NCAA basketball recruiting predictions for every 2021 5-star recruit
No. 18 – Peyton Watson – SF – 6-foot-7, 180 pounds – Long Beach, CA
Watson is long and athletic, with a good frame that should take well to adding muscle and strength as he matures physically. On film, he possesses good natural instincts and a feel for the game, and his offensive development should come with coaching at the next level, translating his raw talents into a polished, complete player.
The California product has had great interest from west coast schools including Arizona, Arizona St., and Washington, and Watson has taken official visits to both Arizona and Washington. Arkansas, Kentucky, Gonzaga, and Virginia also seem keen to pursue the forward. It remains early on in the process and there is no clear leader in pursuit of Watson, but it’s a good bet to think he stays on the west coast for a Pac-12 program. We’ll predict that Watson ends up playing for Sean Miller at Arizona.
PREDICTION: Arizona Wildcats
No. 17 – Trevor Keels – SG – 6-foot-5, 210 pounds – Fairfax, VA
Keels is a very good shooter but the most notable part of his game on film is his fearlessness driving to and attacking the rim. He’s a great athlete and has great strength to finish at and around the rim. His body projects to develop very well physically, and he has the raw skill set to be an incredibly effective wing player in college.
Keels has taken an unofficial visit to Duke, as well as official visits to Ohio St. and Virginia, the latter of which is seen as one of the front-runners for the scoring guard. Villanova and Virginia have shown the most interest over the longest period of time for Keels. Keels was teammates with 2020 Duke commit Jeremy Roach, which could offer some support for the idea that Keels could be Durham-bound. However, we believe Keels will end up elsewhere in the ACC playing for Tony Bennett at Virginia.