Big East Recruiting Update

This week marks one of the biggest, if not the biggest week of high school recruiting. Given the transfer portal and its popularity, high school recruiting doesn’t get the prestige that it once did. But I think it’s important to note that this year is the last of the COVID year. 33% of the transfers coming into the Big East this season have played at least four years of college ball. 35.4% if you count Zion Harmon who was a class of 2020 HS recruit.

Of that pool, over 60% are likely to start. 10 transfers, meaning almost a starter per team, may not be in the portal next year with these new restrictions. Coupling that with the fact that we have found how important player retention has been even in the portal era (Hi Marquette! Though I will not let Shaka "Mandela Effect" us into thinking Kolek didn't play for George Mason), I think the value of high school recruiting will grow back, probably not to the standard it once was, but will still be incredibly valuable to building a sustainable, consistent, winning program.

Quick Glossary:

AAU: Catch all term referring to Summer Basketball, in this context. Stands for Amateur Athletic Union

EYBL: The Nike AAU Circuit. Stands for Elite Youth Basketball League. Also used to refer to the top tournament in Peach Jam.

Peach Jam: A part of the Nike Circuit, it’s their championship week. Teams play in group stages to qualify for a spot in the Tournament, with the winner of that tournament being crowned Nike Circuit Champions

3SSB: The Adidas AAU Circuit, event recently wrapped up

UAA: Under Armor AAU Circuit, also recently wrapped up 

So with that said, let's dive into this Big East Recruiting Update:

Commits:

Oswin Erhunmwunse, C, Providence:

Starting here simply, Oswin recently confirmed the rumors that he will be reclassifying to the Class of 2024 and joining the Providence Friars next season. Erhunmwunse is a center oozing with potential, who defends and rebounds at a really high level. His offensive game is still catching up to what he does defensively, but make no mistake, Erhunmwunse will be an anchor for the Friars for as long as he’s there.

Erhunmwunse ranks as the #41 recruit in the 2024 class, according to the Top247 ranking. Before he announced his reclass, Erhunmwunse was ranked #39 in the Top247 ranking and #24 in the 247 Composite Ranking. 

Colt Langdon, F, Butler:

Colt Langdon has also announced plans to reclassify, joining his Butler Bulldogs next season. A redshirt is rumored to be in play for Langdon, who I wrote about in much more detail as he committed here.

Langdon ranks as the #135 ranked player in the 2025 class, according to the 247 Composite.

Jamier Jones – Florida Rebels EYBL, Oak Ridge HS, Providence Commit:

Jamier Jones is a hyper-athletic forward. Jones ranks as highly as 29th on ESPN and is currently the most highly touted recruit committed to a Big East program. Jones is a high-level athlete. He’s a downhill driver through and through. He gets to the lane and puts the defense on their heels quickly. From there, he either explodes to the rim for a finish or isn’t afraid to find the open man and get his teammates involved.

But what makes him such a highly touted recruit is what he brings defensively. Jones can guard multiple positions and torments the opposing team's best player. Jones is one of the most athletic players in his class, and he shows that on the defensive end. 

Through two games at Peach Jam, Jones is averaging 15PPG, shooting 76.5% from the field. Jones plays for the same AAU team as Providence Target Jalen Reece (more on him later)

Jaylen Harrell – Expressions Elite EYBL, CATS Academy, Providence Commit:

Where Jones brings it defensively, Harrell is the smooth operator offensively. Harrell just knows how to score the ball. He’s versatile offensively, able to post up a smaller defender or blow past a bigger guy put on him. He has a really smooth jumper, which he can use off the catch, or off of a dribble or two to knock down a shot.

Harrell is a four-star recruit and ranks as highly as #82 nationally according to On3. 

Harrell played in Expressions win over Vegas Elite, where he tallied 13 points.

UPDATE: Harrell is playing in Expressions game against Florida Rebels, against his soon-to-be teammate Jamier Jones.

Ian Miletic – Illinois Wolves UAA, Rolling Meadows HS, Marquette Commit

Miletic marks the first addition to what looks to be a loaded class for Marquette. He is a shooter through and through. He’s got good size for a wing at 6’7”, and can hit a jumper from just about anywhere, no matter the circumstance. He is a lefty with a high release point, making it very tough to contest his shot.

