Drake Basketball Recruiting: Who to Watch For

The Drake Bulldogs are on the prowl for some top-notch recruits to join their Basketball Program Here are some of the players they’re keeping an eye on.

2020 class

Drake University’s men’s basketball team is on the lookout for talented recruits to join their 2020 class. Among the players they are scouting are Xavier Sneed, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Wichita, Kansas, and Tray Jackson, a 6-foot-9 Power Forward from Lawrenceville, Georgia. Both players have the potential to make an immediate impact on the team and help Drake compete for a conference title

5-star recruits

Drake University’s men’s Basketball team is gearing up for another season of Big East competition. The Bulldogs have made waves on the recruiting trail in recent years and this season is no different. Here are five 5-star recruits to watch for as Drake looks to make a run at the conference title

1. Noah Williams – A 6’5″ guard from Los Angeles CA, Williams is rated as the No. 1 shooting guard in the country by 247Sports. He’s a gifted scorer with a High Basketball IQ, and he should be an immediate contributor for the Bulldogs.

2. Greg Brown – A 6’9″ forward from Oak Cliff TX, Brown is rated as the No. 3 power forward in the country by 247Sports. He’s a versatile player who can score inside and out, and he should be a key piece of Drake’s frontcourt rotation.

3. Jaden Robinson – A 6’7″ forward from Chicago, IL, Robinson is rated as the No. 4 small forward in the country by 247Sports. He’s an athletic wing who can score in a variety of ways, and he should be a key contributor for the Bulldogs on both ends of the court.

4. Xavier Thomas – A 6’8″ center from Dallas, TX, Thomas is rated as the No. 8 center in the country by 247Sports. He’s a physical presence in the paint who can rebound and block shots and he should be a valuable asset for Drake in the post.

5 James Wiseman – A 7’0″ center from Memphis, TN, Wiseman is rated as the No. 1 center in the country by 247Sports. He’s a once-in-a-generation talent with elite size and athleticism, and he has all the tools to be a star at the collegiate level

4-star recruits

Drake Basketball is on the rise, and fans are eager to see who the team will recruit for the upcoming season Here are four-star recruits to keep an eye on:

-Tyrese Hunter: A 6-foot-3 point guard from Chicago, Hunter is ranked as the No. 65 prospect in the nation by ESPN He’s a versatile player who can score, rebound and dish out assists.

-Kobe Brown: A 6-foot-8 forward from Alabama, Brown is ranked as the No. 72 prospect in the nation by ESPN. He’s a talented scorer who can shoot from long range and finish at the rim.

-Nate Laszewski: A 6-foot-10 forward from Florida, Laszewski is ranked as the No. 88 prospect in the nation by ESPN. He’s a skilled big man who can shoot from outside and battle down low for rebounds.

-Jaden Shackelford: A 6-foot-3 guard from California, Shackelford is ranked as the No. 98 prospect in the nation by ESPN. He’s a sharpshooter with deep range who can also excel on defense.

3-star recruits

Drake basketball is on the rise, and the recruiting class for 2018 is shaping up to be one of the best in recent years Here are three 3-star recruits who could make an impact for the Bulldogs next season:

1. SF Mario Pedraza
A 6’6″ wing from Puerto Rico Pedraza is a versatile player who can score inside and out. He’s also a good defender, which should help Drake’s small lineup.

2. SG Marcus Bartley
Bartley is a 6’4″ guard from Chicago who can really shoot the ball. He’s not the biggest player on the court, but he has a High Basketball IQ and should be able to contribute right away.

3. C Simon Kristensen
Kristensen is a 7-footer from Denmark who hasn’t played a lot of organized basketball, but he has a ton of potential. He’s still raw, but if he can develop his skills, he could be a big force in the post for Drake.

2-star recruits

2-star recruits are prospects who have been given two out of five stars by the major recruiting services. These players are typically lower-ranked than their 4 and 5-star counterparts, but they can still be very talented and worthy of a college basketball program’s attention.

Some 2-star recruits who have gone on to have successful college basketball careers include Travis Releford (Kansas), Kyle O’Quinn (Norfolk State) and Juwan Staten (West Virginia).

While 2-star recruits may not be as highly touted as their 5-star counterparts, they can still be very good players and worthy of a College Basketball program’s attention.

