Davis: My way-too-early top 25 for 2019-20. Here's looking...
10. Cincinnati
Key departures: Cane Broome, 6-0 Sr.; Justin Jenifer, 5-10 Sr.
Top returnees: Jarron Cumberland, 6-5 Sr.; Keith Williams, 6-5 Jr.; Nysier Brooks, 6-11 Sr.
Incoming: Samari Curtis, 6-4 Fr.
Cumberland had a terrific season and could explore the NBA, but unless he blows away scouts and GMs he most likely will return. That would give the Bearcats an established dominant player who’s a senior. Curtis, who initially committed to Xavier, should be an important contributor off the bat. He is a big, strong, tough scoring guard who was just named the state of Ohio’s Mr. Basketball.
18. Houston
Key departures: Corey Davis, 6-1 Sr.; Galen Robinson, 6-1 Sr.
Top returnees: Armoni Brooks, 6-3 Sr.; Fabian White, 6-7 Jr.; DeJon Jarreau, 6-5 Jr.
Incoming: Justin Gorham, 6-7 Jr.; Caleb Mills, 6-3 Fr.
It won’t be easy replacing Davis, but then again it wasn’t supposed to be easy replacing Rob Gray, either. Houston is returning two of its top three scorers in Brooks and Jarreau. White should have a breakthrough season after struggling with a foot injury as a sophomore. Gorham is a transfer from Towson, while Mills graduated early from high school in North Carolina and joined the team at the semester break. Sampson has called him the best offensive player he has recruited to Houston. And of course, the most important returnee is Sampson, who was courted by Arkansas but signed a six-year contract extension.
21. Memphis
Key departures: Jeremiah Martin, 6-3 Sr.; Kyvon Davenport, 6-8 Sr.; Kareem Brewton, 6-2 Sr.; Mike Parks, 6-8 Sr.
Top returnees: Alex Lomax, 5-10 Soph; Tyler Harris, 5-9 Soph.
Incoming: James Wiseman, 7-0 Fr.; D.J. Jeffries, 6-7 Fr.
Let the James Wiseman era begin — if only for a season. Penny Hardaway’s recruiting class is a doozy, and it could still get better if he adds Trendon Watford, a 6-9 McDonald’s All-American from Birmingham, Ala. The Tigers are also in the hunt for two other top recruits, Cassius Stanley and Lester Quinones. This year Memphis had a senior-dominated starting lineup, but it had two promising young guards in Lomax and Harris. This will be one of the youngest teams in the country next season, but it will also be one of the most talented and, given Hardaway’s breakneck style, one of the more entertaining.
No UConn but 3 AAC teams (including Cincinnati top 10 LOL)