Providence has been in the thick of things when it comes to New England recruiting in the Class of 2024. George Turkson Jr. is one of the many New England recruits PC is pursing. Turkson Jr. is another Mass Rivals AAU and Bradford Christian Academy product. If that AAU team rings a bell, it is because Providence has a long history of recruiting the prestigious AAU program, with 2024 being no different. PC is actively recruiting 2024 Mass Rivals products Teng, Turkson, Mills, and Dortch. At Bradford Christian Academy, Turkson Jr. is also teammates with 2024 4 star Kur Teng.
Turkson Jr. in his own right has seen his stock steadily rise this season. We break down his recruitment below, talk a bit about his game, and discuss where the Friars stand.
Recruiting Profile – Overview
247: https://247sports.com/player/george-turkson-46114374/
3 Star, Top 125
Rivals: https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/george-turkson-283201?view=pv
4 Star, Top 115
Recruiting Interest: Turkson Jr. has an interesting recruitment to date. I use the word interesting deliberately as the primary contenders for Turkson Jr.’s recruitment aren’t your typical schools for a New England Top 125 type player. Texas A&M, Rutgers, Ole Miss, Seton Hall, and Providence are the main schools vying for his recruitment. I have my eye on Rutgers particularly as they are final contenders for Turkson Jr.’s teammate Kur Teng.
Profiling Turkson Jr.’s Game
Turkson Jr. is a stereotypical modern 3/4 standing in anywhere from 6’7/6’8 that excels first and foremost on the defensive end protecting the rim and using his athleticism. While defense is his calling card due to his aforementioned athleticism and length, he is following in the footsteps of the ever evolving NBA game in expanding his game to the perimeter to consistently knock down perimeter shots. Of recent, Turkson Jr. has shown to be a threat from deep, which creates mismatch nightmares for the opposition.
When watching tape on Turkson Jr., the first thing that jumped out to me is his wingspan and general length. I see a little bit of Pascal Siakim in his game, albeit a bit more raw. I also like the “attitude and energy” he plays with. There’s a motor and relentlessness to his game that I think all college coaches pine for out of their players.
At this juncture, Turkson’s bread and butter on the offensive end is getting out in the open court and slashing to the hoop to finish around the rim. Who is to say what his game looks like in college and he becomes a scoring threat in the paint, mid-range, and from deep. On the defensive end, Turkson will be an athletic 4 that protects the rim and can switch defensively at the 3 – 5 positions.
I envision him having an immediate impact in college on the glass and through defensive effort. Blocking shots on chase-downs in the open court, rim running to get easy dunks/lay-ups in transition, and being a menace on the boards is where I see Turkson Jr. excelling early in his collegiate career. He’s going to be a double double machine in college solely due to his length, athleticism, and “want-to”. That last characteristic is often assumed and overlooked, but it is amazing what an endless motor will do for a player. Turkson Jr. has that.
Fit with Providence
The Providence staff and Ed Cooley would love to land Turkson Jr. for a multitude of reasons. For one, Mass Rivals has a history of producing players that have collegiate success. Don’t discount how important that is. Turkson Jr. will come in ready to work.
Secondly, Turkson Jr. has something that Ed Cooley loves: a non-stop motor. Cooley has an affinity for the “junkyard dog” type that will work relentlessly and do the dirty work to get their team a win. Turkson Jr. has a lot of these traits that translate to winning programs.
In terms of roster composition, if Turkson Jr. were to enroll at Providence, PC would have the following small forwards/stretch 4’s definitely on roster: Rafael Castro, Donovan Santoro, and Drew Fielder. Turkson Jr.’s game is probably a mix between Santoro and Fielder at this point. It would be an absolute add to have Turkson in the frontcourt with his athleticism.
Summary – Recruiting Prediction
Turkson Jr.’s recruitment is a tough one to read. He has only taken one official visit to Texas A&M, but has done an unofficial visit to Providence in the past. I’d like to see Providence turn up the heat here. Landing him as a future 3/4 would be a huge add to the roster. It increases the athleticism on the roster and further intertwines PC’s program with Mass Rivals. Additionally, him being teammates with Teng should help the Providence efforts. If I were on staff, I would let both Teng and Turkson Jr. individually know they have a spot on this roster, but would love to have them both be Friars.
If a package deal were to transpire, that’s a home run for Providence. Turkson Jr. is the type of player that is becoming the norm in the frontcourt who can play inside and outside.
More broadly, I’m fascinated to see how the recruitments of the 2024 players from Mass Rivals pans out. They all have interest from Providence, but there aren’t enough roster spots for each of them. This juggling act of sorts is why Cooley and Staff get paid the big bucks. I imagine Providence lands at least one of the 2024 Mass Rivals players, with 2 being realistic.
Other Crier Recruiting Corners
Andre Mills – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/02/08/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-andre-mills/
Junjie Wang – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/01/24/crier-recruiting-corner-junjie-barry-wang/
Kur Teng – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/01/16/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2024-guard-kur-teng/
Kany Tchanda – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2022/12/29/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-kany-tchanda/
Kayvaun Mulready – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/01/09/friars-land-24-worcester-academy-guard-kayvaun-mulready/#more-5741