Unranked recruits

As of October 8th, 2018, here are some unranked recruits that Drake basketball is looking at:

-Gavin Potter: A 6’7″ power forward from Ankeny, Iowa. He plays for Ankeny Centennial High School and AAU teamensemble.
-Will Hellman: A 6’2″ shooting guard from St. Francis de Sales in Chicago.
-Drew Vogel: A 6’9″ center from Bettendorf, Iowa. He plays for Bettendorf high school and the Martin Brothers AAU team

International recruits

Drake basketball is no stranger to recruiting internationally. In fact, some of the best players in program history have come from overseas. With that in mind, here are a few international recruits to keep an eye on for the Bulldogs:

-Nigel Williams-Goss: A native of France, Williams-Goss is currently playing his freshman season at Findlay Prep in Nevada. A 6-foot-3 point guard Williams-Goss is ranked as a five-star recruit by ESPN and is considered one of the top point guard prospects in the class of 2013. He has already drawn comparisons to NBA All-Star Tony Parker

-Tristan Thompson: A 6-foot-9 power forward from Canada, Thompson is currently playing his sophomore season at Findlay Prep. He’s considered one of the best power forward prospects in the country, and he’s already drawn interest from several high-profile programs, including UCLA and Duke.

--Andrew Wiggins A 6-foot-7 small forward from Thornhill, Ontario, Wiggins is considered one of the top prospects in the country regardless of class. He’s already drawn comparisons to NBA superstar Lebron James and he’s still just a junior in high school Wiggins has yet to publicly identify any favorites, but Drake will certainly be on his radar.

JUCO recruits

In recent years Drake has had success recruiting players from the junior college ranks. Here are a few players to keep an eye on for the upcoming season

-Xavier Sneed: A 6’5″ guard from Kansas City Sneed is a versatile player who can score and rebound. He’s expected to make an immediate impact for the Bulldogs.

-Willie Warner: A 6’8″ forward from Chicago, Warner is a gifted scorer with a good outside shot. He’s also a good rebounder and defender, and should be a key contributor for Drake.

-Troy Lewis: A 6’9″ center from Los Angeles Lewis is a big body who can provide some much-needed size and physicality in the post. He’s still developing offensively, but he has potential to be a very good player at the Division I level.

Transfers

The Drake men’s basketball team has been on a roll lately, winning back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference titles and earning an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament in 2019.

This success has not gone unnoticed by top high school recruits, and the Bulldogs have already landed a commitment from four-star point guard Dain Dainja for the 2020 class.

But with only one scholarship remaining for next season, Head Coach Darian DeVries will have to be strategic in his recruiting.

One option that DeVries has is to target transfers. Due to the popularity of Drake Basketball many players are looking to transfer to Drake from other schools.

Here are some names to keep an eye on:

• Jaelin Llewellyn – A 6’2″ guard from Toronto, Llewellyn was a four-star recruit who originally committed to Ohio State He decommitted after one season and is now attending Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois. Llewellyn would be an instant starter for the Bulldogs and would give them another invaluable scoring threat.

• Patrick Tape – A 6’9″ forward from New York City Tape originally committed to Indiana before transferring to Harvard. He averaged 8.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season and would give Drake another big body down low. Tape would likely sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules but would have two years of eligibility remaining starting in 2021.

• Marquise Kennedy – A 6’5″ guard/forward from Chicago, Kennedy started his career at DePaul before transferring to Iowa Western Community College He is currently averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds per game at Iowa Western and would give Drake someone who can score in a variety of ways. Kennedy would also have two years of eligibility remaining starting next season.

Recruiting news

Drake basketball is gearing up for another season, and with that comes recruiting news. Here are some names to keep an eye on as the Bulldogs look to build their roster for the future.

-Jaylen Blakes: A 6’7″ power forward from Chicago, Blakes is a consensus four-star recruit according to 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals. He’s ranked in the top 100 of his class by all three outlets, and has Drake in his final seven schools.

-Luke Kasubke: Another big man, Kasubke is a 6’10” center from Wisconsin. He’s a three-star recruit according to 247Sports and ESPN, but isn’t ranked by Rivals. He has Drake in his top eight schools.

--Jaden Schutt A 6’6″ Small Forward from Minnesota, Schutt is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports and ESPN. He’s not ranked by Rivals yet, but has Drake in his top 10 schools.

-Tyrell Terry: One of the top point guards in the country, Terry is a five-star recruit according to 247Sports and a four-star recruit according to ESPN. He’s ranked in the top 20 of his class by both outlets, and has Drake in his top 10 schools.