KU Jayhawks get visit from top 20 player in men’s hoops recruiting Class of 2022

Top 20-rated high school senior small forward prospect Brandon Miller, who has narrowed his college choices to Kansas, Alabama and Tennessee State, will make an official men’s basketball recruiting visit to KU this weekend.

Miller, 6-foot-8, 190-pounds from Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tennessee, also is being pursued by Australia’s pro league and the NBA G-League.

At one time, Miller, the No. 12-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com, No. 13 by ESPN.com and No. 16 by 247sports.com, also was considering Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Louisville, Illinois, Arkansas, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Mississippi and Auburn. Miller in fact has also taken official visits to Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Tennessee State.

Miller eliminated KU from his list of schools in September. However, he reinstated the Jayhawks to his list of contenders Oct. 6 when he scheduled a visit to Lawrence.

Miller averaged 23.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.6 blocks and 2.3 steals last season for Cane Ridge High. He hit 47% of his threes.

Tennessee’s 2021 Gatorade State Player of the Year was named second-team Nike EYBL Peach Jam after averaging 13.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.1 blocks a game in eight games for Brad Beal (Missouri ) Elite during the summertime AAU event in South Carolina.

“Brandon Miller’s versatility was on full display in mid-July, and it helped result in a trip to the Peach Jam championship game for Brad Beal Elite,” reads a Peach Jam scouting report at theseasonticket.com. “The 6-foot-8 swingman proved fully capable of guarding the 1-through-5 positions — a trait that few prospects can confidently claim. Miller consistently put his stamp on the game defensively, averaging over two steals and two blocks over eight Peach Jam games. Brad Beal Elite had its best season ever at the 17 and under level, and Miller’s defensive prowess deserves a lot of the credit.”

In August, Rob Cassidy of Rivals.com wrote of Miller: “He is known for his ability to attack the rim and that reputation is well earned. He looks to have added some additional muscle in the last year but remains athletic, lean and able to guard multiple positions. Miller is clearly much stronger than he was at this time a year ago and his flashes of dominance are becoming more frequent. He’ll take the next step when he begins to assert himself and impose his will on the offensive end.”

Of KU, Miller told 247sports.com: “I’ve got a visit with them coming up so I will have to describe that after the visit because I have only seen their campus on Zooms. Zoom can’t tell it all.”

Miller’s dad, Darrell, played football at Alabama in the 1990s.

Asked what the “feedback from coaches” had been following Miller’s stellar performance at Peach Jam, Darrell Miller told Rivals.com in mid-August: “Actually we just had a Zoom meeting with Kansas. They were talking about how they were impressed with the way that he played and how they want to utilize him. They want to use him as a guard. They want to have him as a big guard, and they think he can play as a guard when they have a big set, and he can also play when they have smaller guards in there. They were really impressed with the versatility.”

Mark Mitchell to visit Duke

Mark Mitchell, a 6-8, 210-pound senior small forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, will visit Duke this weekend and attend the Blue Devils’ annual “Countdown to Craziness” at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

The former Bishop Miege standout, who has a final four of KU, Missouri, Duke and UCLA, is ranked No. 11 nationally by Rivals.com and 247sports.com and No. 30 by ESPN.com.

Mitchell has already visited KU, MU and UCLA.