Now that R.J. Barrett has reclassified to the Class of 2018, he is zeroing in on his recruitment.
The 6-foot-7 wing from Montverde (FL) Academy has set five official visits to Arizona, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan and Oregon.
@RjBarrett6 #OfficialVisits pic.twitter.com/UQgSxmavLE
— Huggy® (@huggytdot) August 27, 2017
Kevin Boyle, Barrett’s high school coach, says he should be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
“He’s right in that class [with the other top picks I have coached],” Boyle said of Barrett on The 4 Quarters Podcast. “Most of the guys [who become superstars] are all those wing guys that end up better in these drafts over the years. That’s why I’m saying he should be the number one pick in two years.”
Boyle, a former Naismith National Coach of the Year award winner, has coached multiple former top-3 NBA picks, including Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Michael Kidd-Gilchrest, Joel Embiid, and D’Angelo Russell.
Barrett was named MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup last month after leading Canada to its first-ever gold medal. He then took the rest of July off before announcing his decision to reclass.
Boyle said Barrett’s game is tailor-made for the NBA.
“[Today’s NBA is about] spreading the floor and shooters are leaving the lane open,” Boyle said. “If you can shoot, you’re getting a ton of money and it really opens the floor for a slicer, driver like R.J.”
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