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Oklahoma lands four-star 2019 forward Victor Iwuakor

By Scott PhillipsSep 19, 2018, 5:15 PM EDT
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Oklahoma landed its second four-star prospect in the Class of 2019 on Wednesday as forward Victor Iwuakor pledged to the Sooners.

The 6-foot-7 Iwuakor is a long-armed, undersized forward who has the strength and motor to still compete against other players on the interior. Rivals rates Iwuakor as the No. 116 overall prospect in the Class of 2019, as he joins top-40 point guard De’Vion Harmon in Oklahoma’s group.

Iwuakor is a great start to rebuilding Oklahoma’s frontcourt as they have a lot of scholarships to work with in this class. Now with two four-star prospects in the fold, head coach Lon Kruger is continuing to recruit at a high level — which is also a good sign that they’re capitalizing on Trae Young’s successful season becoming a top-five pick. Oklahoma was in a recruiting battle with Baylor and Texas Tech for Iwuakor, as all three schools received official visits, but the Sooners were able to pull the promising forward out of Texas.

Report: Oklahoma State’s Michael Weathers, arrested and suspended

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By Scott PhillipsSep 19, 2018, 4:00 PM EDT
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Oklahoma State has suspended potential go-to player Michael Weathers indefinitely after he was arrested and charged with felony grand larceny and knowingly concealing stolen property.

According to a police report obtained by CBSSports.com, Weathers is accused of stealing a wallet with a debit card and credit card, among other things, from a local bar called J.R. Murphy’s on Sept. 9. The estimated stolen value is $85, according to the incident report. Weathers was released on recognizance bond on Sept. 10 and arraigned Sept. 11 as a preliminary hearing for the case set for Oct. 1.

A transfer guard from Miami of Ohio, the 6-foot-2 Weathers was the MAC Freshman of the Year following his season with the RedHawks in 2016-17. He put up 16.7 points, 4.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game as the stat-sheet stuffing guard was expected to be a major contributor for the Cowboys this season. Weathers often had his practice performances praised by Oklahoma State coaches last season while he sat out a transfer year.

If Weathers misses any sort of significant time from this, then it will undoubtedly hurt the Cowboys’ perimeter rotation as he could be facing a suspension. We’ll have to see how everything with this plays out in court, but Weathers being suspended indefinitely so close to the start of the season doesn’t help Oklahoma State.

Auburn lands four-star 2019 forward

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By Scott PhillipsSep 15, 2018, 1:45 PM EDT
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Auburn added another quality commitment on Saturday afternoon as four-star Class of 2019 forward Jaylin Williams pledged to the Tigers during his official visit.

The 6-foot-7 Williams gives head coach Bruce Pearl a versatile frontcourt weapon who should immediately be able to contribute on the glass. With an ability to also bring the ball up the floor, pass and defend a few different spots, it’ll be intriguing to see how Auburn plans to use Williams at the next level. Williams is a bit of a late-blooming prospect as a strong spring and summer elevated him into the No. 95 overall prospect in the Rivals Class of 2019 national rankings.

Williams becomes Auburn’s fourth commitment in the Class of 2019 as he joins four-star guard Isaac Okoro, athletic guard Allen Flanigan and forward Babatunde Akingbola. A native of Nahunta, Georgia, Williams is also the third Georgia prospect to commit to the Tigers in this class.

Auburn has done an excellent job of landing regional players, as the Tigers have raided the Peach State plenty of times during Pearl’s tenure. With four commitments already in the fold for 2019 — including two top-100 prospects — Auburn has the makings of a potential top-20 recruiting class as they are continuing to stockpile talent.

Missouri adds late piece to 2018-19 season with three-star guard

By Scott PhillipsSep 15, 2018, 10:45 AM EDT
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Missouri had a scholarship open up earlier this week when a knee injury forced senior guard Cullen VanLeer into an early retirement.

Seeking some help on the wing for this season, the Tigers landed a very late commitment for the Class of 2018 on late Friday night as three-star guard Christian Guess committed to Missouri with an announcement on Twitter.

The 6-foot-6 Guess is a native of Cleveland, as he is allegedly a late qualifier who could be eligible for the upcoming 2018-19 season. According to reports from Gabe DeArmond of PowerMizzou.com and Eric Bossi of Rivals.com, Guess said that he will enroll at Missouri on Monday as he will attempt to play this season.

While some Division I players have committed right at (or near) the start of the academic calendar, Guess will be attempting to enroll at Missouri even though the fall semester started on Monday, August 20. Every school is obviously different with regard to handling late enrollments, so it’ll be fascinating to see if there are any issues with Guess joining the team so late.

If Guess is eligible for the 2018-19 season, he could give the Tigers some much-needed perimeter depth to an inexperienced group. The only senior in the equation is Jordan Geist while redshirt junior Ronnie Suggs, sophomore K.J. Santos and freshmen Javon Pickett, Xavier Pinson and Torrence Watson will all compete for perimeter minutes along with Guess.

Xavier picks up four-star 2019 commitment from guard Dahmir Bishop

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By Scott PhillipsSep 15, 2018, 9:15 AM EDT
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Xavier continued its trend of Class of 2019 commitments on Friday night as four-star guard Dahmir Bishop pledged to the Musketeers.

The 6-foot-5 Bishop is a native of Philadelphia, as he’s a natural perimeter scorer who should be able to play multiple spots for Xavier. Regarded as the No. 89 overall prospect in the national Class of 2019, according to Rivals, Bishop committed to the Musketeers and head coach Travis Steele after taking an official visit to campus last weekend.

Already the fourth member of Xavier’s Class of 2019 recruiting haul, Bishop gives the Big East program a third top-150 prospect as he joins top-150 forwards Daniel Ramsey and Zach Freemantle as well as three-star big man Dieonte Miles.

While Xavier isn’t in the mix for elite five-star prospects in this class, Steele and his staff have done an admirable job of identifying the prospects that they want and landing them quickly. Having four prospects committed for next year by mid-September gives Xavier’s recruiting a lot of flexibility going forward. If Steele continues to identify, and land, prospects that fit Xavier’s profile, then the program should be in good hands after former head coach Chris Mack left for Louisville.

Texas lands four-star 2019 wing Donovan Williams

By Scott PhillipsSep 12, 2018, 4:30 PM EDT
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Texas started its Class of 2019 recruiting efforts in a positive way on Wednesday with a commitment from in-state wing Donovan Williams.

The 6-foot-5 Williams is coming off of a strong summer that saw him elevate near the top 50 in many national recruiting rankings. The versatile Williams was one of the better players in attendance at the NBPA Top 100 Camp before improving his Nike EYBL numbers during the Peach Jam with Houston Hoops.

Williams hails from Fort Bend, as he continues head coach Shaka Smart’s strong streak of in-state recruiting. While the Longhorns have also recruited well at the national level, landing nearby players like Williams has been the key to steady talent coming to Austin the past few seasons.

A late-rising wing guard like Williams is a strong start to the Class of 2019, as Texas will look to find more talent to put around Williams in the hopes of another top-20 class.