Final word on Columbia’s Julian Phillips: What we’re hearing as decision day arrives
It’s decision day for Blythewood native and Link Academy five-star basketball prospect Julian Phillips.
Phillips is expected to announce his college choice at 3 p.m. Thursday, and the decision is to be streamed online by CBS Sports HQ.
247Sports Composite, Rivals and ESPN rank the 6-foot-8 Phillips as a top-15 national prospect for the Class of 2022. He’s the only unsigned or uncommitted player from ESPN’s Top 100. This week, ESPN projected him as a first-round pick for the 2023 NBA Draft.
Phillips was a McDonald’s All-American and selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic this year. He played his first three years at Blythewood High School, was a three-time all-state selection and played AAU for Upward Stars. He played his senior season at Link Year in Branson, Missouri.
Here is what we know heading into Thursday’s announcement:
▪ Phillips originally signed with LSU in November. When LSU fired head coach Will Wade on March 12, he was granted his release a week later from his national letter of intent.
▪ Phillips then opened up the recruiting process and announced his final seven choices May 7 — Auburn, Florida State, South Carolina, Southern Cal and Tennessee, and professional options G-League Ignite and Overtime.
▪ South Carolina was one of the first schools to offer him in high school when former coach Frank Martin offered him in June of 2019. The Gamecocks didn’t make his final cut before he announced his decision to LSU. But new coach Lamont Paris reached out to Phillips shortly after he was hired March 24. Phillips took an unofficial visit to USC on April 23 and spent the day on campus and talking to the coaching staff.
“South Carolina is a great school. After I took my visit down there, I got to see a lot of the schools I’ve never seen before,” Phillips told 247Sports. “Coach Paris and I have a good relationship and it’s close to home, so that’s another good thing I like about South Carolina.”
▪ Phillips took an official visit to Auburn on April 25-26. The Tigers already have reeled in some of the top talent in the Class of 2022. Yohan Traore, the No. 17 player in the country, has committed to Bruce Pearl and the Tigers. Auburn also has signed four-star point guards Tre Donaldson and Chance Westry.
“(Auburn) is one of the schools that I wanted to visit. This was the only school I had left that I hadn’t gotten to see,” Phillips told Auburn Live. “The fans are crazy and the facilities are very nice. Coach Pearl’s track record speaks for itself in terms of culture, winning and getting guys to the NBA. Everything is really great at Auburn.”
▪ On3’s Jamie Shaw reported this week and The State confirmed that Phillips met Wednesday with members of the G-League, which is the National Basketball Association’s official minor league basketball organization. Playing in the G-League for Phillips is an option because he is 18 years old. He could play one year in the G-League and then be eligible for the 2023 NBA Draft. Houston’s Jalen Green and Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga are among those who have played in the G-League and are now in the NBA.
Green made $500,000 during his one season with the G-League Ignite.
▪ Phillips made a visit to the Overtime Elite facility in Atlanta over the past month.
▪ During his most recent recruitment process, Phillips only visited South Carolina unofficially and Auburn officially. In the fall, he visited Tennessee, Florida State and Southern Cal.
What they are saying
There are no recent 247Sports projections for Phillips, but the more-recent Rivals and On3 predictions favor him picking Auburn.
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
