Bronx' Precious Achiuwa joins Penny Hardaway's Memphis team

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The question: Who’s the hottest coach on the recruiting trail?

The Answer: Not John Calipari or Mike Krzyzewski.

Yes, you read that right. Finally, the Kentucky and Duke coach are taking a back seat, at least for now, their power at least partially usurped by Penny Hardaway of Memphis.

The former NBA star’s latest victory is the second-highest remaining uncommitted prospect in the 2019 class, five-star wing Precious Achiuwa of The Bronx, who picked the Tigers over Kansas on Friday morning. The commitment gives Memphis the top class in the country, according to ESPN, a stacked seven-man group that includes the consensus No. 1, 7-foot prospect James Wiseman, fellow five-star D.J. Jeffries and four other four-star recruits, including shooting guard Lester Quinones — Achiuwa’s close friend and former high school teammate at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark.

“It came down to believing in what the coaching staff can help me with in terms of improving my game and also understanding the game, being ready as much as I can for the next level,” the 6-foot-9 Achiuwa, who attended Montverde (Fla.) Academy this year, said in a phone interview. “These are guys who played at the level we’re all trying to get to. They had great success. I trusted the fact they’ve been there, they know what it takes. That’s what it all came to, me believing in those guys.”

While Hardaway has received most of the credit for the recruiting class, Achiuwa singled out assistant coach Mike Miller, the former sharpshooter who won two NBA titles with the Heat. They developed a close bond.

“I loved the way whenever we spoke, we spoke about everything besides basketball,” Achiuwa said. “When we did talk about basketball, we talked about the NBA and also broke down plays. He helped me understand the game a lot.”

The Nigerian-born Achiuwa came to America five years ago, following in the footsteps of his brother, God’sgift, who went to St. John’s following junior college. Little brother is set to surpass him. He’s projected as a one-and-done lottery pick, and now he’ll get to play on a loaded team that, at least on paper, seems capable of having an extraordinary season.

“He’s a special kid. He’s motivated,” Achiuwa’s AAU coach with New Heights, Oz Cross, said. “He came here with a purpose. So far, everything he’s tried to get done, he accomplished. Why stop now? Just keep going.”

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