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014 Big 12 recruiting primer
How each Big 12 hoops program is shaping up heading into the 2014 cycle
Updated: June 20, 2013, 1:39 PM ET
By Dave Telep | ESPN.com
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With the new ESPN 100 player rankings out, and as the 2014 basketball recruiting cycle picks up heading into the July evaluation periods, here's a look at how each team in the Big 12 is shaping up in the 2014 recruiting class. Team-by-team recruiting capsules for the Big Ten are already out, while Pac-12 (Wednesday), ACC (Thursday), SEC (Friday), AAC (next Monday) and Big East (next Tuesday) will be coming in subsequent days.
Note: Teams are as of conference alignment for the 2013-14 season.
Baylor Bears
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: It's a pretty ambitious wish list at this point, given the competition. But credit coach Scott Drew, who has his program in with elite prospects like point guard Tyus Jones, center Myles Turner, center Jahlil Okafor, shooting guard Justise Winslow, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, shooting guard Rashad Vaughn, small forward Malik Pope, small forward Kelly Oubre, power forward Leron Black and small forward Leon Gilmore. More than anything, this program needs a stabilizer at the point.
Storyline to watch: The best player the Bears have a shot at is Mudiay, the nation's No. 5 overall recruit. Everybody knows Kentucky has him targeted as its No. 1 point guard option. Can the Bears best the NCAA's biggest recruiting power?
Bold prediction: I'm not ready to say they're going to get him, but I bet the Bears wind up being one of two programs in the end for Mudiay. They've been right there the entire time, and despite, the traffic they aren't going away.
Overall recruiting trend: At this point the trend is even, but there's a reason. The Bears were coming off the highest recruiting peak of their program a few seasons ago, so naturally it would be difficult to maintain. To their credit, the bar was raised higher than ever with some elite classes. Baylor's 2013 class was good, and 2014 will be the true predictor.
Iowa State Cyclones
Who they have: Fred Hoiberg picked up his first 2014 commitment back in December 2012 when three-star point guard Clay Custer gave him the thumbs-up. Custer is solid, not spectacular, but gives the Cyclones a feisty floor general with something to prove.
Who they want: First and foremost, they want No. 11 recruit and No. 1 shooting guard Rashad Vaughn. The list also includes power forward Reid Travis, power forward Abdul-Malik Abu, power forward Paul White, power forward Jaylen Johnson, shooting guard Jared Terrell, center Quadri Moore and point guard Kevin Zabo. The Cyclones need more frontcourt pieces and would be unlikely to turn down a wing scorer as well.
Storyline to watch: The guy Hoiberg has been after the most has been Vaughn, a Minnesota native. Remember, Hoiberg played NBA ball in Minnesota for the Timberwolves, so there's a connection with Vaughn's home state. ISU lost an assistant who was valuable to Vaughn's recruitment, so we'll see how it plays out.
Bold prediction: The Cyclones have tapped into the New England pipeline for a smattering of good players this decade. I say they do it again and come up with Terrell, an ESPN 100 scoring guard out of Brewster Academy (N.H.), a program that has been good to Iowa State before.
Overall recruiting trend: Coming off the 2013 class (which included a pair of ESPN 100 talents in Matt Thomas and Monte Morris) and adding Georges Niang the year before, the Cyclones are on an uptick.
Kansas Jayhawks
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: KU has targeted seven of the top 15 prospects in the nation in center Jahlil Okafor, power forward Cliff Alexander, point guard Tyus Jones, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, power forward Kevon Looney, center Myles Turner, shooting guard Rashad Vaughn and shooting guard Justise Winslow. Point guard Josh Perkins is heading toward being a priority recruit. The Jayhawks also have interest in small forward Kelly Oubre, center Elbert Robinson and many more who will be evaluated in July. Remember, Kansas didn't begin recruiting Thomas Robinson until this exact time of his high school career.
Storyline to watch: It's easy to see that KU wants Winslow, Jones and Okafor to package up and play in Lawrence together. Bill Self is a master at reading situations, so eventually he may sense the entire trio isn't ripe for the picking and he has to table the idea and pick just one or two. Kansas' entire wish list is so good that if the Jayhawks can land even a third of their targets, they could wind up with the No. 1 class.