Miletic is still developing in terms of his frame and his ability to put the ball on the floor, but looks to be a solid pickup for the future, whose jump shot will always have him impacting a game. Miletic is a four-star recruit, with 247 ranking him highest at #103.

Serious Names to Monitor

Seal Diouf – Vegas Elite EYBL, C:

Diouf recently picked up a Crystal Ball from Travis Branham to Georgetown. Diouf is very physical 6’8”/6’9” C. He averaged just under 12PPG to help get his Vegas Elite squad qualified for Peach Jam, shooting over 70% from the field. Diouf also played with the Netherlands U18 Squad, where he averaged 6.6 points and 4 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per game.

Diouf is a very physical player on both sides of the ball and plays tremendously hard. Diouf plays a ton around the rim where he has a nice touch with his dominant right hand, or he can find an open teammate for a bucket.

Diouf is expected to decide relatively soon, with reclassing being an option.

Meleek Thomas – NH Lightning EYBL, Overtime Elite, G:

Meleek Thomas is the most highly touted prospect expected to join the Big East. Thomas is a consensus five-star for the Class of 2025, ranked as highly as fifth in the 2025 class by Rivals. The 6’3” Guard is a tough shot taker and a tough shot maker. He’s able to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot, which he’s very effective at. He knows how to get to his spot and hit shots.

Fair warning headphone users, this is only in your left ear

Thomas settles a little too much for my liking, but also has that ability to hit those crazy shots where the defense can do nothing but throw their hands up. Thomas is reported to be a heavy UConn lean, though will be taking some more visits before announcing his decision.

Nigel James -- LI Lutheran, Expressions Elite EYBL, PG:

James is a four-star PG, ranked as highly as #85 in the country by 247. James is an old-school pass-first PG. He’s a defensive pest, very willing to take your starting guard and play him for all 94-feet and just be a pest on both ends. 

He initiates plays on both ends, either pressuring a guard to take them out of the set they want to run or setting up teammates to finish opportunities he’s created. He’s quick with quick hands and plays in your face. 

James is announcing the day I am typing this, and I am expecting him to announce a commitment to Marquette.

UPDATE: Nigel James has officially announced his commitment to Marquette

Adrien Stevens – We R1 Basketball (UAA), Bullis HS, G:

I said this previously on the website called Twitter, but Stevens reminds me a ton of Stevie Mitchell. Player comps aren’t my strong suit, but I’m very confident in this one. Stevens is a defensive pest, able to guard 1-4 on the floor. He’s got a similar frame to Mitchell and plays off of others offensively. He’s able to play with the ball in or out of his hands, and can hit catch and shoot jumpers, but makes his name on the defensive end. Not the type to take over a game by any means, but plays with a really high basketball IQ.

By "doesn't do too much" I meant "doesn't force plays" not that he's lazy. Bad word choice on my part.

Stevens recently announced his Final Six which featured Villanova, Marquette and Georgetown. Georgetown only got involved in his recruitment recently, while Stevens has been a priority for the other Big East Schools. Stevens has visited Villanova and Marquette both. It seems like Marquette and Villanova are in the lead, with others looking to gain ground to pick up the talented guard.

Azavier “Stink” Robinson – George Hill AAU, Lutheran North HS, PG:

Stink Robinson will be attending school in the Midwest. His final five is as follows:

Robinson is a physically imposing guard. He embraces contact on both ends, plays really well through contact offensively and bullies opposing guards on the other end. He impacts the game in multiple ways, including through defense and his ability to rebound well for a 6’1” guard. His jumper is steadily catching up to the other things that he does.

Robinson is a four-star guard, ranked as highly as #73 by On3. Robinson has visits scheduled to four of his top five schools: Xavier, DePaul, Butler and Notre Dame all during September. I expect to learn more about his recruitment after those visits, but for now, it seems like Notre Dame is in the lead, with Butler in second place.

