Jays are playin with a great hand. Nerves of steel – poker-faced – and goin’ all-In! The Hilltoppers have put together a great class of recruits for 2021, and perhaps, they ain’t done yet!
They started with four-star PG Ryan Nembhard last June. Then got a commit from three-star SG John Christofilis in late September. Now during the early signing period they’ve landed 2 four-stars in both #57 (247) PG TyTy Washington and #64 (247) PF Mason Miller. The haul thus far equates to the #8 Class in the 2021 247 team rankings. Nice.
But….but…It ain’t Over. It ain’t over til the fat lady sings-as they say. Omaha’s own – the top player in the state – the straw that stirs the drink, Mr. Hunter Sallis is still on the boards. Hunter is a bona fide five-star guy (in all the recruiting polls), listed as the #6 recruit in the land by 247.com. His list of schools is as long as my arm (27 offers at last count) including most of the big boys. Erobody wants him and he has the pick of any litter. He’s the Prince Andrew of basketball this year.
Sallis
Hunter Sallis makes the Royal Flush for the Jays! In a crazy season with Covid-19 running up the score…anything goes! Will Hunter decide to play it safe and stay home? Or will the bluebloods win yet another of their endless battles and steal another top Nebraska/Iowa player away from the region?
We shall see what transpires. My money’s on the Bluejays!
As had been expected by many, 247’s # 65 (#17 PF) ( 0.9726) recruit, PF Mason Miller of Germantown, TN commits to Creighton University. Mason 6-9/180, had a list of at least 6 schools: Memphis, Ohio St, Florida, LSU, TCU, Indiana, and CU. Speculation has gone on for many weeks now, with Millers’ selection narrowing down between the Jays and Indiana University. Recently 247 pundits had Creighton ahead of the field, with a 75% probability of winning the commitment.
Miller_Rivals photo
At 6-foot-8, Miller is someone who can play either forward spot, and is known for his skill level on the court. A good shooter and a solid athlete, Miller is a proven producer and someone who is seen as a good fit for what HC Greg McDermott and his staff like to do.
“The Creighton Bluejays got more big news on Monday as they are on pace to have maybe the best recruiting class in school history. Creighton worked for and landed the commitment of four-star forward Mason Miller.”(247.com – Brian Snow)
“It was definitely a hard decision,” Miller told 247Sports. “I am close with both of the coaching staffs, but I knew I could only choose one school. I liked Indiana a lot, but Creighton had what I needed. It was a really hard decision, but I feel it was the right one.”
When asked what it was about Creighton that led to the commitment, Miller said, “Creighton was one of the first schools to recruit me and I have known them the longest of any coaching staff. Coach McDermott and Coach (Alan) Huss are cool coaches who won’t get on you for missing shots. They are all about confidence and helping you get better.”
2021 four-star Mason Miller has committed to Creighton.
Creighton’s own TyTy Washington, our most recent commit has been working his friend Mason to join him on the Hilltop. TyTy has been tweeting, texting, and cheerleading for the Jays since his commitment.
With this commit by Mason Miller the Bluejays now crack the 247.com’s Top 10 Recruiting Classes for 2021. The Jays, at current #8, join Nova, UConn, and DePaul as BE teams with current top 10 classes. Now it’s early and it is highly probable that UK, Duke, KU, and others will also rise over the course of the season. So it is likely that 2-3 of our teams will fall in the rankings. However, it is within reason that all our Big East brethren may stay within the 247 Top 20 classes.
With the Miller commit, the Jays 2021 Class is within striking distance, if not ahead, of the heralded 2006 recruiting class. On paper the 2006 class was the best since the Willis Reed/Benoit Benjamin class of 1982. Rivals still has data (2006) on those years, while ESPN began in 2007, and Scout (247) now longer has data publicly available for years beyond 2007. Rivals had 2006 recruits Kenny Lawson, Ty Morrison (Juco), and Isaac Miles all as 3-stars. Scout had both Lawson and Morrison as 4-star recruits. IMHO this 2021 class is at least equal to the 2006 class, probably better.
As it turned out only Lawson and Harriman stayed the course for Coach Altman, both contributing to four 20+ win seasons in 5 years, with one NCAA, two NIT, and one CBI bid(s).
Congrats to Mason Miller on choosing Creighton. Excellent fit, excellent choice! Way to go coaches! Shoutout to Coach Huss, Coach Mac, and the rest!
Bluenotes 