Bold prediction: Here's one that hasn't hit the wire yet: I'll predict that Turner, the nation's hottest post player, picks Kansas. Self has a lot to sell to the burgeoning big, including development, distance and recent track record.
Overall recruiting trend: Up. Kansas is coming off one of the greatest recruiting classes in the history of its program and is in the midst of an incredible run of success on the court, highlighted by a steady stream of top recruiting classes.
Kansas State Wildcats
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: Last year, Kansas State addressed its backcourt needs, so we're thinking this time around the Wildcats would love to get bigger up front. This isn't a great class for bigs, so K-State needs sleepers or jucos. Speaking of jucos, guard Kadeem Allen is a priority. From the high school ranks, center Myles Turner, point guard Lourawls Nairn, power forward Mike Gilmore, small forward Jordan Barnett, center James Thompson, forward Malek Harris, center Matt Cimino and center Chinanu Onuaku should be noted.
Storyline to watch: oscar Weber has connections sprinkled through the various spots he's coached at in the past. K-State wants to keep that Illinois market open and is on the lists of kids like ESPN 100 point guard Larry Austin. Texas has also been good to the Wildcats lately.
Bold prediction: Weber uses his Illinois connection to land Harris, a four-star combo forward from the Illinois Wolves AAU program. The Wolves were a good source of players for him when he was at Illinois.
Overall recruiting trend: This staff is only in its second year and is establishing its identity. Compared to past Kansas State classes the trend is down, but it's an incomplete assessment at the moment.
Oklahoma Sooners
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: The Sooners do things their way, which is through evaluation and not reputation. They're chasing after ESPN 100 prospects like small forward Kelly Oubre, power forward Dante Buford, center Khadeem Lattin, small forward Victor Law, small forward D'Angelo Allen, shooting guard Dorian Pickens and small forward Joe Burton, along with four-star forward and fringe top-100 recruit Josh Cunningham. Oklahoma needs an infusion of talent -- the positions will sort themselves out.
Storyline to watch: There are too many players from the border state of Texas for the Sooners to not capitalize this season. The key here is to create a recruiting blueprint going into July and allocate time and resources wisely.
Bold prediction: I think Lon Kruger would feel good if this came to fruition: The Sooners dip into Chicagoland and obtain a signature from Cunningham, a fast-rising small forward.
Overall recruiting trend: The Sooners are even for the time being and have been the past few seasons. They need a jolt to get themselves back into the picture for top-50 talent.
ew seasons. They need a jolt to get themselves back into the picture for top-50 talent.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: What Oklahoma State would really like is a third season from Marcus Smart, but that's not happening. Top-10 center Myles Turner is a major target. Ditto for ESPN 100 prospects like small forward Kelly Oubre, power forward Craig Victor, power forward Paul White and center Elbert Robinson. Underrated forward Leon Gilmore is another name to keep handy.
Storyline to watch: Turner said earlier this month that he knew at least one of his official visits would go to Oklahoma State. The Dallas area has been fertile to Oklahoma State in the recent past (see Smart, Le'Bryan Nash and Phil Forte, to name a few). What if the Cowboys replaced the best guard in the country with one of the best big men?
Bold prediction: The Cowboys are well connected nationally. While it might seem counterintuitive, I'm going to predict that their first commitment does not come from a player in their natural recruiting region. Travis Ford is bold.
Overall recruiting trend: The Cowboys have been trending up since landing Smart in 2012, and his decision to come back for a second year certainly doesn't hurt. Now they have a big name nationally to use as their pitchman.
TCU Horned Frogs
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: Trent Johnson is not going to get too complicated here. What's important to him are coachable guys with character. You'll hear TCU in the mix with center Khadeem Lattin, shooting guard Dorian Pickens, shooting guard Nick Babb, small forward Byron Smith, point guard Kaleb Joseph and power forward Jaylen Johnson.
