Paolo Banchero is one of the top high school basketball players in the country. He is currently ranked Top 5 nationally in the 2021 class. He recently cut his list to six schools, which included Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Washington. Will Paolo, a Seattle native, stay home and join the Washington Huskies? Will he join a Blue Blood like Duke or Kentucky? Could Arizona and Tennessee land his services? Let’s find out.
Arizona
Sean Miller has always recruited well ever since he has been at Arizona. He has landed many 5-star recruits to Arizona, including former number one over pick DeAndre Ayton. Could Paolo Banchero be next? Arizona has a lot of ground to make up in this recruitment. They joined in kind of late in this recruitment. If Banchero were to stay out west, I do not see Arizona being the choice at this time. With that being said, don’t count out Sean Miller.
Duke
Duke has always been high on Paolo Banchero’s list. They are one of the top programs in the country and Coach K has put a lot players in the NBA. Banchero took an official visit to Duke on October 18th, 2019. I like the Blue Devils’ chances in this recruitment. If Banchero decides to leave the west coast for basketball, I would consider them top two on his list. Could Paolo Banchero be the next great big man for Coach K? As of right now, I consider Duke a top three team in Banchero’s recruitment. Also there has been talks of Banchero teaming up with 5-star point guard Kennedy Chandler and Duke is one of three teams they share on their lists.
Gonzaga
Mark Few has proven that he can recruit at a high level. For his 2020 class, he is bringing in 5-star point guard Jalen Suggs. Banchero took an official visit to Gonzaga on January 17th, 2020. Could Paolo Banchero be the next 5-star to join the Zags? If Banchero stays on the West Coast, Gonzaga could be a major player here. But as of right now, I do not see him committing to the Zags. With the recruitment of Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme possibly coming back for his junior season, I do not see Banchero joining Gonzaga.
Kentucky
It is no surprise that head coach John Calipari is recruiting another top talent to Lexington. Coach Cal has proven that he can put players in the NBA and win at very high level in college basketball. Will Paolo Banchero be the next lottery pick to come out of Kentucky? There is a very good shot that he is. Banchero took an official visit to Kentucky on October 11th, 2019. As of right now, Kentucky is the leader for Paolo Banchero. With the chance of him teaming up with 5-star point guard Kennedy Chandler, Kentucky fans should be very happy with where things stand.
Tennessee
What Rick Barnes has done at Tennessee is absolutely amazing. He has won at a very high level and has shown he can recruit at a high level as well. Where do things stand with Banchero and Tennessee? Paolo Banchero took an official visit to Tennessee on October 25th, 2019. I really like the Vols chances here. Many believe that 5-star point guard Kennedy Chandler will end up committing to the Vols. If that happens, it only helps with 5-star Banchero.
Washington
Mike Hopkins has recruited really well recently at Washington. In the class of 2019, he signed two 5-stars Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDainels. Could Paolo be next? Banchero has serious family ties to Washington. Both of us his parents attended the University of Washington. Though he has never took an official visit to Washington, he has stated that he has been on campus many times. If Banchero were to stay out west for college, expect Washington to be the choice.
As things currently stand, Kentucky is the leader with Duke and Washington right behind them. Tennessee should not be counted out as well. Expect this to be a fun recruitment to keep up with in the following months.
