Will Mitchell Robinson's Commitment Produce A Domino Effect For WKU?
A week ago today WKU received some big time news. Mitchell Robinson announced his plans to make the Hill is college home.
This was not just another basketball commitment.
WKU has made it's living for years by finding under the radar or slighted guys with a chip on their shoulder. Courtney Lee, Justin Johnson, George Fant, Chris Marcus, AJ Slaughter, Orlando Mendez-Valdez, and Anthony Winchester just to name a few.
This time Stansbury and the Hilltoppers made a major splash in the recruiting world by garnering the verbal pledge of the #11 ranked player in the nation in the class of 2017.
It has been a long while since WKU has snagged players of this caliber coming out of high school. Of course you have guys like Jim McDaniels and Clem Haskins from the 60's and 70's. Maybe even Kannard Johnson in the 1983 class.
However, in today's modern recruiting world. Western Kentucky hasn't even sniffed a top 50 ranked player nationally.
So the question then becomes...does Robinson's commitment start a domino effect for WKU getting more guys of this caliber?
WKU was in the final running for former 5-star guard and Mississippi St transfer Malik Newman. Newman ultimately chose to attend Kansas, but look at the company WKU is keeping on the recruiting trail.
When is the last time a recruit that the Tops had a legit chance at landing chose to go to a blue blooded school like KU over WKU? Go ahead, I'll wait.
- SF Galen Alexander is the #59 player nationally in the class of 2017. The four-star prospect recently announced a top seven that included the Hilltoppers along with Marquette, Arizona, LSU, NC State, Memphis, and TCU. Alexander is a familiar face to Stansbury, who was also recruiting him during his time as an assistant at Texas A&M.
- PG Jay Jay Chandler is the #73 player nationally in the class of 2017. The talented Texas point guard is another prospect Stansbury has been familiar with at Texas A&M and got a chance to evaluate even further during the spring evaluation period. Now, the Hilltoppers have extended an offer and entered the campaign for the lengthy floor general who also holds offer from the likes of Alabama, Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, and others.
- SF Zion Williamson is a 5 star prospect in 2018. The Hilltoppers recently entered the recruiting fold with an offer to the highly-talented underclassmen. Williamson will likely be one of the most sought-after talents in his class with offers from Arizona, UConn, Florida, UCLA, LSU, and a host of other top programs.
- PF DJ Burns is an up and coming young underclassman prospect in the class of 2019. WKU is getting in early on this kid. Burns has started to garner some interest from some very good programs. Tennessee, Old Dominion, Georgia, and Georgia Tech to name a few. The 6'9" 200lb prospect from South Carolina has been garnering invites to elite 100 camps.
- PF Charles Bassey is another up and coming freshman prospect in the class of 2019 to receive a WKU offer. Bassey recently took an unofficial visit to Kentucky. The San Antonio product will most likely end up being a top 10 player in the 2019 class if he keeps up his current level of play and continues to develop. Bassey currently holds offers from Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Creighton among others.
Now, Western Kentucky is in the running for multiple top 100 players across the country. That is not to say they will all be as successful as their high school ranking indicates. There is nothing wrong with signing guys that are 2-stars or 3-stars. Sometimes players slip through the cracks and aren't evaluated enough.
But the Hilltoppers being mentioned in the same breath with a lot of college basketball powers again gives the university priceless publicity and sends a clear message that Stansbury and WKU have intentions to return to former glory.
Robinson is going to be playing in the Peach Jam soon and said he would be trying to recruit guys to join him at WKU.
So strap in Hilltopper fans and enjoy the ride. Western Kentucky is on it's way back!
