A day after revealing its top 100 for the 2017 college basketball recruiting class, ESPN revealed an expanded list of its top recruits for the 2018 class, posting a top 60, which builds on the top 25 released earlier.
Once again, Cincinnati targets were not splattered all over the rankings, but there were a handful of players Mick Cronin and his staff are keeping an eye on included.
Tops among them is Cart'Are Gordon, a five-star power forward from Missouri. Gordon stands at 6-foot-7 and could be the next coming of Octavius Ellis, or perhaps more based on how he is projected to develop. Gordon is ranked No. 24 in the ESPN 60 and is also the No. 1 recruit in Missouri. Along with his offer from Cincinnati, Gordon has been formally invited to attend Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Missouri, Purdue, UNLV and Kansas, which 247Sports is predicting will be his final landing spot.
Also on the radar for the Bearcats is Keldon Johnson. Johnson is a higher ranked recruit than Gordon (No. 12 in ESPN 60) and is a five-star prospect as well. A 6-foot-4 guard from Virginia, he has more offers, with Cincinnati in company with East Carolina, Georgetown, NC State, Old Dominion, Penn State, Texas, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
While he did not make the cut for the ESPN 60, four-star guard Prentiss Hubb is another major target for the Bearcats. A 6-foot-3 guard from Washington, D.C., Hubb has offers from George Mason, NC State, Towson, Wake Forest, Maryland and Xavier (DON'T YOU DARE DO IT, PRENTISS) along with UC. 247Sports is predicting he will stay local and become a Terrapin.