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Some high schoolers may have received the new gaming system that they asked for on their Christmas list, or even maybe a new pair of basketball shoes for the season. Then there are others that were able to land a scholarship that will give them another option for their college destination.
Maryland and Rutgers were the two Big Ten programs that made a bit of noise over the holidays by offering scholarships to underclassmen prospects. The Scarlet Knights solely offered a guard out of the 2019 recruiting class in Aundre Hyatt, and Maryland sent out two scholarships to a couple of guards out of the 2018 class.
Let’s take a look at these blue chips, and see if they will have any potential future in the Big Ten conference.
-Aundre Hyatt (2019) Receives Offer From Rutgers
Last week one of the headlines in Big Ten basketball recruiting was the Rutgers Scarlet Knights receiving a commitment from a forward out of Long Island, New York in Mamadou Doucoure, out of the 2018 class.
Now, Rutgers has offered a scholarship spot to Hyatt who hails from White Plains, New York and has played his high school ball at the Miller School in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Hyatt is labeled as a 4-star recruit according to 247Sports and has received offers from A10 and MAAC schools such as Iona College, Manhattan College, and UMass. Rutgers being the first Big Ten school to offer the 6-foot-6 guard puts him at a whole new level for his recruiting process.
Hyatt can knock down shots from behind the arc and has unbelievable touch around the rim. As we move further into the season, don’t be surprised if more Big Ten schools offer Hyatt. Due to the fact he is original from New York, Rutgers may actually have an upper hand in his final decision next year since they offered him early.
-Maryland Offers a Pair of Guards Out of 2018 Class
The Terps are one of the early favorites in the Big Ten this year as they continue to run through opponents. There is no doubt that this success will help Maryland out in the recruiting circuit, and they have begun to use that to their advantage with the 2018 class.
The first recruit that they have targeted is Devon Dotson out of Providence Day, located in North Carolina. Dotson is a 6-foot-2 point guard that works very well off the pick and roll. He can be a perfect fit in College Park, Maryland after Melo Trimble heads to the pros.
Elijah Weaver, who comes out of Oldsmar Christian High School in Florida, is the other prospect that the Terps offered this past week. Standing at 6-foot-4 Weaver is more of a combo guard, compared to Dotson. A Weaver-Dotson backcourt wouldn’t be a bad future for Maryland.