Memphis moves up to No. 1 recruiting class with Precious Achiuwa commitment

Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers have the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class after the commitment from Precious Achiuwa.

Memphis continues to crush it on the recruiting trail and now their efforts have resulted in the Tigers owning the nation’s best recruiting class. Following Friday morning’s commitment from four-star Precious Achiuwa, a 6-foot-9 small forward from Montverde Academy in Florida, Memphis moved past basketball powerhouses, Kentucky, Arizona and Duke.

He is the No. 14 overall recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Achiuwa committed to Memphis over Kansas and North Carolina and his decision was made somewhat easier after the commitment from his friend and former teammate, Lester Quinones.

But the prevailing factor that played into his decision to come to Memphis and play for Hardaway was the relationship he has with the coaching staff and the belief they’ll get him ready to play in the NBA.

“It just came down to trust and just me believing and trusting the fact that they can help my game get better for the next level,” Achiuwa told 247Sports. “It all came down to me winning and the great relationship with the coaching staff.”

The potential future lottery pick is a great finisher around the rim and has unreal athleticism that should allow his skill-level to improve with more experience.

Memphis also touts the commitment from No. 1 overall recruit James Wiseman and five four-star recruits. There will be plenty of talent on the roster at Memphis next year as Hardaway will have to juggle the minutes for this star-studded class.

Will there be enough minutes to keep everyone happy? And not just happy, but will there be enough minutes to make everyone thrive in their role?

That’s been something Kentucky and Duke has had to juggle in recent years when they’ve brought in deep and talented recruiting classes. Sometimes it works and teams make the Final Four. Other times, it doesn’t work and the weight of expectations sees the team crumble and fall short of what fans, coaches and players envisioned.

There are no banners being raised for having a No. 1 recruiting class, but this should go a long way toward bringing a ton of excitement to the Memphis basketball fandom.