Breaking down R.J. Barrett's top five schools

Ryan Young

Breaking down R.J. Barrett's top five schools image

Canadian R.J. Barrett, the 247Sports No. 1 recruit in the class of 2018, announced his top-five schools earlier this month and has now revealed the order in which he will visit them.

He will start with Kentucky on the weekend of Sept. 1. He'll then go to Duke, Arizona, Oregon and Michigan, in that order, visiting one scholl each weekend.

Barrett took to Twitter on Aug. 16 to declare that al five of those schools were still in the running, most notably cutting Kansas and UCLA from the list.

Speculation will likely run rampant as to where the five-star guard will land through the fall, and be the talk of the college basketball recruiting world. Until then, here is how he, and each school on his list, would benefit should they land the top recruit.

DUKE

Playing for coach Mike Krzyzewski will only help Barrett improve and get ready for the NBA — where he will presumably declare for after his first season. And, Duke has the supporting cast that could really benefit Barrett and lead the Blue Devils to a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Duke has already signed five-star point guard Tre Jones from Saint Paul, Minn. Jones, the younger brother of former Blue Devil Tyus Jones, is listed as the No. 9 recruit in the 2018 class, according to 247Sports. Duke is also very involved in acquiring guard Cameron Reddish, the No. 4 recruit in the 2018 class.

Should Barrett pick the Blue Devils, he and Jones could be a dominant force. And, should Krzyzewski sign Reddish, Duke’s back court would be one of the strongest in all of college basketball. However, there is no guarantee that Barrett wants to play with another shooting guard as talented as Reddish. Should Reddish sign with Duke — as the 247Sports Crystal Ball predicts — before him, it could sway Barrett’s decision.

KENTUCKY

There is no question that Barrett would fit right in at Kentucky, especially with who it is targeting in the 2018 class.

The Wildcats are favorites to sign five-star point guard Immanuel Quickley, who played with coach John Calipari for the Team USA U-19 team in the World Cup in Egypt last month. They already have a strong relationship, and Quickley publicly said that Kentucky is in the lead. While he will still visit Kansas and Miami before making his decision, many analysts predict that Quickley is all but a lock to play for Calipari. If Barrett decides he doesn’t want to play for Krzyzewski and Jones at Duke, playing with Quickley would be a great option.

And, you can’t forget about Zion Williamson, who is hot on Kentucky’s radar. The No. 2 recruit in the 2018 class is one of the most coveted prospects out there, making it hard to predict where he’ll land. But, the trio of Barrett, Quickley and Williamson would make the Wildcats a favorite in the college basketball world.

Barrett visited Calipari on Sept. 2, marking the first of his five scheduled visits this fall. 

“It was good," Barrett told Rivals.com. "I got to learn more about the school and how they operate. I got to meet with coach Calipari and coaching staff and really get to know them better so that was great.”

With Calipari’s reputation of pumping players out to the NBA, Kentucky would be a good spot for Barrett to land if he’s trying to get to the league quickly.

OREGON

While it may seem like a wildcard pick from the outside looking in, Oregon has pulled in several Canadian players in recent years.

Dillon Brooks, who was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies this summer, hails from Mississauga, Ontario. Chris Boucher, who played for the Ducks last season, grew up in Quebec. Dylan Ennis, who played for Oregon coach Dana Altman in 2015 and 2016, is from Toronto.

The Ducks have already signed four-star point guard Miles Norris, who is the No. 15 point guard in the 2018 class.

Altman has had his sights set on Barrett for quite some time now, too. 

"They have been recruiting me since I was in like the seventh grade," Barrett told Rivals.com. "The relationship is there and it seems like all of the Canadian kids are going there now. My good friend Abu Kigab is there so that’s good.”

So even though it’s still likely that Barrett lands at Duke or Kentucky, it may end up being Altman’s connection north of the border that brings Barrett to Eugene next fall.

ARIZONA

The Wildcats already have a very strong 2018 class, and Barrett would only help to make that stronger.

Arizona picked up commits from four-star point guards Jahvon Quinerly and Brandon Williams. It also grabbed Shareef O’Neal, the son of NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. Shareef, a 6-foot-9 power forward, is the No. 30 recruit in the 2018 class. And while it is still early, the Wildcats do have the top recruiting class in the country.

The Wildcats also have a Canadian connection. They added Emmanuel Akot, a shooting guard from Winnipeg, who reclassified to the 2017 class and will enroll at the school this fall. Akot and Barrett both played for Canada’s U-17 team last summer, which could help persuade Barrett.

Arizona is currently hot on bringing in 7-foot-1 center Bol Bol — who is No. 3 in the 2018 class — too, which could help Barrett make his decision depending on how things shake out.

MICHIGAN

Many didn’t think that Michigan would make Barrett’s top-five, but the Wolverines are still in the running.

They’ve already picked up three commits in the 2018 class, and have one scholarship left to deal out. The Wolverines have grabbed three-star point guard David DeJulius and three-star power forward Taylor Currie. They also picked up four-star power forward Brandon Johns, who is the No. 1 recruit out of the state of Michigan.

Barrett would highlight the class, and be the best player on their roster by far. If he’s looking to stand out completely, Ann Arbor would be a great place to do it. This is the first time that he’s publicly shown interest in the Wolverines, but it’s a good sign for the Michigan faithful. And, who knows? If he has a good visit this fall, he could end up leading the program next season.

Ryan Young