The Paolo Banchero Blog: Final Visit of Junior Season, Recruitment Plans and More

Top Junior Paolo Banchero Said He's Planning to Cut His List in the Summer

Paolo Banchero is a consensus top five player in the 2021 class with one of the most versatile skill sets of any player in the country, regardless of class. Last season, he led O’Dea (Seattle) to its first state title since 2007, won MVP of the NBPA Top 100 Camp last summer and won Underclassmen of the Year in the Nike EYBL. This season he’s been equally dominant with the list of college suitors to prove it with everyone from Duke to Washington to Kentucky to North Carolina and Kansas, among others, all in hot pursuit. Now, Banchero has agreed to give SI All-American exclusive access into his world by chronicling everything from intimate details about his recruitment to his everyday life in a blog.

What’s up world, it’s Paolo coming at you with my first Sports Illustrated blog! It feels crazy to have an SI blog because I’ve been a big fan of SI forever. I still get the magazines delivered to my house, and I always loved the section where they would profile high school players in it.

It’s just an iconic magazine so I appreciate the opportunity!

Well, my season is going good right now.

Our only two losses came in the City of Palms in December, but we’re still the No. 1 team in the state and I feel like we’re playing well, which is even more important.

Jon Lopez

Our games this year have been really crazy; we’ve played three home games so far and two have been sold out. A lot of former NBA guys have been coming out to our games like Carlos Boozer, Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford, but he got their so late they wouldn’t let him in right away.

RELATED: Paolo Banchero Excited About Gonzaga Visit

We’ve even had some college coaches that were recruiting me and my teammates come out to games but couldn’t get in because it was sold out. That happened to Mike Hopkins when he came out to see me.

Right now, my 10 schools are, of course, Gonzaga, Duke, Washington, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgetown, Baylor, Memphis and Michigan.

I’ll either cut my list during or after the summer season; maybe before or after July. I’m not sure of what I’ll cut it down to though.

I’ve already taken visits to Kentucky, Tennessee, Duke and North Carolina; the Gonzaga visit was my last visit for my junior year.

OK, stepping away from basketball, school is going great for me. I’m working hard in the classroom and getting good grades so I’m happy with where I’m at right now.

I’m listening to that new MoneyBagg Yo, the new Drake and Future single, Travis Scott and a couple others.

OK guys I have to get going, but I appreciate you tuning in.

Make sure you check back soon for my next blog.

See you later!

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Twitter: @Pp_doesit