Jonathan Kuminga says '50-50' chance he reclassifies to 2020
Jonathan Kuminga is like everyone else right now, navigating a strange, new landscape and treading lightly as it pertains to decisions for the future.
In an interview on ESPN recruiting director Paul Biancardi's podcast, High School Basketball Happenings, the No. 1 2021 player said the COVID-19 outbreak has affected his recruiting process, and he's taking things slowly during the age of virtual visits and communication.
The 6-foot-8 forward is viewed as one of the 2021 class' possible candidates to reclassify and sign with a program in 2020. Kuminga said that's also a process that's been affected.
"For me, right now, I would say 50-50," Kuminga said of reclassifying to the 2020 class. "With the way everything is going on right now, I don't want to put myself in a terrible situation where I don't know what I'm doing. So I've just got to be patient with it, sit down with my family and planning on everything."
Kuminga, from The Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.), tweeted April 15 that his final five schools would be "coming soon." He released a top 10 of Auburn, Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Texas Tech and Washington back in November.
Bruce Pearl handed Kuminga one of his first college offers when he was a freshman in 2017. The Congo native visited the Plains the following year, and Pearl's staff was in to see Kuminga at least four times this past fall.
It's thought that if Kuminga was to reclassify, Auburn, LSU, Kentucky and Texas Tech, the last of which where his brother, Joel Ntambwe, plays, would be among the more likely options to earn his commitment, but that's all speculation until the ultra-athletic 17-year-old releases his final list.
His most recent on-campus visits were to Georgia and Seton Hall this past college hoops season.
"Like I said, I've just go to see with my family," Kuminga said of what will determine his top five schools. "We've got to see which ones will be the best ones. ... For now, I don't know which ones will be in there."
Auburn's 2020 class, currently composed of top-20 overall player Sharife Cooper, 4-star power fowards JT Thor and Chris Moore and top-50 shooting guard Justin Powell, is ranked ninth in the country.
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