Scottie Barnes talks about his game, recruitment and decision timeline

Scottie Barnes is the No. 4 player in the 2020 class, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Barnes is a 6-8 wing that can play point guard or go down into the post when needed. He is certainly one of the prize recruits of the class, and he recently opened up about his recruiting process.

“Mostly the relationships and somewhere I feel comfortable going to the school and making it be the right fit for me,” Barnes told Steve Helwagen of 247Sports.

With his skill set, the fit may have more to do with scheme and development than positional needs. In fact, Barnes believes he can play several positions at the college level.

“Some tell me I would play the point, but during a game I could transition to other spots on the floor. I could go and play the four sometimes. I could bring the ball down the court and then transition to other spots on the floor,” Barnes said. “I feel like I could play the one, the two or the three mostly.”

Although he is listed as a small forward, Barnes seems to understand that his versatility is one of his biggest strengths. He talked to Helwagen about his focus on ball-handling and shooting to continue to develop as a guard, despite his large frame.

Barnes says that he is likely to put off his commitment until late next year. So as soon as we are finished with “Jaden McDaniels watch,” we should start preparing ourselves to do the same with Scottie Barnes next spring.

“Last week, they came to visit me,” Barnes said of Kentucky. “They came in and talked to me at my school. It went very well. They talked to me about how I would transition to their offense and how they would develop me to get me to the league.

“They just tell me how I will develop there and they make pros for the league. They are selling me how I would be able to play there and get to the league.”

Barnes’ list currently consists of the Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, Kansas Jayhawks, Oregon Ducks, Florida State Seminoles, Ohio State Buckeyes, California Golden Bears and Miami Hurricanes. While the Florida native will likely not make his final decision before next spring, I think we could certainly see this list being trimmed this fall.

Read Barnes’ entire interview with Steve Helwagen here.