Shooting up the charts

Good morning! It’s that time in July when coaches attend AAU events and future prospects become familiar names.

Let's get to some of those recruits and the rest of Tuesday’s college hoops news.

1. The 2026 recruits whose stock is rising fast

College hoops programs have turned recruiting efforts to the 2026 high school class.

This month, coaches from across the country will be out to watch prospects during the live periods from July 10-13 and 17-20. Grassroots circuits like Adidas’ 3SSB, Nike’s EYBL, PUMA’s Pro 16 League and Under Armour’s UAA will all be in action during those dates.

But who are some of the players that have performed well this summer and will draw the eyes of coaches? Below, we go over eight of the biggest risers:

Dylan Mingo — With his stellar play at NBPA Top 100 Camp and with the PSA Cardinals on the Nike EYBL circuit, Mingo has emerged as arguably the class’ top point guard. He’s long at 6-foot-5. He scores at all three levels. And he’s proven to be a high-level defender, ranking No. 3 in the EYBL in steals per game (2.5). Mingo describes his recruitment as wide open, which is why his suitors range from Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Louisville, Missouri, North Carolina and Texas, among others. His brother, Kayden, was a 4-star recruit and will be a freshman at Penn State in 2025-26. His father, William, played college football at Delaware State and his older brother, Dalique, played hoops at Howard from 2014-18.

Cameron Williams — Previously a top-20 prospect, Williams has now climbed into the top-10 on both ESPN and 247Sports’ rankings. He’s a 6-foot-11 forward with a wingspan over 7-feet, and that’s helped him be a disruptive defender. Through eight games with the Compton Magic on the 3SSB circuit, Williams ranks No. 3 in rebounds (7.8), fifth in steals (2.0) and No. 3 in blocks (3.1). The elite programs have come calling, with Duke watching games this summer and offering. Williams has scheduled official visits to Purdue and Texas in the fall. Arizona, Stanford and USC are other programs involved.

Arafan Diane — Hailing from Guinea, Africa, Diane is a physical force at 7-foot-1, 260 pounds. He’s the top center in the class and is more than just a bruising big man. He has shooting touch and is efficient from the mid-range and the free-throw line. Expanding his game to the 3-point line is still a work in progress, but he has tools you can’t teach. Diane plays his prep and AAU basketball for Iowa United and has starred for the program this summer, averaging 16.8 points and a 3SSB-leading 9.4 rebounds. Houston and Oregon have built strong relationships early in his recruitment and his other recent offers are headlined by Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville and UConn.

Quinn Costello — The NBPA Top 100 Camp may have helped Costello more than any player in the country. There, the 6-foot-10 forward averaged 14.8 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting over 50% from the field and the 3-point line. Due to his play, he’s received offers from 20+ programs since June including Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina and Villanova. He plays on the UAA circuit with the Middlesex Magic.

Aziz Olajuwon — Basketball families are starting to become a trend in the grassroots space. Aziz is the son of Hakeem Olajuwon, an NBA legend who was awarded MVP in 1994 and won two championships with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995. Hakeem was known as a dominant big man and low post defensive presence. That’s a little different from his son’s style of play. Aziz is more of a shooter at 6-foot-6, but he also takes pride in the defensive end like his father. He recently suited up for Team Canada at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland and also stood out at Top 100 Camp. Since June, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Stanford, TCU, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Xavier have offered.

Bryson Howard — The Texas native is one of the most coveted wings with his outstanding play on the EYBL circuit with Pro Skills. He’s another NBA son; his father, Josh Howard, was an NBA All-State, a former ACC POY and had his jersey retired at Wake Forest. The 4-star forward ranks No. 6 in the EYBL in scoring average (20.9), No. 2 in 3-point percentage (45.5%) and No. 3 in efficiency. Baylor, Duke, Indiana, Houston, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Rutgers, SMU, Texas, UConn, Virginia and Wake Forest among others, have offered.

Maximo Adams — He’s has performed in a big way this spring, but he really took off in May after switching from EYBL programs from Team WhyNot to Vegas Elite. Across eight games, with half coming in front of college coaches, Adams averaged 21.3 points and 11.6 rebounds. He’s showed his versatility as a 4-man, doing just about everything for his team. He’s also a switchable defender. Adams’ brother, Marcus, will play for Arizona State next season. The No. 41 overall prospect per 247Sports took an official visit to USC in late June. Arizona State, Georgetown, Oregon and SMU are other schools in the mix.

Ethan Mgbako — If you’re talking about guys who can score at will, Mgbako is up there with the best in the 2026 class. He’s shifted into his true position at the combo guard for Team Melo this summer and has seen the results, averaging 20.1 points with a 35.9% clip from three on 64 attempts. He’s a jumbo guard at 6-foot-6 and uses his frame to dominate smaller defenders. Pitt received Mgbako’s first official visit and he is also being recruited by Illinois, LSU, Mississippi State, San Diego, Stanford, and Texas A&M, where his brother, former 5-star recruit and Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako will be playing next season.

2. Princeton star sitting out, then will transfer

Princeton will be without its star forward next season.

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