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Northwestern’s chances of landing talented 2018 guard/forward Talen Horton-Tucker just took another hit.
The fast-rising Simeon (Chicago) product announced on Twitter Sunday night that he has received an offer from Bill Self and Kansas. This is his second offer from a college basketball blueblood; Michigan State offered back in July. This is also his seventh offer already in August, following Dayton, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, TCU, and Minnesota.
Blessed To Receive An Offer From Kansas #RockChalk pic.twitter.com/0xb97tYGMs
— THT5 (@_Tal0w) August 6, 2017
A month ago, Northwestern felt like one of the favorites to land Horton-Tucker.
Hearing that Simeon 2018 Talen Horton-Tucker could commit in August and it is likely he stays relatively close to home.
— Michael O'Brien (@michaelsobrien) July 6, 2017
Now, things are looking tough. Northwestern and Illinois are certainly not out of the running because of this news, but anytime Kansas gets involved, the Jayhawks have to be considered serious contenders.
Collins offers 2018 PF Ryan Young
In other basketball recruiting news, Chris Collins and his staff have a new target for the 2018 class. Ryan Young is an unranked big man from Bethlehem, PA, who is quickly rising in recruiting circles and picked up an offer from the Wildcats on August 4. At 6-foot-10, 210 pounds, Young has good size and some range on his jumper. Northwestern is his first high-major offer, but he has visited Michigan, Stanford, and Notre Dame and offers could be coming from any of those schools.
Can't get over how much Ryan Young has improved the last year. Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) 2018 F/C playing with a great motor.
— Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) April 23, 2017
NU out of the running for Riley Battin
This may well be related to the above news on Ryan Young. Riley Battin, a 6-foot-9 big man from Oak Park, CA, has declared a top 6 that doesn’t feature Northwestern.
TOP 6 pic.twitter.com/3UMg9esl05
— Riley Battin (@battin_riley) August 5, 2017
The Wildcats offered Battin, a three-star, back in October. He presumably informed the coaching staff recently that he wasn’t interested, which led to the offer for Young.
Analysis
Well, Kansas offering THT isn’t great. I think Collins knows that with his recruitment heating up, he’s going to be a tough guy to land. It’s certainly still a possibility, but Northwestern needs backup plans if he goes elsewhere. Even if he does, there are still plenty of talented options for the final two spots in the 2018 class. NU is one of the favorites for high-scoring wing Miller Kopp, and Young’s trajectory is encouraging. Saddiq Bey is another wing who is considering NU, although we haven’t heard much about him recently.