MOAR RECRUITING RANKINGS: Scout Has A New 2017 Top 100

We’ve already touched on ESPN’s Top 100 for 2017 and ESPN’s top 60 for 2018 this week. Scout has decided to join the parade of new recruiting rankings, releasing a brand new top 100 for the Class of 2017.

Your top five in the class: DeAndre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba, Wendell Carter, Trevon Duval, and Michael Porter. No, Marquette’s not involved with any of them, but that’s fine. Austin Wiley, an Auburn commit, is the highest ranked recruit to have issued a verbal commitment at this point, slotting in at the #8 spot.

The SEC leads all conference with five commitments already, but the Big East is second with four. All of them are between 50 and 100: Mitchell Ballock (Creighton, #52), Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (Villanova, #62), Myles Cale (#94, Seton Hall), and Dajour Dickens (Providence, #98).

There are nine guys in the top 100 that Marquette has been connected to on some level. Using the same group of players that we covered in the ESPN 2017 article, here’s where Marquette’s interests turn up:

• Malik Williams, PF, #31
• Brandon Randolph, SG, #38
• Derek Culver, C, #40
• Jordan Tucker, SF, #50
• Naji Marshall, SF, #51
• Jermaine Samuels, SF, #57
• Nate Watson, C, #58
• Ira Lee, PF, #61
• Nojel Eastern, SG, #80

There are two guys - Marshall and Watson - who are on this list that weren’t in the ESPN top 100 list. They’re both listed as Scout’s two biggest gainers in this new ranking, and they both play for the same grassroots team. On the flipside, there were three players that ESPN liked more than Scout: Terrence Lewis (who attends Riverside University High School in Milwaukee), Xavier Tillman, and Alex Barcello. Tillman might be the 2017 prospect that’s closest to Marquette right now, as he recently included the Golden Eagles in his top 19. Yeah, that’s a little silly to call him "close," but that’s more than anyone else that’s turned up in a top 100 ranking.

Of course, we have to point out that 2017 power forward prospect Ike Eke is taking an official visit to Marquette this weekend. He’s only allowed to take five official visits, so that would indicate that he’s much closer to 1) making a decision and 2) picking Marquette than anyone else.

As we mentioned in the ESPN ranking article, Marquette will be very well stocked in the guard department when the fall of 2017 rolls around. Andrew Rowsey and Duane Wilson will be seniors at that point, so getting one guard wouldn’t be a bad idea. Matt Heldt is slated to be the only player on the team over 6’7", though, so the focus will be on players that will provide head coach Steve Wojciechowski with size on his roster.

Marquette will have three seniors for the 2016-17 season. Those scholarships opening up will combine with the one currently available scholarship to give Wojo four spots to fill for the fall of 2017.