forums

2026 Men's Basketball Recruiting

Advertisement


3 years from now, this feels like the guy a lot of people will say he should have went to a bigger school.
Or he goes to a mid major and puts up huge numbers as a freshman then becomes a high major priority in the transfer portal.
 
PONDER IS A MONSTER IN THE MIDDLE

Marcis Ponder (Photo: P32 League, 247Sports)

We have been hearing over and over from college coaches about the lack of center depth in the class of 2026. They aren't necessarily wrong, but they'd also be wise to take a much deeper look into Marcis Ponder of Team Breakdown.

A massive big man who stands at least 6-foot-10 and owns a sculpted, 300 pound or so frame; Ponder likes like a fully grown man playing with children out there. He loves to dole out punishment, tries to dunk everything and plays with a motor that was impressive. He is a plus rebounder, he protects the rim and he can really move given how huge he is.

His attitude was really impressive as well. Even though his teammates didn't always do the best job of getting him the ball and refs let opponents hack away at him, he just kept smiling and playing harder.

Ranked No. 84 nationally in the rising senior class, Ponder has been turning things up of late and we were stunned that fewer schools were tracking him. Though he lists offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Georgetown, Georgia, Illinois, Rutgers and several others, Florida State was the only high major we saw watching him over the course of our two days in attendance. Maybe others are conceding the native Floridian to the Seminoles, but if not they should get to work because Ponder has some real value
 
Last edited:

BURNETT OOZES UPSIDE​

13172169.jpg
Willie Burnett III (Photo: Christopher Stock, 247Sports)
If we are talking raw ability and pure, natural talent. We aren't sure that we saw a more talented guard in the building than Willie Burnett III. Playing alongside the previously mentioned Ponder on Team Breakdown, Burnett is a long, creative and bouncy guard who can handle the ball and put points up in a hurry – especially from deep. The long-term upside is easy to see.

Currently ranked No. 137 in the class of 2026, he's got a lot talent on the offensive end. While he's naturally gifted and wired to score, there's still some things that could be cleaned up. Burnett has a tendency to make things more difficult on himself than they need to be. Seemingly intent on throwing as many dribble combinations as possible at defenders, he too often dribbles out of open shots into contested looks. While he has some feel as a passer, he also tends to be late on reads because of the over dribbling issues.

Watching him play we see a lot of Kentucky guard Jasper Johnson in him on the offensive end of the floor. He's got a bunch of mid major offers (Arkansas State head coach Ryan Pannone was in to see him) to go along with an offer from Florida State and could end up a great value for a program that can get him and fine tune his game.
 
Advertisement
Advertisement


Gage Mayfield and Kevin Thomas played well.
I hope Kevin Thomas takes an official visit to Miami. He is a knockdown shooter.
 
Back
Top