Nyk Lewis – Team Takeover EYBL, Gonzaga College HS (DC), PG:

Lewis is another pass-first PG. He’s able to get into the paint and make plays for others, and also brings it defensively every single game. He’s very aggressive on both ends and certainly has that toughness to his game that you need to compete at a high level in the Big East. He plays with a solid basketball IQ and under some excellent programs at the AAU and HS level, which is certainly a positive attribute for a floor general.

Lewis is a consensus four-star PG, ranking as highly as #42 via On3.

Lewis has a host of interest from Big East schools. He has visited Xavier, Marquette and Seton Hall officially, unofficially to Georgetown and holds offers from Creighton and Providence. His recruitment is one to watch for many Big East schools, probably the most competitive recruitment of any prospect in terms of Big East schools actively involved.

Eric Reibe – Bullis HS (MD), Puma circuit, C:

Reibe is a very highly touted center prospect, hailing from Germany, Reibe has been playing in America for the past few years. The 7’0” center has been surging up recruiting boards for his versatility. He’s able to score on the low block, and is quicker with his spin move than you would expect.

Reibe also has the ability to step out and hit a jumper, and is a really good passer for a big man. His combination of size and skill is what has stood out to scouts across the country. Reibe is a four-star prospect, ranking as highly as #26 on ESPN.

Reibe is a heavy Creighton target. The Bluejays seem to be in the lead right now, as they have hosted him for an official visit. A host of other Big East schools are involved, with Reibe having unofficially to Georgetown. Butler, Xavier, UConn, Providence, Villanova and DePaul have offered. Nationally prominent programs such as Louisville and UNC recently got involved in his recruitment, which has officially started to pick up steam.

Other Prospects:

Trey McKenney – The Family EYBL, St. Mary’s HS (MI), SG:

McKenney isn’t the most athletic guy out there, but he finds ways to make it work. He’s physical defensively, but his skill and savviness offensively really stand out when you watch him play. The way he’s able to create space, on and off the ball, is ridiculous. He’s as crafty as they get and has a knack for scoring the basketball.

McKenney’s jumper is the icing on the cake, he’s a very effective jump shooter with a really sweet stroke. He’s able to use his skill to free up space to knock down jumpers from wherever he chooses on the floor. He’s also able to effectively run an offense and find the open man to knock down a jumper.

The Georgetown Hoyas have made no secret of how much they love McKenney. Enough so that the Hoyas appear to be a serious contender for the 4/5 star prospect. McKenney has scheduled a host of visits, which includes visiting Creighton when they will be hosting Kansas. McKenney seems to want to take his time with his recruitment and likely will be one of the last high school recruits announcing his college destination.

McKenney ranks as highly as #14 in the nation from both ESPN and Rivals.

Cam Ward – Team Durant EYBL, Largo HS, F:

Ward is an elite scorer. He’s able to score wherever he is on the floor, and has absolutely lit up Peach Jam. Ward has shown off his ability to score wherever he catches the ball, and does so in a variety of ways. Ward is leading the PIT division of Peach Jam in scoring, at 27PPG.

Ward is averaging 30PPG through his last three games, shooting 78.6% from the field. With those numbers you would think it’s a ton of easy dunks/layups and while those are certainly some of his buckets, Ward is really effective from the mid-post area. His jumper can extend out to the three-point line, but he is far and away most effective in the mid-range, getting to his spots, rising up and knocking down a jumper.

It is tough to find information on Ward’s recruitment, but we know Marquette is very heavily involved, and he seems to be a priority for Shaka and his staff. Ward is a four-star prospect, ranking as highly as #45 via On3.

Jalen Reece – Florida Rebels EYBL, Oak Ridge HS, PG:

Reece is a priority target for the Providence Friars. If he comes to the Big East, he’s a Friar.

Reece is a very flashy PG. He’s really quick and isn’t afraid to find his own shot. He’s aggressive offensively, looking to get down the floor and quickly make a play for himself, or one of his teammates. He’s excellent off the bounce, finds creative ways to get to his spots, and has a very solid jumper from outside the three-point arc.

Reece plays on the same AAU team as the aforementioned Friar Commit Jamier Jones, with interviews indicating that the two are pretty close. The duo connected on a couple of nice lobs in their come-from-behind victory over JL3 on Saturday.

