Players Wake Forest Should Target for Final Basketball Scholarship: 2015 Class

It seems like it’s been forever since we last heard about what Wake might be doing with its final scholarship for the 2015-2016 basketball season. After missing out on Malik Ellison and Sterling Smith, practically no names have been mentioned other than Shaun Kirk, who was never offered and committed to NC State just a few weeks ago.

We should know by now that Manning and his staff have had a tendency to recruit pretty quietly, as the additions of Hudson and Mitoglou last season were spontaneous to say the least, and Bryant Crawford and John Collins committed without much WF buzz around them at all.

There is a very real chance that Wake is simply being discreet in who they approach so that they don’t inspire any other top programs to go after the same prospects in desperation. In order to break the silence, I’ve put together a list of some guys in the 2015 class that Manning could/should be looking at as we head into the final weeks of the recruiting season.

If Wake Forest is working under-the-radar to land someone in the 2015 class, it very well could be one of these four guys.

Noah Dickerson

Who is he?

• 6’8 PF from Montverde, FL (Montverde Academy)

Where do scouts rank him?

• Consensus 4* recruit
• 247sports has him at 82
• Rivals has him at 81
• ESPN has him at 51

Where else is he looking?

• Texas, Washington, UVA, UCLA, Stanford

The Deacs don’t necessarily need another big man for the 2015 recruiting class having already signed Doral Moore and John Collins, but when it comes to this point of the recruiting cycle where the "perfect fit" signing is tough to come by, it sometimes is best to simply go after the best available prospect. That at the moment is undoubtedly Noah Dickerson after the big man decommitted from Florida following Billy Donovan’s departure just a few weeks ago.

The Montverde product had numerous offers before his decommitment and in the last couple of days Cal, Texas, UCLA, and Stanford have all inquired about him according to his AAU coach. So where do the Deacs possibly have an advantage over some of these other high-profile programs? Dickerson played on the same high school team as already committed ‘15 signee Doral Moore at Montverde Academy. This relationship could be helpful in Wake’s chase to try and bring in Dickerson against some significant competition.

The previous coaching staff offered Dickerson in 2013, but as of right now it doesn't seem like Manning and his staff have reached out with a scholarship. It will be tough to land Dickerson over some other big-time programs (Washington and Texas seem to be the favorites at the moment), but the draw to learn from Manning and play with his friend Moore might be enough to make Wake a sleeper in the recruitment of his services.

Andre Adams

Who is he?

• 6’9 PF from Bradenton, FL (IMG Academy)

Where do scouts rank him?

• Consensus 3* recruit
• 247 sports has him at 141
• Rivals has him at 130
• ESPN has him outside top 100

Where else is he looking?

• Arizona State, USC

Andre Adams took a post-grad year at IMG Academy last season and so his recruitment has been more dragged out than most players. Arizona State and USC have been the favorites to sign him for more than two years, but a knee injury back in December unfortunately slowed down his recruitment. Adams is a very mobile big man who is aggressive on the boards and a big-time shot blocker as well. He plays larger than 6’9 due to his big wingspan and he has a decent handle of the ball for a man his size.

There are a few reasons why Adams would be a good addition to the ’15 class. The first is that coming off of knee surgery, there would be no reason to rush him into serious playing time right away given Collins and Moore have already signed, and Thomas, McClinton and Washington are all back. The second is that he looks to be a player Manning could take and mold into a serious ACC big man in just a couple of years.

Power Forwards that move well and have long wingspans are a dream for coaches like Manning, and there’s no reason why by the end of his junior season he couldn’t be a Top 15 big man in the ACC. I understand the worry in giving a guy with knee problems a scholarship, but I think Adams has a lot of upside and is worth the shot.

Roman Davis

Who is he?

• 6’7 SF from Los Angeles, CA (Windward School)

Where do scouts rank him?

• Consensus 3* recruit
• 247sports has him at 191
• Rivals has him unranked
• ESPN has him unranked

Where else is he looking?

• BC, Northern Arizona, Cal St. Northridge

Roman Davis is a guy I can see Manning going after if he is really looking to use the final scholarship on a wing from the 2015 class. Davis is a top 40 SF in the country and a top 25 player in all of California and brings a little bit of everything to the table. Although he’s listed as a SF, he seems to play a lot more inside than out, so imagine him as more of a Greg McClinton type of SF rather than an outside wing. His highlight tape does show he can hit the occasional 3, however, but most importantly it looks like he’s a high motor kid who is tough on the boards and can slot in at either the SF or PF position.

So where does he stand in his recruiting process? He currently has offers from BC, Cal St. Northridge, Northern Arizona, and Vanderbilt, though it doesn’t seem like any of these schools have been really pushing hard as of late for his commitment. Davis apparently played very well at the SoCal Senior Showcase in April and he’s listed as one of the top SF’s available.

If Wake came after Davis, I think there would be a solid chance we would be able to land him considering Vanderbilt’s interest has somewhat stalled and BC is looking to use its scholarship on a post-grad. There’s a lot to like about Roman Davis and his athletic ability means he has a lot of upside to his game. If we’re looking to fill the SF position with this scholarship, he checks all the boxes.

Craig Randall II

Who is he?

• 6’4 SG from Phoenix, AZ (Shadow Mountain)

Where do scouts rank him?

• Consensus 3* recruit
• 247sports has him at 304
• Rivals has him unranked
• ESPN has him unranked

Where else is he looking?

• VCU, Depaul, St. Johns, Nevada

It is odd to think that Craig Randall II is still on the board and unsigned given he has 20+ D1 offers to his name to date. These aren’t just low D1 or mid-major offers either, as VCU, Depaul, Nevada, and St. Johns have all given him a scholarship to play at their programs in the last couple of months. Missouri and Cal were both sending assistants to visit Randall as of March as well, but the SG from Arizona remains uncommitted and available if Danny Manning wants him. It was reported on Twitter that Randall was on the verge of committing in late April, but no decision has been made as of yet, and I wonder if Malik Ellison’s commitment to SJU just days later actually was a cause of this delay.

From all scouting reports I’ve read Randall seems to be a Combo Guard who has good vision and a solid stroke from range as well, and ESPN even labels him as the top player in the state of Arizona. He might be waiting for prestigious programs that miss out on top prospects and still have scholarships available to offer him in the coming weeks. We have seen multiple prospects take a big step-up recently with this strategy, the most obvious being LaGerald Vick, who decommitted from SMU to go on and commit to Kansas a few weeks later.

I think there is a lot to like in Randall’s game and would love if Wake could get involved in his recruitment. Getting a 3* prospect in May is no easy task, and there is no reason to be alarmed by the low ranking (After all, Cornelius Hudson was virtually unranked by all sites last year and was a huge add to the Deacon roster). Look at his highlight tape below and you can see how a player like him could absolutely contribute in the Black and Gold next season.

Those are the four 2015 available prospects I can most likely see Wake Forest going after, but as always the recruiting process is strange and unpredictable. Reclassifications, coaching changes, and decommitments are always a possibility throughout the summer so don’t be surprised if Wake uses its final scholarship on someone in the ’15 class other than these four.

Next week I’ll do a feature on Post-Grad transfers Wake Forest could be targeting, but until then you can follow me on Twitter @DeacFan3 for more frequent updates and recruiting info. Whoever it is the Deacs land for this final scholarship, the Wake Forest staff has already proven it can find diamonds in the rough if need be, and I have no doubt that they will fill this final roster spot with someone who can significantly contribute next season and help the program get back to where it should be.