, and Kochera shined with his St. Viator team. He made shot after shot from the perimeter while showcasing his uncanny finishing ability at the basket.
As a result, the offers came in bunches. The 6-4 shooter added June and July offers from Wright State, Siena, Brown, Wofford, Furman, Illinois State, South Dakota, William & Mary, Penn, Dartmouth, Lipscomb, UC Davis and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. That’s a pretty eclectic group of schools ranging in level, academics and geography.
Biggest July stock-riser: Martice Mitchell, Bloom
It always has been about Mitchell’s pure upside and potential. Based on sheer upside, Mitchell has been a longtime City/Suburban Hoops Report top-five prospect in the Class of 2020, while so many question his production rate and consistency.
But few if any bigs can run the floor like Mitchell, who has endless length and, as a power forward with 6-9 size, more skill than people realize. He has the ability to face up, knock down a shot out to the three-point line and affect the game with his length and agility.
The level of recruitment Mitchell should have been receiving took some time to develop. It’s here now. He had a lengthy list of offers entering July and had visited Rutgers. He added offers from Xavier, Minnesota, Maryland, New Mexico and South Florida to close out the month.
Other summer stock-risers in Class of 2020
Aquan Smart, Niles North
There was always an abundance of talent and intrigue with Smart, who has made big strides with his perimeter jumper. The shot has gone from questionable and borderline broken early in his career to respectable. Add in his size, length and athleticism in the backcourt, along with the glide and pace he plays at with the ball in his hands, and Smart has been very impressive this summer.
Smart has shot up the Hoops Report player rankings as much as anyone in the class in the last two months. He also has added a bunch of interest, including July offers from Illinois State, East Tennessee State, Florida International, UAB and Chicago State. Southeast Missouri State offered in April, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee and UIC offered in June.
Frank Jakubicek, Cary-Grove
The only committed prospect among the Hoops Report’s top 30 players in the Class of 2020, Jakubicek saw his stock rise considerably in June. He added eight mid-major offers but pulled the trigger quickly, finding the right level and ideal fit in Belmont.
Dante Maddox, Bloom
Here’s another player whose strengths were taken for granted and overlooked for quite some time. Before the summer, the 6-2 scoring guard lacked the interest he de
served as a strong-bodied guard who can shoot and defend. The latter is what kept college coaches coming back to see him.
Now Maddox has a surplus of offers after having just Wisconsin-Milwaukee and UIC for so long. Toledo, Missouri State, Loyola-Maryland, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Indiana State, Akron, Cal State Fullerton, Kent State and Southeast Missouri State offered Maddox in the last two months.
Prospects in Class of 2020 Still Overlooked
Ahron Ulis, Marian Catholic
Yes, he has offers. Good offers. Even a Big Ten offer from Iowa. But it has taken too long for too many to get on board with the 6-2 point guard.
Ulis will continue to shoot it better going forward while being a true point guard with some size and strength for the position. He has a great way about him and a focus that translates into being a productive winner.
Bennett and Jordan Kwiecinski, Loyola
As has been mentioned a number of times this summer in this space, a pair of skilled 6-8 players who can dribble, pass and shoot to some degree at their size are difficult to come by. Throw in the fact they can run and more, and it always has been a wonder why the two haven’t been recruited more heavily.
While picking up some steam this summer, the recruitment of the twin brothers has been too slow.
Yale was in a very good position early on with Bennett and remains a viable option. Bennett has been on campus and will return there soon. The academic opportunities match up well. But Illinois State, Siena, Lipscomb and Air Force have extended offers this summer, and the passing interest of some mid-plus and even high-major programs continues.
Jordan also has received offers from Siena and Air Force. Now Drake and UIC have jumped in with late July offers.
Both players are clear-cut mid-major prospects who don’t have enough mid-major interest when you start considering their upside and projecting them two and three years down the road.
Imagine if a higher-level program were to red-shirt either, develop him physically and let him naturally mature and progress as players.
Jackson Connor, Marion
It’s difficult not to like the 6-5 Connor. He’s so strong, plays so hard and is a bit of a physical specimen for a kid in high school. Connor impressed at NY2LA’s Next Level Invitational in July. He’s a scholarship player in Division II or low Division I.