Top-ten 2020 recruit narrows list to ten schools
Recruiting never stops and already the Kansas Jayhawks have their sights set on a guard for the 2020 season.
With the latest news of shooting guard Quentin Grimes transferring, point guard Devon Dotson returning for his sophomore season, center Udoka Azubuike returning for his senior season and forward Silvio De Sousa being cleared by the NCAA, Kansas fans have had a rollercoaster last couple of weeks.
It is still not over yet.
Cade Cunningham, a 6-foot-5, 185 pound, five-star shooting guard out of Montverde, Florida, recently cut his list down to ten schools on Thursday. Cunningham is rated as the eighth best player in the class of 2020.
There have been no talks about reclassifying, but this would be a huge get for the Jayhawks, as they missed out on targets like Josh Green, Precious Achiuwa and Johnny Juzang that would have been a big lift for them.
With Jalen Wilson‘s decision still lurking in the shadows, Kansas is still looking for shooters and a guy who can get a bucket when his name is called upon, which is something Cunningham can provide.
With a projected lineup of Dotson at the point, freshman Ochai Abaji and sophomore Marcus Garrett at the shooting guard and small forward positions and De Sousa and Azuibuke at the power forward and center positions, size is a plenty.
However, three-point shooting still an issue as Garrett and Abaji shot it at 24.5% and 30.7% respectively from deep with Dotson at 36.3%. Spacing is everything in college basketball and when you have three-point shooters that can really sling it, that opens it up for everybody else feeding it inside.
With guys like Azubuike, De Sousa and freshman forward David McCormack, Kansas could benefit greatly from a high-low offensive strategy.
According to 247 Sports, Cunningham is “a well-built wing who is growing. Good athlete who has a burst with the basketball. Makes plays in traffic. Great floor vision while attacking the rim. Finishes with touch. Decent lateral quickness. Good defender off the ball. Rebounds his position. Outside shooting is improving.”
Last season for his AAU team, Drive Nation, Cunningham averaged 11.5 points, five rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the Nike EYBL. For his high school team, he averaged 19 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
Jerry Meyer and Evan Daniels, who are the Directors of Basketball Scouting and Recruiting at 247Sports, came out with a recent crystal ball prediction on Wednesday afternoon landing Cunningham at 83% Oklahoma State.