Who’s Got Next? 2015 Pac-12 Commitments Tyler Dorsey, David Crisp and Marquese Chriss…
Posted by Sean Moran on January 14th, 2014
Who’s Got Next? is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what’s going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to discussing the recruitments of the top uncommitted players in the country. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.
Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.
Arizona Locks Up Top 10 Junior
In a surprise early commitment, five-star junior guard Tyler Dorsey announced his intention to play college ball at Arizona come 2015.
The Wildcats are currently on top of the basketball world with their perch atop the national rankings and their No. 3 ranked recruiting class in 2014. With the addition of Dorsey, the No. 7 player in the class of 2015 and No. 2 shooting guard the Wildcats have now gotten their 2015 recruiting off to a strong start. The 6’4” guard is known for his scoring exploits but has been playing as more of a combo guard this season at St. John Bosco in California. Over the holidays Dorsey was the second leading scorer in the City of Palms Tournament, averaging 19 points a game and tied for second in assists with 5.5 per game. With long arms and strong one-on-one moves it is almost impossible for just one defender to contain Dorsey off the dribble. A quick first step helps him get into the paint and then with his elevation he can rise for a patented pull-up jumper or an acrobatic finish in the lane. While not a deadly outside shooter, Dorsey is capable of hitting outside shots off the catch or the pick-and-roll with his favorite spots coming right around the top of the key.
When Stanley Johnson (#7 – 2014) committed to Arizona in the fall, much was made about the pipeline Sean Miller had built from the Oakland Soldiers AAU program to Tucson. Just in the past few years Miller has nabbed high profile recruits such as Brandon Ashley, Nick Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Johnson from this program. While Dorsey doesn’t play for this particular unit, the commitment does speak to Miller’s overall dominance of the California recruiting scene as he has taken full advantage of the tumultuous times at both USC and UCLA over the last five years. Three current Wildcats in the seven-man rotation hail from California, and Miller will add two more next year with the addition of Johnson and point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright (#50 overall, #12 PG – 2014).
In an interview with Scout.com, Dorsey’s father noted that Arizona expects him to play a combo guard position when he arrives on campus. “He’ll be used on and off the ball. They’ll try to use his talents the best they can to help them out. He’ll be a lead guard like he is now; he’ll be on the ball a lot and he’ll be off of it sometimes when they need him to score more.” By the time Dorsey arrives in Tucson, T.J. McConnell and Nick Johnson will be long gone. While the Wildcats will have still have guards Gabe York and Elliott Pitts, Dorsey will provide the team with another good scorer as soon as he steps on the court. While just a junior, he will still have plenty of time to continue to work on his point guard play and should be able to share some of the ball-handling duties with Jackson-Cartwright. Life is good for the Wildcats right now and Sean Miller is just getting started with his 2015 recruiting class. With Dorsey already committed, Miller will now focus on replacing his current big men. One such option will be five-star California power forward Ivan Rabb (#4 overall, #1 PF), who currently plays for the Oakland Soldiers and is also good friends with Stanley Johnson. So far through Miller’s tenure, the Golden State has been kind to the Wildcats and one of the key factors in Arizona’s return to prominence.
Washington Receives Commitments From Two West Coast Juniors
Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar took notice of the hot start of Rainier Beach, one of the top high school teams in the country, and put out offers to several of their starters two weeks ago. After the Huskies’ upset win against Colorado on Sunday, three-star junior point guard David Crisp committed to Washington on Sunday night, giving Romar his first commitment for 2015. The 6’1” guard is a powerful and athletic point guard who is currently averaging 22.3 points per game for his 12-0 team. After this year, Crisp will play at a prep school before enrolling at Washington the following season. As noted on Friday, the Huskies still have offers out to two other players at Rainier Beach; senior Djuan Piper and junior four-star guard Dejounte Murray. To go along with Crisp, Washington also received the commitment from another West Coast junior, Marquese Chriss. The 6’8”, 200 pound four-star forward hails from Elk Grove (CA) and is currently the No. 13 ranked power forward and No. 75 player overall. Per Josh Gershon of Scout.com, Chriss “is one of the most athletic prospects out west in the class and a kid with some serious potential.”
