Big Board 1.0: First look at Louisville's targets in the pivotal 2020 recruiting class
Danielle LernerIt's once again that time of year: flowers are blooming, temperatures are climbing and college basketball coaches are planning trips all over the map to find new players.
For Louisville coach Chris Mack and his staff, this recruiting cycle is an opportunity to build on a successful first signing class and continue to add players who fit Mack's long-term vision for the program.
The Cards potentially have as many as four scholarships open in the 2020 class, though that number could change depending on departures and additions this spring.
It's still very early in the recruiting calendar, but unlike last April when Mack and his staff were thrown into the fire immediately after arriving on campus, they've now had the entire season to get familiar with prospects and evaluate Louisville's needs.
The first evaluation weekend begins Friday, and the coaching staff's top targets will likely start emerging in the coming weeks and months.
Because this is recruiting, of course, this information could change at any time. With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the names Louisville is pursuing:
The Class of 2020 Big Board
GUARDS (alphabetical order)
Nimari Burnett
Position: Combo guard
Size: 6-foot-3, 180 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 25
Also considering: Arizona State, Indiana, Marquette, Ohio State, Vanderbilt and many others.
High school: Prolific Prep (Napa, California)
Burnett is the No. 3 ranked guard in the 2020 class, a five-star prospect wanted by schools from every major basketball conference. He visited Louisville back in February.
Joshua Christopher
Position: Shooting guard
Size: 6-foot-4, 200 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 7
Also considering: Arizona State, Cal, Georgetown, Kansas, Oregon, UCLA and others
High school: Mayfair (Lakewood, California)
Christopher is a natural scorer with a smooth jump shot. His older brother, Patrick Christopher, starred at Cal, and it might be hard to pull him away from the West Coast.
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Jalen Cone
Position: Lead guard
Size: 5-foot-11, 163 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 83
Also considering: Ole Miss, Providence, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and others
High school: Walkertown (Walkertown, North Carolina)
Considered a lean for Virginia Tech, Cone's recruitment is picking up steam with a handful of offers rolling in during April. Cone has the opportunity to reclassify to the 2019 class, which would likely take him out of consideration for Louisville.
Lynn Greer III
Position: Lead guard
Size: 6-foot-1, 165 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 120
Also considering: Florida, Iowa, Miami, Oregon, Penn State, St. Joe's and others
High school: Roman Catholic (Philadelphia)
Greer's father is Lynn Greer Jr., the former Temple University guard who went on to have a long pro career. Louisville has yet to offer him a scholarship.
Caleb Love
Position: Lead guard
Size: 6-foot-3, 170 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 33
Also considering: DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas State, Missouri, Virginia and others
High school: Christian Brothers College (St. Louis, Missouri)
Love has visited just about every school on his list. And while in-state program Missouri has been after him hard, Love has been on Mack's radar for a long time and picked up an offer from Louisville while on campus last August.
Adam Miller
Position: Lead guard
Size: 6-foot-3, 170 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 26
Also considering: Illinois, Kansas, Northwestern, Memphis, Texas Tech and others
High school: Morgan Park High (Chicago)
Miller is a lefty who finishes well at the rim. His size and quickness potentially make him a good fit for Chris Mack's system. although he has yet to pick up a Louisville offer.
Jayden Scrubb
Position: Shooting guard
Size: 6-foot-6, 200 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: Unranked
Also considering: Cincinnati, Western Kentucky, Youngstown State and others
High school: Trinity (Louisville)
A former Seventh Region Player of the Year, Scrubb graduated from Trinity in 2018 and signed with John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois. After he completes his second junior college season in 2019-20, Scrubb plans to transfer to an NCAA Division I school.
Deivon Smith
Position: Lead guard
Size: 5-foot-11, 160 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 49
Also considering: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Xavier and others
High school: Grayson (Loganville, Georgia)
Louisville got in on Smith late compared to some other schools; Smith picked up an offer from Chris Mack in March while on campus to watch the Cards beat Notre Dame.
Jaden Springer
Position: Shooting guard
Size: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 12
Also considering: Auburn, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Tennessee and many others
High school: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
Although he attends high school in Florida, Springer is a North Carolina native. Louisville would face plenty of competition from schools like NC State and UNC in his recruitment.
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Dimingus Stevens
Position: Shooting guard
Size: 6-foot-5, 180 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 93
Also considering: Boston College, Maryland, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and others
High school: Woodrow Wilson (Washington, D.C.)
