One of Wake's top targets for the class of 2018 committed to an Ivy League school over the Deacs this week. I didn't really expect myself to ever write that sentence if I'm being completely honest.
— jaelin llewellyn (@13jaelin) July 24, 2017
4* PG Jaelin Llewellyn chose to represent the Princeton Tigers at the next level despite having a ton of High Major offers available to him. This commitment comes just days after Llewellyn stated in an interview with Scout that Purdue, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, and Minnesota were the schools coming after him the hardest. In a sudden change of events, the talented Canadian PG committed to PU, leaving plenty of college basketball staffs stunned across the nation. Llewellyn mentioned the opportunity to obtain a world class education while still being able to play competitive basketball as a main factor in his decision.
SHOCKER! Jaelin Llewellyn just announced his commitment to Princeton. Held long list of high major offers including UVA.
— Hooz Got Next (@HoozGotNext) July 24, 2017
While still surprising, this type of choice is certainly understandable given multiple highly-touted recruits doing something similar in previous years. Harvard's 2016 class featured four 4* commits all ranked inside 247sports' Top 130, a first for an Ivy League program. Yale's Makai Mason took an unbelievable Sophomore year campaign into a graduate transfer recruitment that led to offers from Duke, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, and more. Ivy League Basketball, particularly with the addition of a postseason tournament, has never had a higher profile than it does right now. While it is surprising to see extremely talented guards like Llewellyn commit to a place like Princeton over ACC/Big Ten/etc. schools, it is no longer unprecedented like it once was.
Move over #Kentucky...@Harvard basketball #recruiting class of 2016 just landed its THIRD 4-star recruit. https://t.co/g5VXe1gFxs
— USA TODAY HSS (@usatodayhss) October 9, 2015
As for Wake, Danny Manning and the staff will likely shift all attention over to Mike Devoe and Drue Drinnon at the PG spot for 2018. Devoe recently listed the Deacs as one of the schools coming after him the hardest, while Drinnon mentioned Wake back in May as one of his top options. Wake faces significant SEC competition for both, with hometown schools UF (Devoe) and UGA (Drinnon) seen as major rivals in these recruitments. Making sure they both take unofficial/official visits these next couple of months before the season starts will be a huge step in potentially landing a guard to partner with Sharone Wright Jr. in the class.
The 2018 Big Board has been updated to accommodate Llewellyn's commitment. You can see all remaining targets in the link below.
Updated 2018 Basketball Big Board
For more Wake Forest recruiting updates stay tuned to Blogger So Dear and you can follow me on Twitter @DeacFan3.