Every coach would love to lure top in-state talent to their program. In this week’s edition of Bossi’s Best, national analyst Eric Bossi takes a look at 10 key targets - such as five-star Paolo Banchero - from the class of 2021 that one in-state program or another would like to keep home for their college years.
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2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
2022 Rankings: Top 75
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Who needs to keep him home: Washington
The competition: Will soon cut to six from the Huskies, Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Kentucky, North Carolina, Memphis and Tennessee.
Why he’s so important: Banchero is arguably the best homegrown prospect of the Rivals.com era, and he has several connections to the Huskies. His size, skill and overall game would make him an immediate game-changer, and it would be a major win to fight off many of college hoops bluebloods to keep him.
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Who needs to keep him home: Minnesota
The competition: Holmgren has yet to put out any defined list or specify leaders, but Arkansas, Baylor, Iowa, Kansas, Florida, Gonzaga, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State and many other big-name programs are chasing.
Why he’s so important: One of the most unique prospects in the country regardless of class, the Gophers would hate to see Holmgren become the next five-star prospect to leave the state. The fan base is desperate for a breakthrough with an elite talent, and in Holmgren we are talking about a player who has ties to the program and would generate tons of interest thanks to his 7-foot size and guard-like skills.
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Who needs to keep him home: Memphis
The competition: Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU and others.
Why he’s so important: Cisse has only been in Memphis for one year, but he’s become a major target of Penny Hardaway and the Tigers. There’s a strong possibility Cisse could end up enrolling as a member of the class of 2020, and somebody with his size, shot-blocking ability and athleticism is something that they could really use in the Bluff City.
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Who needs to keep him home: Tennessee
The competition: Later this week Chandler is cutting his list to five from a group that includes Duke, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan, Ole Miss, North Carolina, USC and the Vols.
Why he’s so important: The Vols have really been picking things up on the recruiting trail. After landing five-stars in the 2019 and 2020 recruiting cycles, they’d love to keep it going with one who grew up in the state like Chandler. Not to mention that Chandler is a potential package deal with fellow five-star Paolo Banchero, who is also high on the Vols.
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Who needs to keep him home: Oregon
The competition: Offers from Arizona, Cal, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt and others.
Why he’s so important: The state of Oregon doesn’t produce a ton of five-star prospects, so it’s very important for the Ducks to keep those that are home. The Oregon Player of the Year as a junior, Bittle has great size, is skilled enough to shoot threes and is a guy Dana Altman would hate to see fall into the hands of a conference rival.
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Who needs to keep him home: Virginia
The competition: Duke, Georgetown, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Villanova and many more.
Why he’s so important: It’s hard to think that Tony Bennett doesn’t at least have some visions of former Cavaliers star Malcolm Brogdon running through his head when he watches Keels. He’s strong, he’s skilled, he plays tough on both ends and would seem to be a perfect fit for how things go in Charlottesville. Given that much of the competition is coming from teams that they compete against for ACC titles, the ante is upped.
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Who needs to keep him home: UCLA
The competition: Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Cal, Oregon, San Diego State, Texas Tech, USC, Washington and more.
Why he’s so important: A potentially elite player on both ends of the floor, Watson could help make the five-star splash that the Bruins could use locally. Arizona and Arizona State have proven they can take players out of SoCal, and USC is on fire in the Los Angeles area. The Bruins need to claim some of the turf for their own, and somebody like Watson would be a great way to start.
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Who needs to keep him home: Nebraska
The competition: Alabama, Arkansas, Creighton, Florida, Gonzaga, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, UCLA and several more.
Why he’s so important? An athletic and skilled combo guard, Sallis may be the best prospect from the state of Nebraska during the Rivals.com era. Nebraska has hosted him for an official visit, and while Fred Hoiberg has always been able to win with transfer talent, landing a local five-star talent like Sallis - who is getting pursued by the nation’s best - would be a major statement for the Huskers.
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Who needs to keep him home: Georgia Tech
The competition: Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Miami, Missouri, NC State, Stanford, TCU and Vanderbilt, to name a few.
Why he’s so important: Cleveland would be one of the most talented players that Josh Pastner has landed during his time in Atlanta, and he would be ready to roll as an impact ACC scorer. It would help the Jackets claim some territory, and Cleveland has ties to the school, so it would really hurt to see him go elsewhere.
*****
Who needs to keep him home: Indiana
The competition: Cincinnati, Louisville, Virginia and Xavier.
Why he’s so important: Archie Miller will always be under pressure to keep home the state’s top talents, and Kaufman is next in line to keep. He’s skilled, had a strong junior season and has spent plenty of time on campus. While his national ranking may not be quite in line with how well regarded he is by many in the Hoosier State, there’s no doubting that he’s a very important target for Indiana in 2021.