Stevens picked up a scholarship offer while on an unofficial visit to Louisville last fall. Maryland and Louisville are considered front-runners for his commitment.
DJ Steward
Position: Combo guard
Size: 6-foot-3, 165 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 61
Also considering: Creighton, DePaul, Illinois, Michigan State, Texas and others
High school: Whitney Young (Chicago)
The athletic, quick combo guard is one to watch on the EYBL circuit this summer. Louisville's staff is familiar with Steward and visited with him multiple times but have yet to offer a scholarship.
Jayden Stone
Position: Shooting guard
Size: 6-foot-3, 175 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 42
Also considering: Auburn, Baylor, Creighton, Murray State and others
High school: Sacred Heart Catholic (Anniston, Alabama)
Stone was born in Perth, Australia and moved to Alabama when he was 15. Since then, he's become the state's top-ranked recruit in his class. Mack offered him in February.
Santiago Vescovi
Position: Lead guard
Size: 6-foot-2, 175 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: N/A
Also considering: Butler, Kansas, St. Mary's, Temple and others
High school: NBA Academy Latin America (Mexico)
Originally from Uruguay, Vescovi is an intriguing international prospect who appears to be fairly early in his recruiting process. He increased his exposure to U.S. college coaches by playing in showcases against other NBA academies and against players from a USA Basketball mini-camp.
FORWARDS
Jaemyn Brakefield
Position: Power forward
Size: 6-foot-8, 210 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 28
Also considering: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss and many others
High school: Huntington Prep (Huntington, West Virginia)
Brakefield has made a couple unofficial visits to Louisville and was offered by Chris Mack in October. The Cards have a lot of competition on this one, but Brakefield is good friends and prep school teammates with Louisville 2019 signee Quinn Slazinski.
Isaiah Jackson
Position: Power forward
Size: 6-foot-9, 190 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 15
Also considering: Arkansas, Connecticut, Michigan State, Syracuse and many others
High school: SPIRE Academy (Geneva, Ohio)
Jackson was the first player in the 2020 class to land an offer from Chris Mack, so Louisville has been a major player in his recruitment for a while. Jackson could still be a hard sell since he is being recruited to Michigan State by SPIRE teammate Rocket Watts, a Spartan signee.
Jackson Sivills
Position: Small forward
Size: 6-foot-6, 205 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: Unranked
Also considering: Belmont, Kent State, Lipscomb, Murray State, Northern Kentucky and others
High school: McCracken County (Paducah, Kentucky)
An in-state prospect, Sivills took an unofficial visit to Louisville in February. He averaged 20 points per game his junior season and made the Kentucky Junior All-Star team.
Myles Stute
Position: Small forward
Size: 6-foot-5, 200 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 117
Also considering: Clemson, George Washington, Georgetown, Penn State and others
High school: Gonzaga High (Washington, D.C.)
Stute landed his first batch of high-major offers last summer and should attract extra attention on the recruiting circuit this year. He plays AAU ball for Team Takeover alongside fellow Louisville target Dimingus Stevens.
Xavier Valley
Position: Small forward
Size: 6-foot-7, 180 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: Unranked
Also considering: Boston College, Georgia, Memphis and others
High school: North Clayton (Atlanta)
Valley, a long-bodied wing, seems to still be in the early stages of his recruiting process. He has taken unofficial visits to Georgia Tech and Memphis but no others.
Lance Ware
Position: Power forward
Size: 6-foot-7, 205 pounds
247Sports Composite national rank: 54. Also considering: Maryland, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall and others. High school: Camden (Burlington, New Jersey).
Ware doesn't have an offer from Chris Mack just yet, but he does already have a Louisville connection. Ware plays travel ball for the New York Rens, coached by former Louisville star Pervis Ellison.
CENTERS
Zach Loveday
Position: Center
Size: 7 feet, 200 pounds.
247Sports Composite national rank: 52
Also considering: Florida, Michigan, Purdue, Stanford, Xavier and others
High school: Huntington Prep (Huntington, West Virginia)
Loveday also plays at Huntington Prep alongside Cards 2019 commitment Slazinski, but the center also played for the Louisville Magic travel team last year. He's taken numerous unofficial visits to Louisville and picked up an offer last June.
Danielle Lerner: 502-582-4042; dlerner@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @Danielle_Lerner. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/daniellel.