Evan Daniels updates the recruitments of Devin Askew, Cade Cunningham, and Greg Brown

Photos: Jon Lopez/Nike

This evening, 2021 five-star guard Devin Askew will announce his college decision at 11:00 p.m. ET on SportsCenter, with the final hats on the table being Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, and Arizona.

Widely expected to reclassify to the class of 2020, Askew’s decision could set a domino effect in the very near future, with 2020 No. 2 prospect Cade Cunningham set to decide in the coming weeks, followed by Cunningham’s AAU teammate and friend, Greg Brown, making his decision in the spring. While Brown’s decision is obviously further away, the top-ten senior prospect recently said he was extremely interested in playing with Cunningham at the college level and would have to take a closer look if the 6-foot-7 guard committed to Kentucky.

This morning, 247Sports Director of Recruiting Evan Daniels jumped on the Leach Report with Tom Leach, where he answered questions on all three of the elite prospects, along with another note on Bardstown’s own JJ Traynor.

Right off the top: Who will Askew commit to this evening and will he end up reclassifying?

“I do think it’s going to be Kentucky, they’ve done a phenomenal job at putting themselves in a great position to land him,” Daniels said. “In terms of a reclassification, I don’t think he’s going to do that today. I talked to his father, he’s going to commit as a 2021 prospect today and make a decision on reclassification after the high school season.”

This weekend, Daniels submitted a Crystal Ball pick in favor of Kentucky for Cunningham, making him the first to jump ship from longtime favorite Oklahoma State.

Why?

“It’s a great question, I usually don’t go too in-depth on what goes into my Crystal Ball picks because a lot of that information can’t get out there, but I do feel pretty good about Kentucky’s chances,” Daniels told Leach. “I do think he had a really good visit [to Lexington for Big Blue Madness], I really think over the last four weeks that Kentucky had put themselves in great position to land him. I believe the plan is for him to go to Washington this weekend and make a decision not long too after that. I think Kentucky has pitched to everyone on the roster that he can play with them, including [2020 top-five prospect and UK commit] Terrence Clarke.”

Should it come to fruition, what would Kentucky be getting in Cunningham?

“Cade Cunningham is one of the best talents in the 2020 class,” he said. “He has an elite feel, a high basketball IQ, terrific vision. He can guard one-through-three. He’s a kid who brings a lot to the table, he’s a game-changer. Absolutely has the opportunity to be a No. 1 or No. 2 draft pick in [the 2021 NBA Draft].”

As for Brown, Daniels admitted the five-star forward is quite a ways away from making a decision, though his friendship with Cunningham is definitely something to watch closely.

“I don’t think Greg Brown is close to making a college choice, he’s still fairly open in this process,” he said. “The schools involved are Kentucky, Memphis, Texas, North Carolina, and Auburn. I don’t know what a Cade Cunningham commitment to Kentucky would mean for [their chances with Brown] or if Brown will take a closer look because of it. I do know that they are very good friends and played very well together during the [Nike EYBL circuit this summer with the Texas Titans]. They’ve been adamant that his recruitment would go the distance. I think that’s still the plan for them.”

As an added bonus, Daniels was also asked about 2020 four-star forward and Bardstown, KY product JJ Traynor and his recent Louisville offer.

At the end of the day, barring a Kentucky scholarship offer in the immediate future, the Cardinals are the likely leader going into the home stretch of his recruitment.

“I think they’re probably the school to beat,” he said. “Jason Osbourne, his father, played at Male and then went on the Louisville. I think he’s really talented. But Louisville has ramped things up, taking that next. I think we’ll see a decision from him in the next few weeks.”

It all starts this evening when Devin Askew announces his decision…

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