The recruiting roundup is back with notes on Darius Days to LSU, Elijah Weaver to USC and more
Each week we take time out to roundup the biggest college basketball recruiting stories of the past seven days. Although this week wasn’t filled with any heavy hitters landing at blue bloods, plenty of talented prospects committed and put themselves in situations to make an impact on the college game down the line. Here’s a look at the top commitments of the week.
Darius Days commits to LSU
Will Wade is quickly turning things around down in Baton Rouge. Last Friday, the head coach picked up the latest commitment for his 2018 class when 4-star power forward Darius Days announced his plans to attend LSU next fall. Days joins 6-foot-4 combo guard Ja’Vonte Smart and 5-star big man Naz Reid as part of a class that currently ranks No. 3 nationally.
The 6-foot-7 forward has the size to play either forward spot, but lacks the shooting touch to be a traditionally small forward at this point. Either way, he and Reid should create a formidable frontcourt quickly for a program looking to turn things around after several rough seasons.
Elijah Weaver’s headed to USC
The FBI probe into college basketball recruiting has traditionally resulted in players de-committing from the schools involved, but the USC Trojans got a boost this week when 4-star point guard Elijah Weaver verbally committed.
Although the Trojans will have likely have Duke transfer Derryck Thornton back next season, Jordan McLaughlin is set to graduate in the spring, opening up some point guard minutes that Weaver could step into. At 6-foot-5, Weaver will give the team a different, bigger look at the position.
Gonzaga lands Filip Petrusev
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have a type. Over the years, head coach Mark Few has established plenty of international recruiting lines that end in Spokane, WA and they came through again this week when 4-star big man Filip Petrusev announced his commitment to the school via Twitter.
Like many of the European bigs Few has landed over the years, Petrusev is a versatile and skilled option at the position. Over the summer, he helped lead Serbia to a U18 European Championship. With senior Johnathan Williams set to graduate in the spring, the Bulldogs were in the market to bolster their frontcourt ranks.
Next: Kentucky seeks success without roster continuity
UNLV picks up Bryce Hamilton
It wasn’t long ago that the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels were in a bit of a crisis. The situation was punctuated last offseason when new head coach Chris Beard left just weeks after taking taking the job for Texas Tech. Now, though, head coach Marvin Menzies is already roping in top 100 recruits.
4-star shooting guard Bryce Hamilton committed to the Rebels earlier this week giving Menzies a pair of 4-star guards in the Class of 2018. Trey Woodbury had previously committed.