CBB Review’s Ethan Carbone goes in-depth on the top 30 college basketball recruiting classes. Next up are the Miami Hurricanes who come in at 23.
Miami (Fla) comes in at the 23rd best-recruiting class according to the 247 composite rankings. The players in this highly touted class are AJ Casey (74th), Favour Aire (112th), Christian Watson (146th), and Danilo Jovanovich (186th).
What Does Each Player Bring?
AJ Casey – 6’8″ power forward
Casey will play as a versatile athletic forward for Miami. He uses his size to gain advantages in the post as well as on the perimeter. An animal-like instinct allows him to track down the ball handler and play lock-up defense. While he will need to work on his offensive game, the Miami Hurricanes seem like the perfect fit.
Casey will play as a versatile athletic forward for Miami. He uses his size to gain advantages in the post as well as on the perimeter. An animal-like instinct allows him to track down the ball handler and play lock-up defense. While he will need to work on his offensive game, the Miami Hurricanes seem like the perfect fit.
Looking at this upcoming season it’s most likely that the Chicago high school star will play a high-energy bench role for coach Jim Larranaga. By the time he’s a senior, he should be in the NBA if projections serve correct, however, if he remains for all four years, realistically, he would be a Keve Aluma type of player.
Favour Aire – 6’11″ center
The rawest talent in this Miami class, Aire has tons of potential. He can step in and fill out on defense in the post where most of his blocks come from. Aire can gain his ground on offense using his body, however, he will need to improve his shooting range to be successful.
As a freshman Aire will play as a backup big in the rotation playing minimal minutes. When Aire is a senior he should be the starting center anchoring the defense for the Hurricanes.
Christian Watson – 6’6″ small forward
Watson comes down to South Beach as a three-level scorer who will only improve over his years at Miami. Watson can finish at the rim and will step out and shoot the mid-range and three-pointer. All that goes along perfectly with his explosiveness.
As a freshman Watson probably will not play much if at all. However, by time he’s a senior Watson could be a staple forward for the Hurricanes.
Danilo Jovanovich – 6’7″ small forward
Jovanovich comes in as a star from high school who was able to score at will and grab a lot of rebounds. Jovanovich is big enough to dominate smaller forwards and skilled enough to maneuver around bigger players.
Coming in as a freshman Jovanovich will get minimal to no playing time. By the time he’s a senior he should become another solid scoring forward. The most likely scenario is Watson and Jovanovich competing for the sixth man and starting roles throughout their upperclassmen years.