Reece is a four-star PG, ranking as highly as #59 on ESPN. LSU, Cincy, Michigan, Ohio State are also involved.

Christian Jeffrey – New Heights Lightning, Mt. Zion Prep, PG- 

Jeffrey has been the player who has stood out most to me at Peach Jam. I’ve watched all three of his games and have come away very impressed each time. He’s a bully ball guard through and through. He’s from Brooklyn and plays like a true New York Point Guard. He’s a bully on both ends, has no problem driving to the basket and takes pride in guarding your best player on the other end.

Jeffrey leaps to the top of the list of “my guys” that I think is better than his rating. He’s not a finished product yet (he very rarely will take a three), but the way he’s bullying guys at this level is impressive. He has been more impressive to me than his five-star teammate, the aforementioned Meleek Thomas. 

Villanova and Butler are involved in his recruitment, with Jeffery set to visit Butler on September 14, he announced minutes before I planned to publish this. I would expect more programs to try to get involved after his surging summer, which has led On3 to rank him as their #70 player. His only other ranking is on 247 which currently has him at 139, which is criminally low in this man's opinion.

AJ Dybansta – Oakland Soldiers, Utah Prep HS, F:

I’m putting this here in case I’m wrong on Jeffrey (I’m confident I’m not, to be clear). I’ve long said Dybansta is better than Cooper Flagg and is the best prospect in HS ball. I stand by that. And I’m seeing Jeff Goodman victory lapping/just discovering Darryn Peterson (the third-ranked player in the 2025 class), so I think I have a pass here.

Dybansta will get all of the NIL money, idk where he plays college ball (probably not in the Big East), but he is fun to watch if you ever get the chance. If your favorite NBA team stinks out loud, you will be asking for Dybansta to be your savior in due time.

Kayden Mingo – PSA Cardinals EYBL, Long Island Lutheran HS, PG:

Mingo is a very talented PG who has used Peach Jam to show the full extent of his abilities. Through two games, Mingo is averaging 20.5 PPG, shooting an efficient 58.6% from the field. Mingo has proven effective on both ends, as he was the winner of the Defensive MVP Award on the EYBL Spring Circuit.

Mingo holds recent offers from both Xavier and St. John’s, and is seeing his recruitment turn up. Penn State and Notre Dame are currently seen as the frontrunners, with everyone else making up ground for the Top 50 PG.

Dante Allen – Nightrydas Elite EYBL, Montverde Academy, SG: 

Dante Allen plays on the same EYBL team as Cameron (#2 recruit in the country) and Cayden (five-star PG) Boozer, and are 3-0 through the start of Peach Jam as one of the favorites to win the whole thing.

Allen is a physically imposing, tough, athletic guard, who is averaging 17.3PPG for Nightrydas, shooting 60% from the field, shooting 72% from inside the arc. He’s physically imposing, tough and has a knack for getting to the bucket and converting.

Allen is a priority target for the Villanova Wildcats, having visited there. His father, Mailk Allen, played at Nova from 1996-2000, and Villanova has been recruiting him for a while. Allen also recently visited Notre Dame.

Darius Adams – PSA Cardinals EYBL, La Lumiere, CG: 

Darius Adams is an excellent scorer. He played high school ball with Villanova F Matthew Hodge at St. Rose before moving to La Lumiere in Indianapolis. Adams is a borderline five-star G who excels at creating shots. Adams is an excellent scorer from all three levels of the floor and has a knack for scoring the basketball. 

Adams has an offer from St. John’s and just recently held an unofficial visit to UConn. He seems to have a ways to go in his recruitment, but those two schools will try to land the coveted guard from Manasquan, NJ.

Dezmon Briscoe – Indiana Elite 3SSB, Crispus Attucks HS, F:

Briscoe announced his Top Six just before I was finished writing this piece. 

Brizcoe is a physical forward with a nice touch in the high post area. He’s a three-star recruit, ranked 128 by On3. Briscoe is planning visits to his top six schools, and announced that he plans to decide by November.

