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College Basketball Recruiting Roundup: Arizona State keeps rolling

By Gabe Esquivel

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 22: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils looks on against the USC Trojans during a NCAA Pac12 conference college basketball game at Galen Center on January 22, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 22: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils looks on against the USC Trojans during a NCAA Pac12 conference college basketball game at Galen Center on January 22, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) /
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This week’s college basketball recruiting roundup sees Georgia add a top prospect.

It has been two weeks since we’ve rounded up the important college basketball recruiting news. That’s primarily due to the lack of activity we saw before the holiday season got underway. Until last week, things had been really quiet. That has changed now. We have seen notable commitments in two classes, as well as a big-time de-commitment. Look for plenty of visits to start taking place and more commitments to follow now that conference play is beginning.

So, let’s look at the notable recruiting news from around the college basketball world.

Mark Fox adds a 5-star

University of Georgia head coach Mark Fox received a commitment from a 5-star, 2019 point guard, Ashton Hagans last week. Hagans becomes the first commitment for Georgia in the class of 2019, though there are rumors of him reclassifying to 2018. Until that happens, Hagans sets a terrific tone for the 2019 class.

Hagans is a top-15 player, and one of the best point guards in his class. The quick, 6-foot-4 point guard does a little bit of everything, and plays with fiery intensity. Hagans, a Georgia native, has a close connection to the Bulldogs. His cousin attended the school, and he says he has known Fox since he was about 10 years old.

A strong, long-time connection to go with the prospect of staying close to home is hard to beat. Hagans is a terrific player who could be a one-and-done talent for the Bulldogs.

Taeshon Cherry de-commits from USC

Taeshon Cherry, a 6-foot-8 forward, de-committed from USC last weekend. This comes amid a former USC assistant being investigated for bribing recruits. Cherry is a top-30 player in his class, and is essentially right on the border on 4-star and 5-star ranking.

Cherry committed to the Trojans over schools such as Arizona, Florida State, Gonzaga, Oregon, San Diego State, Texas A&M and UCLA back in June. There is no word whether there is a specific set of schools that he’s considering now, but these schools will certainly be worth keeping an eye on as Cherry makes his decision.

Though, the LA Times is reporting that Cherry is the player mentioned in the FBI probe. If true, this could rule him out of eligibility as a whole. Big Baller League anyone?

Bryce Willis commits to Stanford

Bryce Willis, a 6-foot-5 wing, announced an expected commitment decision to Stanford last week. Willis chose Stanford over schools such as UConn, Villanova, and Wake Forest.

Willis is a 3-star prospect but does have more eyes on him than usual 3-star players. Willis has great size for a wing player, at 6-foot-5 with very long arms, and is a good athlete as well. The physical tools are there, and he will be developing his skills in Palo Alto. Willis only took two visits- to Stanford and Villanova. After those visits, it was clear to Willis that Stanford was the place for him.

Arizona State now has a commit in every high school class

Bobby Hurley received a commitment from 2019 point guard Jaelen House this weekend. The 4-star guard chose ASU over schools such as Long Beach State University and Southern Utah. The wiry point guard is also the son of former NBA player Eddie House, who was a well-known journeyman in the League.

The Sun Devils also received a commitment from 2021 forward Mike Foster early last week. Foster is a 6-foot-9, 220-pound high school freshman who is dominating the high school ranks early. Despite just being a freshman, Hurley liked him enough to offer him a scholarship and work him for an early commitment.

Arizona State now has two players in their 2018 class, and one in each of 2019, 2020, and 2021.