Storyline to watch: Johnson and his staff pulled a rabbit out of their hat last year when they landed ESPN 100 center Karviar Shepherd. Few saw that coming, and it turned out to be a watershed recruiting moment. In hindsight, Shepherd was the kind of player Johnson likes to target in that he had unrealized ability, wasn't the most confident of players and had the academics to make the transition easy. The TCU staff loves prospects like that.
Bold prediction: I'll go out on a limb. Lattin, another ESPN 100 big man, smells a lot like Shepherd last year. I say TCU winds up being a premier player for him.
Overall recruiting trend: No doubt this team is trending up. No one saw last year's class coming, especially on the heels of a conference changeover. The key for Johnson is maintaining the momentum from the strong 2013 class. It's an upward trend, but success can be fleeting for a non-power program.
Texas Longhorns
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: The Longhorns won't be picky about positions this time around, because they've suffered enough exits and transfers to warrant a reload. Center Myles Turner, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, shooting guard Rashad Vaughn, small forward Kelly Oubre, shooting guard Ahmed Hill, center Pascal Chukwu, center Khadeem Lattin, shooting guard Jared Terrell, center Elbert Robinson, forward Joe Burton, point guard Alex Robinson and center Omar Sherman are worth noting.
Storyline to watch: Texas needs to take back its own territory. That means mining the areas of the state that have been good to the Longhorns in the past. There were four McDonald's All Americans from the state in the 2013 class, and none picked the Longhorns. That trend has to change with this class.
Bold prediction: The Longhorns rally around Turner and put everything they have into recruiting him during July. He fits the profile of the type of player they want at their school. I think he becomes their all-or-nothing big name in this class.
Overall recruiting trend: Currently, it's trending down. We covered UT's difficulty with in-staters in the 2013 class, but this is a proud program with a decade of significant recruiting history. Texas needs to be prominently mentioned with the big recruits again.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: Tubby Smith wouldn't mind getting heavily into the mix with shooting guard Nick Babb, center Jacob Hammond, power forward T.J. Maston, small forward Devin Wyatt or any late-blooming Texan who bursts onto the scene in July.
Storyline to watch: Let's not kid ourselves, Lubbock has been a difficult place to recruit high school kids to no matter who the coach has been. Given the circumstances and state of the program, this is a successful year if Smith and his staff lock in on a few guys they evaluate to be beneficial to the program and go from there.
Bold prediction: I think the bulk of the recruits in Texas Tech's 2014 class will be non-Texans. In order to jump-start this thing, Smith is going to need to get creative. That means jucos and not battling the in-state teams for the best players.
Overall recruiting trend: It's been a downward trend the last few years. It's a difficult job in a tough league, and that's not changing. The only way to turn this around will be for the head coach to tap into the high school coaches in the state and curry favor with the teachers of the game.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Who they have: No 2014 recruits so far.
Who they want: This a team in need of better guard play. West Virginia stocked the cupboard with bigs in 2013, so we know what's on the table for this class. ESPN 100 guard Brandone Francis might be wishful thinking, but they're in the mix. Kevin Zabo is a point guard option. Other prominent names you'll hear mentioned include power forward Abdul-Malik Abu, small forward Terry Larrier, power forward Donte Grantham, shooting guard Khadeem Carrington, power forward JaKeenan Gant, small forward Marial Shayok and point guard Evan Taylor.
Storyline to watch: With so many bigs taking up scholarships in the 2013 class, the clear needs to be addressed are wings and guards. In recent years, West Virginia has rolled the dice on guys like Eron Harris and Terry Henderson with good success. Can the Mountaineers find a few more under-the-radar guys?
Bold prediction: West Virginia gets creative in its search for backcourt answers and taps into the junior college market for a guard or two who can come in and make an immediate difference.
Overall recruiting trend: We gave the Mountaineers a tremendous amount of credit for their 2013 class, so in that regard they're on the upswing. But the feeling is that right now they're even at best, and here's why. This time around they haven't been able to jump onto the lists of premier guards, and they need to get themselves into the market for some sure things.