Quickfire:

There are a ton of prospects, so rather than doing any more writing, here’s a very quick breakdown of some other targets. Of course not every single player your school is recruiting won’t be listed, and/or everyone who will end up playing in the Big East next season. But here’s some information we have now, on players who are considering teams in the conference, some of whom may end up hooping in the Big East.

Acaden Lewis Sidwell, Team Durant EYBL – UConn made his final eight. Surging recruitment, elite lefty guard. Took over this summer.

Braylon Mullins Greenfield-Central High, Indiana Elite 3SSB– Butler locally involved, seems going big time, UConn target. Announced 8 visits the other day. Shooter.

Jayden Forsythe Westtown, Team Final EYBL – Butler and Xavier offers, Villanova interest, Shooter Supreme

Jack McCaffery Iowa City West, D1 Minnesota 3SSB– Heavy Butler target, visited Twice, seems to be a Butler lean.

Omari Witherspoon St. John’s College HS, DC Premier AAU (UAA) – Hit a game-tying three-ball the other day. Butler, Xavier offers. Seemingly set to visit Butler, though nothing confirmed. 

Keyshawn Tillery City Rocks AAU – Offers from DePaul, Villanova, Georgetown. Would put it unlikely he attends Big East, but has looked really good in Peach Jam. 

Brady Koehler – Butler and DePaul offers. Surging recruitment. Seemingly has PC interest.

London Jemison Expressions Elite EYBL, St. Thomas More HS – Took Unofficial to Providence (before Harrell, Jones committed). Offers from Georgetown, SJU, Villanova, Xavier.

Efeosa Oliogu – Seton Hall, DePaul, Georgetown, Providence offers. Very impressive for Canada U18.

Zymicah Wilkins Team United EYBL – Villanova, Seton Hall, Georgetown offers. Unlikely BE imo.

Kai Rogers Wisconsin Playground AAU – Marquette Offer. Could be a priority for them. SJU, Georgetown, Seton Hall, DePaul have also offered.

Jalen Rougier-Roane Sidwell Friends HS – Unofficial visit to Xavier. Very quiet recruitment. Offers from Marquette, PC for sure. Not a ton of info out there, but someone to monitor. He’s good.

Danny Carbuccia – Quiet recruitment. Xavier and Seton Hall offers

Tre Singleton – Just picked up offers from DePaul, Xavier and Butler, previously held offers from NW and SLU. Recruitment seems to be picking up.

Naz Meyer New Hampton, Dream Vision 3SSB– Very recent offers from Xavier and Marquette. Keeping an eye on him, those are his first two HM offers, at least publicly.

Davion Hannah, Team Herro – Xavier visit lined up. Milwaukee kid. Highly touted prospect.

Darius Acuff – He has UConn on his final four list, but he’s going to Arkansas. Maybe Kansas if Bill Self pulls some crazy stuff, but it’s Arkansas.

Jordan Smith '26 Team Takeover - He's here because I love watching him play. Plays so incredibly hard, and rebounds so well. Watch this and you'll probably understand why. Dog defensively, too.

P.S./Editors Notes

The phrase “unofficial to Georgetown” was put in here a couple of times, and if you got to the bottom of this page you deserve to know what that means. Essentially it's “I live/go to school right here, I’ll take a couple pictures for two hours and see if its worth it for me to consider visiting again, or more likely decide to look elsewhere.”

Providence has a lot of offers out, but with their class already having two guys, I would imagine they get pickier with their targets at this point. Reece seems to be one of them, unsure what their plans are past that.

Also, Xavier has a ton of offers out there, enough to where I could blindly put “offered by Xavier” (same with Georgetown) on every prospect listed and be right more often than not (please don’t fact-check that, you would waste time on a very minute exaggeration). Not saying it’s a bad thing, just that we get more information on who Xavier prioritizes from visits than the offer.

It’s also been very tough to get updates on St. John’s recruiting, they seem to be heavily prioritizing the portal. Pitino is also preparing to Coach his Greece National team, so that could partially be the reason. With three starters graduating, I would think they find one HS player, but I obviously am not sure of that. They're going to be an interesting case study for the portal next season if they have to overhaul like Pitino has the last two seasons.