Brandon Huntley-Hatfield cuts recruiting list to 11; updates on KU’s Withey, Lawson
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound junior power forward from Scotland Campus High in Pennsylvania, has cut his list of prospective colleges to 11, Tipton Edits reported Thursday on Twitter.
Huntley-Hatfield, the No. 5-rated player in the recruiting Class of 2022 according to Rivals.com, has a list of KU, Baylor, Kentucky, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgetown, Georgia, Mississippi, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Howard.
Huntley-Hatfield, who is originally from Clarksville, Tennessee, wrote in his Sports Illustrated blog this week that he is not a lock for Kentucky, despite the fact he grew up a fan of the Wildcats. His cousin is former UK player Alex Poythress.
“I don’t look at things the same way that I did when I was a kid. Now I know the importance of picking the right fit and that’s what I’m really focusing on in this process,” Huntley-Hatfield said in the blog. “I’m not locked in on any one school. I think that’s the thing that’s holding some other schools back from recruiting me, so I just want to let it be know that I’m open to everyone equally at this point.”
He is considering leaving the Class of 2022 for the current Class of 2021.
“Of course, my dream is to be in the NBA, but my goal is to get those big second and third contracts,” he said in the blog. “I want to develop as much as possible so there’s no rush for me. I’m good staying in the 2022 class and, like I said, I’m focused on getting better and being as ready as possible when I go to the next level.”
Withey, Lawson to play in South Korea
Former KU forward Dedric Lawson, 22, and former KU center Jeff Withey, 30, have signed contracts to play for the Goyang Orions, a professional basketball team in South Korea, for the 2020-21 season.
The 6-9, 230-pound Lawson averaged 13.6 points and 8.0 rebounds a game in 42 games with the NBA G League’s Austin Spurs during the 2019-20 season, his first as a pro. He was not selected in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Lawson, who started 15 games for the Spurs, averaged 26.7 minutes a game. Overall, he hit 53.6% of his shots. He made 58 of 169 three-pointers for 34.3%.
Seven-footer Withey played last season for Nes-Ziona in the Israeli League. He averaged 13.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in 19 games. He also played nine games in the FIBA Europe Cup where he averaged 14.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. He was voted Eurobasket.com all-FIBA Europe Cup Center of the Year. Withey was a second-round NBA Draft pick of Portland in 2013. He played five seasons in the NBA, last playing with Dallas in 2017.
Kor Yat moves into 2021 class
Kot Yat, a 6-9, 170-pound junior forward from Norcross (Georgia) High School, who is ranked No. 96 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com, has decided to move into the Class of 2021, Rivals.com reported Thursday.
Yat has a list of KU, DePaul, Georgia Tech, TCU, South Carolina, Arizona State, Mississippi, Washington and others.
Rivals.com’s Corey Evans wrote that Yat, “must get stronger but has the ability to change positions in the blink of an eye. … It is within reason to expect many more schools will soon prioritize Yat.”
Jayhawks 12-1 odds to win NCAA title
KU’s odds to win the 2021 NCAA basketball championship are 12-1, according to projections of BetOnline. The company listed the odds this week after the deadline passed for players to withdraw from the NBA Draft if they wished to return to school.
Villanova is the favorite in 2020-21 at 7-1 odds, followed by Iowa (15-2), Baylor (8-1), Gonzaga (9-1) and Virginia (10-1). KU and Kentucky both are 12-1 and Duke 14-1.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Brandon Huntley-Hatfield cuts recruiting list to 11; updates on KU’s Withey, Lawson."
