July is the hottest month of the college basketball offseason because it hosts so many major events, tournaments and showcases, all for the benefit of college coaches. It’s a long month for coaches and their assistants, who will be crisscrossing the country the next few weeks to get a close-up view of the next generation of stars
There is plenty to track during the annual summer evaluation period, not only because there are so many big-time events in July but also because this month serves as a precursor to the slew of official campus and home visits that will take place later this fall. There will be plenty of developments to track, and Hoops HQ will be there every step of the way.
Today, we’ll look at some of the biggest storylines in July:
Can Indiana reel in one the top 2026 prospects?
New coach Darian DeVries is on the board in the 2026 class, landing a commitment from four-star point guard Prince-Alexander Moody, from District Heights (Md.) Bishop McNamara, on June 27. It was an important grab for Indiana, which can build the rest of its class around one of 2026’s best playmakers. Also notable: Moody has captivated Hoosier Nation in a short span and started to recruit more top players in the class to Indiana.
One of those elite prospects, Jordan Smith Jr., just happens to be Moody’s AAU teammate on Team Takeover and is the No. 3 prospect in the class in the 247Sports Composite. Indiana extended an offer in early May and has been in hot pursuit, with IU coaches watching Team Takeover at the live session in Memphis. Smith, from Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI Catholic, told 247Sports he plans to visit Indiana after the summer AAU season. I expect Moody to be in Smith’s ear all the way until his commitment.
Other schools involved with Smith include Duke, Georgetown, Louisville and Syracuse, all of which he’s visited. Kentucky and Arkansas are the other major players here. Indiana is right up there, too, and I’d expect the Hoosiers to make an appearance on his final list.
While landing Smith is priority No. 1 for the Hoosiers right now in 2026, it’s also clear the staff wants to land a talented big. Indiana already has hosted consensus top-40 big Latrell Allmond and also is in the mix for four-star bigs Arafan Diane, Davion Adkins and Sam Funchess along with Italian center Luigi Suigo, who visited in late June. A three-man class of Smith, Moody and a top-100 big would be a great haul for the Hoosiers.
What Will Brandon McCoy Do?
This spring, there was lots of chatter in recruiting circles that Brandon McCoy, the No. 2 prospect in the 2026 class in the 247Sports composite, would reclassify to 2025 and be on a campus this fall.
McCoy, a 6-foot-4 guard, who played his junior season at Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, in the L.A. suburbs, hasn’t played summer-league basketball this year. He has stayed active, though, becoming one of four players in the 2026 class to make Team USA for the FIBA U19 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland. It’s looking as if McCoy will play on the summer-league circuit after the tournament and remain in the Class of 2026.
Multiple sources have indicated McCoy will return to the Arizona Unity on the EYBL circuit later this month. The past two summers, McCoy has suited up for Arizona Unity, playing with the 16u team in 2023 and the 17u squad in 2024. It’s still a “wait-and-see” decision this year, but it’s hard to imagine McCoy passing up an opportunity to compete for a championship one last time with his teammates.
Another plus: College coaches and NBA scouts will be courtside, and Unity is a team that’ll attract eyes. Consensus top-35 2026 prospect Miles Sadler, a point guard, is returning from injury and headlines a loaded Unity squad, along with center Paul Osaruyi, ESPN’s No. 2 overall 2027 prospect, and 2026 five-star shooting guard Cameron Holmes, the brother of Denver Nuggets center DaRon Holmes. If McCoy returns, that quartet means Unity will be capable of winning it all at Peach Jam.
As for McCoy’s recruitment, things are quiet, and he hasn’t spoken to the media in quite some time. What we do know is Duke is involved; the Blue Devils were his only visit, in November 2024. That was a possible landing spot for McCoy if he were to reclass to 2025, and I’d expect the Blue Devils to be heavily in the mix with McCoy staying in 2026.
Will USC land a five-star from L.A.?
Five of the consensus top seven prospects in the 2026 class attend high school in the Los Angeles area: McCoy, Tyran Stokes, Christian Collins, Jason Crowe Jr. and Tajh Ariza, the son of former NBA player Trevor Ariza. The question: Will USC land any of them?
The most likely prospects for Trojans coach Eric Musselman are Crowe (Inglewood High) and Ariza (St. John Bosco, as with Collins and McCoy). Crowe said he will announce his final decision July 18, though he did not provide a list of finalists. But I expect USC to be a strong contender, along with Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Kentucky and UCLA.
As for Ariza, whose father attended UCLA, the Trojans have been involved in his recruitment for a long time. USC was one of the schools Ariza heard from when the contact period opened June 15, and Musselman and staff have made a few stops at his high school. Musselman is a former NBA coach and has proved he can land five-star NBA bloodline talent; he signed Alijah Arenas, another L.A.-area product who is the son of Gilbert Arenas, in 2025. I like the spot USC is in with Ariza.
If there is anyone to rule out from the five, it’s Stokes. He hasn’t reported an offer from USC, and his recruitment is looking to be a Kansas-Kentucky-Louisville battle. Collins and McCoy also are looking a lot less likely for the Trojans, but I wouldn’t rule Musselman out. It’d be hard to miss on all five from your backyard.
Anthony Thompson narrowing in on top schools
In April, five-star forward Anthony Thompson released his top 15. Sources around his recruitment say that list should be narrowed down soon, and with that list, Thompson will have his official visit dates. From there, Thompson – who attends Hudson (Ohio) Western Reserve Academy, near Akron – hopes to decide in November or December.
Thompson, a lefty, long has been a priority for schools like Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan, among others, and those three are seen as the current leaders in his recruitment.
Thompson is one of the hottest commodities in the 2026 class because of his versatility. He’s about 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, and can pass, dribble and shoot. It’s a strong and fluent repertoire for someone his size. Be on the lookout for his narrowed list to come out shortly after the 3SSB Championships in Ladera Ranch, California, in the L.A. area, from July 17-20.
Cameron Williams’ recruitment, ranking rise
It’s been a great past few months for five-star 6-foot-11 power forward Cameron Williams from Phoenix Saint Mary’s Catholic. He’s played well for Compton Magic, earned an offer from Duke and is a newly minted consensus top-20 prospect.
With his rise in the rankings, Williams’ recruitment has picked up as well. He has scheduled his first two official visits — Purdue (Aug. 29-31) and Texas (Sept. 5-7) — and is working on scheduling trips to some other schools, like Arizona, Duke, Houston, Louisville and USC.
Williams, with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, has a high defensive upside and has been an elite shot blocker for Compton this summer. That’s made him a top target for elite programs.
There still could be a long way to go in this recruitment, and Williams doesn’t have any recruitment timelines in mind.
Mikel Brown, Hannes Steinbach Headline Top Performers at U19 FIBA World Cup
Top recruits and incoming freshmen squared off in Switzerland. We highlight which college-bound players showed out and update the latest on unsigned recruits.
What’s new with five-star forward Miika Muurinen?
Muurinen, a top-10 recruit in the 247Sports Composite, was another 2026 prospect considered to be a possible reclass candidate to 2025. That window has come and gone, and his high school coach at Compass Prep in the Phoenix area, Pete Kaffey, said Muurinen will be back for his senior season.
He’s another player who has opted out of summer-league action. He officially visited Arkansas, Michigan and Utah in the fall. Kentucky is another school involved and is trying to get him on campus.
Arkansas and Michigan had the most momentum in the fall, but it’s been a while since the 6-foot-10 Muurinen has updated his recruitment. It’ll be interesting to see how things progress with him firmly in the 2026 class.
