Bragg will choose between Kansas, Kentucky and Illinois on Thursday.
Carlton Bragg may not be as polished as some other players in the Class of 2015, but the 6'8, 205-pound forward has still established himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the country. On Thursday, Bragg will end the speculation about his short-term future by announcing his decision between three prominent college programs.
Kentucky, Kansas and Illinois are currently still in the running for Bragg's services as he readies to announce his commitment Thursday afternoon at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in hometown Cleveland. The 19-year-old is considered one of the best prospects in the country -- a consensus five-star recruit -- and should make a huge impact wherever he goes.
Bragg is rated as the best prospect in the state of Ohio and the No. 16 prospect in the country, and has received offers from top schools around the country. UCLA and Arizona rounded out his final top five in the fall, but the Bruins and Wildcats have already been eliminated from his short list with the final decision just around the corner.
That leaves John Calipari's Wildcats, Bill Self's Jayhawks and John Groce's Fighting Illini competing to land the services of Bragg, who could potentially become a star with the right support. He still needs to develop offensively and improve his motor on both ends of the floor, but ESPN's scouting report says he has "all the other tools to be a special player."
That makes Thursday a fairly momentous day for Bragg and the three schools involved, even if one of them could be considered a long shot. Here's what's at stake as decision day looms.
Kansas
The Jayhawks don't have a single commitment for the Class of 2015 and are running out of options, making their bid for Bragg extra important. Luckily, there's some good news for Bill Self and company, as the school appears to be the favorite to land Bragg's services.
It's not that Bragg has said anything specifically about Kansas recently, but his relationship with adidas could end up favoring the Jayhawks in a big way. See, Bragg played AAU with a team sponsored by adidas, and among the colleges that he's considering, Kansas is the only one affiliated with the company. Kentucky and Illinois are Nike schools.
It's not certain that Bragg's association with adidas will lead him to Lawrence, but these ties often mean something in the recruiting game. adidas has been integral to Bragg's development as an athlete over the years, and through events like special camps, the company can play a big role in boosting a prospect's draft profile.
Over the summer, when discussing another adidas school, Louisville, Bragg had some glowing words for the company:
"Terry Rozier was a former player in Ohio with me, I played against him," Bragg said. "He gives me some input. I love their style too. Plus they're Adidas, so I love them. I love Adidas."
For a player with obvious NBA ambitions like Bragg, turning his back on adidas to attend a Nike school would be a potentially risky proposition. That doesn't make Kansas a lock, but given the openings on the roster, the storied history of the program and the adidas advantage, it's easy to see why the Jayhawks are trending positively.
Kentucky
The stakes aren't quite as high for the Wildcats, who currently boast the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation even without Bragg, but his addition would be a major boost to John Calipari and a program that'll be losing massive talent in the offseason.
Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns are locks to leave for the NBA after the season, and guys like the Harrison brothers, Trey Lyles, Dakari Johnson, Devin Booker and Alex Poythress could join them. Part of why the current Kentucky team is so good is a devastating amount of NBA-caliber talent; as those guys make the leap, Calipari will need to continue reloading.
That means Bragg could have a chance to play a major role in Lexington from the beginning, and there's no better college coach to play under for a prospective NBA talent than Calipari. If he's going to switch away from adidas and stake his claim at a Nike school, there's really no better place to do it.
We also know Kentucky likes to pull out all the stops on the recruiting trail:
I wonder who is going to win the Carlton Bragg recruiting battle http://ift.tt/1BDPj9w
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) October 18, 2014
Illinois
The Fighting Illini have just missed out on several elite prospects over the past few years, and it appears likely Bragg will be the latest to get away. Head coach John Groce has compiled the No. 10 recruiting class in the nation thanks to a trio of four-star prospects, but a name like Bragg would ultimately put it over the top.
The one thing that Illinois can offer Bragg is a starring role right out of the gate. While playing for Kentucky or Kansas would mean competing with other elite recruits for court time, Bragg would immediately become the marquee name and cornerstone player on the Fighting Illini's roster.
That could have value to Bragg, who needs playing time to polish his game and would get to play talented Big Ten opponents. He would also be a *huge* deal in Champaign as the biggest recruit to arrive in years, something that couldn't be said for the recruiting powerhouses in Lawrence and Lexington.
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1BDPi5g
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