Top-50 junior Dereck Lively II talks his recruitment
The 2022 class is filled with elite talent. You go down the list of centers in the incoming junior class and it’s just so evident that the bigs in this class are all high-level talents. One of those highly-ranked big men prospects is none other than Westtown (PA.) forward Dereck Lively II.
The 6-foot-11 prospect burst onto the scene this winter with outstanding performances at the PSA Cardinals showcase where he put up a double-double and was a key performer in a win over Brewster Academy. Following that effort, Miami became one of the first Power Five offers for the elite big man and it just went up from there.
After that, he lit up the floor once again at the Chick-Fil-A classic in front of nearly 15 plus college programs. Now, entering an important junior campaign as one of the seasoned vets on the loaded Westtown roster, Lively II continues to be recruited by some of the nation’s top programs.
“I’ve recently been approached by Kentucky, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Florida State, North Carolina, Duke, Memphis, Auburn, LSU, and many more schools, but I’m still keeping my options open,” Lively II told Stockrisers.com.
You take a look at this list, so many potential suitors for the elite big. The blue blood options are very intriguing for him. Despite not having contact with any of the respective blue blood coaches, Lively II still hears from them and knows that the interest remains.
Growing up, Lively II said that he would always watch Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina play, so to be recruited by them is something intriguing for Lively II, although he remains open to all options that come his way.
“Each coach has said that they’re going to recruit me hard and they look forward to building relationships.”
Then you got a local program like Penn State, which was one of the first programs to show heavy interest in Lively II.
“I recently did a zoom call with Penn State and Ohio State,” he said. Pat Chambers has not shied away from recruiting local high-level talent and that follows with Lively II, who continues to be heavily pursued by the Nittany Lions.
As far as some of the newer programs to enter the mix, Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing is the latest coach to extend a scholarship offer to Lively II. The Hoyas’ have the pitch that they’ve got a staff led by a hall-of-fame big man and being able to come in and have impact minutes as a freshman.
Then you’ve got a program like Stanford who is newly-minted in this recruitment. Jerod Haase has landed a handful of Top-50 guys and will now pursue Lively II.
The focus now: The upcoming season.
Lively II has begun working out at school and is focused on the upcoming season for Westtown which once again is a national schedule including a recent invite to the famous City of Palms tournament.