There is an old, but ongoing discussion on Creighton boards as to the efficacy and wisdom of aiming high in recruiting.  Some say “shoot for the stars” (including yours truly) and many say “be realistic and shoot for the ones we can get”.  Amongst the star shooters are those who submit that since we are in a major conference, targeting top 50 recruits is part of the territory and within our range.  The realistic camp says don’t waste time or resources on kids in the top 50 (we can’t realistically get) and concentrate on the 50-150 range of recruits, where we have had some successes.  Creighton is notable for early identification and evaluation of talent.  As such the Jays often get in early on prospects before they “blow up” into national recruits.  Getting in early does not often result in getting commitments, but it does get the brand noticed on a national level.   It should be noted that Alexander was a top 50 recruit when we signed him and Patton became a top 50 guy after we signed him .  I submit that top 50 recruits are not out of reach for the Jays.

The current 2020 recruiting list from Creighton Rivals has 23 targets on it.  The White and Blue Review list has 46 targets, of which 27 are major recruits.  14 of the Rivals list are in the Rivals Top 150, although several WBR notables are not included on the Rivals list.

Creighton 2020 Offer List (from Creighton Rivals Com)
NAME	POS	STARS	RR	HT	WT	HOMETOWN	RANK	COMMIT STATUS
Isaiah Jackson	PF	5	0	6’9″	200	Waterford Township, MI	3	Undecided
Isaiah Cottrell	PF	4	0	6’9″	215	Las Vegas, NV	9	West Virginia
								12/31/69
								VERBAL
Matt Cross	PF	4	0	6’8″	225	Wolfeboro, NH	12	Undecided
Ben Carlson	PF	4	0	6’9″	205	Woodbury, MN	14	Undecided
Kiyron Powell	PF	3	0	6’9″	200	Evansville, IN	28	Undecided
Max Murrell	PF	3	0	6’8″	190	Omaha, NE		Undecided
Xavier Foster	C	4	0	7’0″	225	Oskaloosa, IA	7	Undecided
Ryan Kalkbrenner	C	4	0	7’0″	225	St. Louis, MO	12	Undecided
Matt Nicholson	C		0	6’11”	215	Clarkston, MI		Undecided
Matt Nicholson	C		0	7’0″	225	Clarkston, MI		Undecided
Jalen Suggs	PG	5	0	6’4″	185	Minneapolis, MN	4	Undecided
Ethan Morton	PG	4	0	6’5″	180	Butler, PA	12	Purdue
								12/31/69
								VERBAL
Jalen Green	SG	5	0	6’5″	170	Fresno, CA	1	Undecided
Cameron Thomas	SG	5	0	6’3″	185	Mouth of Wilson, VA	6	Undecided
Darius Maddox	SG	4	0	6’5″	175	Washington, DC	20	Undecided
Kadary Richmond	SG	4	0	6’5″	165	Brooklyn, NY	22	Undecided
Ty Berry	SG	3	0	6’3″	180	Newton, KS	31	Undecided
Luke Kasubke	SG	3	0	6’4″	175	St. Louis, MO	32	Undecided
Nick Blake	SG	3	0	6’6″	185	Los Angeles, CA		Undecided
Ziaire Williams	SF	5	0	6’8″	180	Sherman Oaks, CA	3	Undecided
Julian Strawther	SF	4	0	6’7″	210	Las Vegas, NV	15	Gonzaga
								12/31/69
								VERBAL
Quevian Adger	SF	3	0	6’7″	185	Coppell, TX	35	Undecided
Kerwin Walton	SF	3	0	6’5″	185	Minnetonka, MN	42	Undecided
Jayden Scrubb	SF	4	0	6’6″	200	Carterville, IL		Undecided

Notable WBR targets not on the above list include:  16- Jalen Suggs, 19- Walker Kessler, 22- Cameron Thomas, 37- Cam’ron Fletcher, 60- Jayden Stone, and 85- Darius Maddox.

The argument goes that CU should focus its’ efforts on attainable talent (50-150+), to hone in on the Jayden Stones (60), Kalkbrenners (68), Carlsons (83), Richmonds (107), Springs (134), Berrys (141), Powells (149), and NR’s like Nicholson.  “Get the guys we can get”.  The realists see efforts to snag top 50 recruits as wasted resources and time.

The aim high group and I submit that it takes no more time or effort to recruit top 50 kids as it does the 50-150 group.  The fact that CU successfully evaluates and id’s kids early also means that we are “in on” some of these elite kids from the very beginning.

Exp:  Creighton offered current #20, Rivals 5-star Isaiah Jackson back in November 17, 2017…Well before he began to “blow up” into the star he is today.  As such, Creighton is still in play with Jackson as he begins to narrow his list of schools.  We saw yesterday that CU is amongst 6 schools with his interest.  He has yet to take any visits and that will tell the tale as to who he is serious about.

NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing Isaiah Jackson’s final 6 teams

Again, I submit that top 50 recruits are not out of reach for the Jays.  Although rare to date for a Creighton to snag top 50 kids, it is bound to happen as CU is excellent in identifying talent, currently has several key open billets for top talent, plays in a major conference, and style-of-play is excellent for prepping guys for the pro game.  Creighton has successfully put 5 guys in the current NBA, 2-3 more in the NBA’s summer league, and up to 10 players to overseas pro teams.  Talent looking to play immediately and make a difference have taken notice and could well decide to give the Jays a try.

It came as a surprise to some Jays fans that Jackson expressed interest in CU.  Elite talent and so-called O&D’s (Isaiah Jackson, Zaire Williams) will give the Jays consideration given the criteria in the paragraph above.  But it should not come as a surprise given the elite level of evaluation given recruits by the Jays coaching staff.  Elite talent could do much worse, sitting behind 1 to 2 layers of players ahead of them at so-called elite teams.  It’s just a matter of time before Creighton begins to reel in some of the annual cream of the crop recruits.  It’s just a matter of time before CU becomes another new destination university like Auburn, LSU, W. Kentucky, and Tx. Tech…just a matter of a little time.