In the wake of the busiest high school recruiting stretch of the year, it is officially the season of offers, commitments and visits.
The final NCAA live period concluded Sunday with the championship games of the Nike EYBL and Adidas 3SSB sneaker circuits. Most players wait until after the AAU season to dive deep into their recruitments — thus far, only 12 of the top 50 in the Class of 2027 have made their commitments. That number should spike in the coming weeks, while others begin to significantly cut down their lists.
Below are updates on several elite prospects and storylines to monitor as the process heats up.
The race for DeMarcus Henry is on… and could last a while
A five-star prospect who suited up for Vegas Elite on the EYBL circuit, Henry was one of the main attractions at Peach Jam last week. The do-it-all forward climbed from 15th to 4th in the national rankings during an impressive AAU season in which he averaged 19.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals.
With a long list of suitors, Henry has managed to narrow his list to eight: Ohio State, UConn, Kansas, North Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville and BYU. Coaches from each of those programs were present at Peach Jam and made an effort to watch Henry. The 17-year-old told Hoops HQ that he intends to visit all eight but wait to commit until the second signing period in the spring, once roster situations become clearer.
Asked what he’ll be looking for as he contemplates his decision, Henry said, “A place that can help me grow, because the main thing for me is just to keep growing. A place that makes me uncomfortable and pushes me to be better, and somewhere that sees my abilities and wants to just help me reach my goal, which is the NBA. Development is really the biggest thing for me, and a family culture.”
A new school could enter the mix for Darius Wabbington
Wabbington, the No. 14-ranked prospect in the Class of 2027, starred on this year’s 3SSB circuit, averaging 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Compton Magic. A 6-foot-11 big man who can shoot from the outside and has impressive passing ability, Wabbington has modeled his game after three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
The Phoenix native has already set up official visits to Indiana (Sept. 5), Louisville (Sept. 11), Arizona (Sept. 25) and North Carolina (Oct. 30). He had previously arranged to visit Texas on Oct. 9 but is in the process of rescheduling so that he can support his little sister at a basketball tournament in San Diego that weekend. He is also planning to visit Kentucky, which extended him an offer in mid-May. “I don’t really have a timeline (for my decision),” Wabbington told Hoops HQ. “Just whenever God tells me it’s right. I’m just enjoying the process and whenever I feel it’s time, I’ll make the decision.”
On top of the six schools mentioned above, another program may be joining the Wabbington sweepstakes soon. “Illinois actually reached out, so I think we need to set up a Zoom or something,” he said, “because they’ve had some success recently and their coach is amazing. So we’ll set something up to hear the opportunity.”
Jordan Page continues to turn heads
After a stellar AAU season with Garner Road on the 3SSB circuit, five-star prospect Jordan Page, a 6-foot-5 wing from North Carolina, announced that he will be transferring to powerhouse IMG Academy for his senior campaign. He and his family have kept his recruitment mostly under wraps, but in-state schools North Carolina and NC State are certainly in contention and working to get him on campus. Both Michael Malone (UNC) and Justin Gainey (NCSU) watched him play at the Adidas Palmetto Road Championship last week.
Kansas, Michigan and UConn are among the other programs heavily in the picture. The latest to join the group? Michigan State. Tom Izzo and his staff have gotten an up-close look at Page this summer and been very impressed.
Page told Hoops HQ that he will start to trim his list over the next few months. Asked to single out the most important factors influencing his decision, Page said, “The coaching, winning, and then every day I’m there I want to get better. No matter what happens, I want to get better.”
The Latest Buzz From the Biggest Weekend in Summer Recruiting
The Nike EYBL Peach Jam and adidas 3SSB Championship attracted thousands of players, coaches and scouts. Who made the biggest impression?
Peach Jam champion Carson Crawford maps out timeline
Florida Rebels point guard Cayden Daughtry stole the show at Peach Jam, but his teammate, 6-foot-6 forward Carson Crawford, also played a crucial role in the team’s championship run. The consensus top-50 prospect brings tremendous energy, athleticism and versatility to the table. In a narrow 82-79 quarterfinals win over Team CP3, he put up 15 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals.
Crawford will take his first official visit to Providence on Oct. 19 and plans to add a few more to his fall calendar, including Florida State and Syracuse. In addition to those three schools, he has been hearing a lot from Georgia, Ole Miss and USF. “I’m definitely going to try to get my commitment set in the fall or winter because you don’t want to be trying to commit during the transfer portal period,” Crawford told Hoops HQ.
With teams getting older in the impending five-for-five era — making it more difficult for freshmen to carve out roles — Crawford said that he will consider the average age of each roster on his final list. “If I’m choosing a school, I’m definitely looking at how old that roster is,” he said. “But either way, my goal is to work harder than all those guys so I definitely have something over them no matter what.”
Joshua Tyson kicks off busy visit schedule
Four-star prospect Joshua Tyson, a Mr. Basketball finalist in Ohio, made a strong impression on this year’s 3SSB circuit, averaging 11.6 points, 3.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals for Phenom United. The 6-foot-2 combo guard recently announced that he will transfer from Lakota West High School (West Chester, Ohio) to La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) for his senior season.
Tyson visited Xavier on Tuesday to kick off a busy few months on the road. He told Hoops HQ that he will also make trips to Ohio State (Aug. 28), Virginia Tech (Sept. 5), Cincinnati (Sept. 19), Clemson (TBD) and Michigan State (TBD). Tom Izzo has gotten very involved in Tyson’s recruitment, as the Spartans have turned up the heat on their pursuit. Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Mississippi State are recent additions to the race.
Tyson is hoping to lock in his commitment at the beginning of October.
Javion Tyndale keeps rising, pushes back timeline
A fearless floor general out of Montverde Academy, four-star prospect Javion Tyndale has risen more than 80 spots in the national rankings in the past month, jumping into the top 60. Playing for UPlay Canada on the EYBL circuit, the 5-foot-8 point guard averaged 17.9 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
Tyndale told Hoops HQ that he was initially planning to commit during EYBL Session 3 in late May but decided to hold off until after the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, when he suited up for Team Canada. That proved wise, as Tyndale led the Canadians to their first-ever gold medal in the event and has seen his stock skyrocket in the weeks since. He has been hearing from schools such as West Virginia, North Carolina, LSU, Butler, Providence, Seton Hall and St. Bonaventure.
“I’m going to end up probably committing in November,” Tyndale said. “But a lot of high-major programs and mid-major programs have reached out. It’s just a blessing.”
Tyrone Jamison prepares to cut down list
One of the premier offensive weapons on the EYBL circuit (18.3 points and 4.4 assists per game for JL3), 6-foot-1 point guard Tyrone Jamison has defended his top-40 national ranking and continued to garner interest from prominent high-majors.
The Louisiana native has already taken official visits to Iowa and Maryland — both of which feel as though they’re in a good spot with him — and has several more scheduled for the fall: LSU (Sept. 4), USC (Sept. 12), Oklahoma (Sept. 19), Baylor (Sept. 26) and Alabama (Oct. 10).
With a mountain of offers, Jamison is expected to chop his list significantly soon.
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