Big news in the recruiting world came out on Thursday night, as five-star forward T.J. Leaf decommitted from the University of Arizona.
Leaf had been committed to the Wildcats since November 19th, 2014. That’s a solid 10 month commitment, and was especially early for the upcoming senior class. Leaf seemed confident and definite with his commitment, though. What changed?
What Five-Star T.J. Leaf’s Decommitment Means
For one, it is perfectly okay for a recruit to have a change of heart of where they wish to attend college. Just like any normal student, that change of heart can be because of one thing, or many things. Whether Leaf felt he committed too soon, was not comfortable with the surrounding, or felt unsure of academics is not our problem to try and fix.
Another could be some insecurity as to who Arizona is recruiting.
Josh Jackson, a top three player in the country, does not play the exact same position as Leaf, but he is talented enough to find the floor. Things between Arizona and Jackson are getting more serious. Do not forget, Sean Miller coached the U19 FIBA team that won the gold medal; Josh Jackson was on that team, and played a vital role to their success.
Four-star power forward De’Ron Davis is choosing between Indiana and Arizona — most think he will pick the Wildcats. While Leaf is better according to the rankings, could some freshman competition be a factor? It is certainly doubtful. According to 247Sports, Arizona is also hot on the trail for three-star forward Mitch Lightfoot, and offered four-star forward Javin Montgomery-Delaurier on Friday afternoon. Again, it is hard to fathom this as a legitimate reason for Leaf’s change of heart.
Relations with Arizona coaches may have broken down altogether. A decommitment does not always mean the school is totally out of the running; that may be the case here, though.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello tweeted a list of schools of which Leaf has heard from on Friday morning, and one school was noticeably not there:
T.J. Leaf has heard from Kentucky, Indiana, UCLA, Arizona St, Texas, NC St, Kansas, Cal, Oregon, Gonzaga, Michigan, Duke since decommitting.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) August 7, 2015
Does this mean Leaf has stopped considering Arizona, or vice versa? It’s very possible at this point. These types of things can happen in sports, and in life. A commitment is much like marriage, and backing out early is always better than transferring (or getting a divorce). And just like a marriage, if there is no communication, it’s bound to fail. Communication between Leaf and Arizona coaches easily could have become nonexistent. That argument is helped with Miller’s decision to cut Leaf from the U19 FIBA squad that Miller coached. It was a true character move from Miller to not cater a committed recruit, but it could have easily wavered in Leaf’s mind.
Another possibility is a yearning for greener pastures. Arizona is unarguably a top-notch program, but it’s location, fit, and atmosphere is not for everyone — this is true with every program. Leaf holds interest from many great programs, including Kentucky, Indiana, UCLA, and Kansas.
The race is pretty open right now, but UCLA seems to have a slight edge on the field. Leaf is a California kid and has connections through his Compton Magic AAU team.
Greener pastures could include playing overseas, too. While it seems like a longshot right now, consider that Leaf is old for his class, could reclassify to the 2015 class, and could earn some money right away.
The only problem with that is the simple fact that Leaf is not the NBA prospect that Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay — two recent recruits to skip college — were. There’s always the nightmare Jeremy Tyler story, too. It doesn’t always work out.
The decommitment is a huge shift for the class of 2016 in general. Leaf is a consensus top-15 recruit — every five-star commitment means something. Each commitment can put pressure on other top recruits, change roster complexions, or even save coaches jobs. Leaf’s decommitment really relieves a lot of pressure for the short term, and means more opportunity for recruits to consider a program like Arizona.
All in all, every top recruit will feel the affect of Leaf’s decommitment — including himself.
