R.J. Barrett, the No. 1 Player in Class of 2019, Reclassifies to Class of 2018

This isn’t that surprising of news, but the timing is a little bit surprising. R.J. Barrett is the top player in the Class of 2019 announced today via his blog that he’s reclassifying so he can play college ball next season. This was the move everyone expected all along, but a lot of people assumed this would happen if Marvin Bagley reclassified. They are considered two of the three best prospects in the US at any level (Michael Porter Jr., being the other). Bagley had filed paperwork to reclassify late last week.

Barrett says his decision to reclassify came after this summer and where he feels his game is. You may remember him absolutely destroying Team USA during the U-19 semifinals in Egypt this year. He went on to win MVP of the tournament, a tournament in which Kentucky’s John Calipari got an up close view of just how good he is as he was the coach of Team USA. Barrett said the teams that are recruiting him the hardest are Kentucky, Duke, Oregon, Texas, Kansas, UCLA, Michigan and Arizona. That’s not a real surprise as a handful of those teams have ties to Canadian players and they are known for going after the top talent.

Barrett is currently playing for Montverde Academy in Florida which produced guys like Ben Simmons, D’Angelo Russell, Dakari Johnson, Joel Embiid and Kasey Hill. Barrett is a 6’8″ lefty wing that can really shoot the ball from 15 feet and looks to attack off the bounce. He’s an excellent rebounder for a wing and likes to get to the midrange to finish.

Barrett is eligible to sign a letter of intent starting November 15 when the early signing period begins. Here’s his highlight package from the U-19s: