Recruiting notebook: The offers are pouring in for late bloomer Hunter Sallis

The parents of Hunter Sallis foresaw competing paths for their son’s athletic career. His father, Trevis, wrestled for an NAIA school and hoped to see Hunter excel on the mat. His mother, Jessica Haynes, starred in basketball during high school and college and thought it only natural that her son follow the same course.

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Genetics decided the way, as Hunter developed into a lanky child not really suited for grappling on the ground. Not that basketball came easily right away, as he took so long to coordinate his long arms and legs that he earned the nickname “Bambi.”

“You know when you see a doe that’s just born and they have this awkwardness?” Haynes says. “That was him. He was very athletic, but it was awkward and unorthodox like a baby deer.”

Hunter nearly gave up after traveling to a grassroots tournament in eighth grade and barely getting off the bench. “It was a crossroads moment,” Trevis Sallis recalls. So his parents sat him down and said, if you’re serious about this, we’ll pay for a trainer. Hunter insisted he was committed to improving, and after about a year of working with basketball instructor Ryan Foster in the mornings and afternoons, he received his first college scholarship offer.

“Before then, I didn’t have a feel for the game or any confidence,” he says. “That helped me get a lot more confident.”

The scholarship offers haven’t stopped flowing. Hunter, a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Omaha, Neb., is ranked as the 19th best player in the 2021 class by the 247Sports.com Composite and 11th overall by Rivals. On Sunday, he announced his 12 finalists, and they include some of the most storied and successful programs of all time. Gonzaga, Louisville, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon and UCLA are among the teams vying for his services, making this a blue-blood shark hunt. Alabama, Auburn, Creighton and Iowa State are also on his list.

Top 12!

— Hunter Sallis (@HunterSallis_) August 23, 2020

Though Sallis says he has no clear favorites among the group, the word in recruiting circles is that he wants to go to a tradition-rich program. “It appeals a lot,” he says. “Those schools have a lot of background and really just history, so they know what they’re doing. I know they’ll definitely put me in the best position to succeed.”

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No one has a great read on where Sallis will end up. North Carolina was perceived to be an early leader, and Kansas has the benefit of being within easy driving distance. Kentucky jumped into the fray late, offering a scholarship late last week right around the same time the Wildcats got their first 2021 commitment, from four-star guard Nolan Hickman. Sallis talked to Kentucky assistant coach Joel Justus and said the recruiting pitch was that he could play with great players and get prepared like an NBA rookie. The Wildcats could have Hickman and potentially Devin Askew in the backcourt for 2021-22 and are still pursuing five-star shooting guard Jaden Hardy.

But Sallis says he doesn’t much care who he plays with at any of his potential destinations as long as everyone gets along. He’s versatile enough to play the point, which might be his long-term home as a professional, although he’s most comfortable right now off the ball. “More of a scorer and slasher who can slide over” to the one is how a high-major assistant coach describes his game.

The bloodlines always suggested a future blue-blood player. The 6-foot-1 Haynes led her Omaha high school to two state championships, was a Parade All-American and got recruited by dozens of college programs. She went to San Diego State, where she averaged 16.2 points and 12.1 rebounds in her third and final season. Haynes was signed by the Utah Starzz in the WNBA’s inaugural season, but she tore her groin muscle after three preseason games and decided to retire.

Houston Rockets star James Harden is a cousin. “I grew up playing ball with his dad, James Sr.,” Haynes says. “I was shocked because he was not very good.” Haynes is also related to former NBA player Ron Boone, who is now a commentator for the Utah Jazz. Her oldest child is Tokyo Stylez, a hairdresser to the stars who has appeared on “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”

Hunter’s own free-flowing hair, complete with dreadlocks and a blond streak, helped him stand out at large events like last fall’s USA Basketball camp. He cut it all off during the pandemic but says it’s growing back. Even without the noticeable mane, he draws attention. He’s a high-flying finisher and an excellent shooter with a high release point. Last season his family ditched the Bambi nickname and started calling him “Superman” for his leaping ability. They wore shirts to his games with an “H” instead of the “S” in the Superman logo. Even with all his acrobatics, Hunter – who turned 17 in March – continues to grow into his body.

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“He’ll still dunk sometimes and land on his butt,” his mother says. “He’s still kind of awkward.”

The only school on his list the family visited before COVID-19 stopped travel is Gonzaga. Hunter, who hopes to cut his list in half next month, realizes he most likely will see his future college campus for the first time when he enrolls. That makes the decision process more difficult. His mother and father are no longer together, but they raise him and go through recruiting options as a team. Haynes analyzes rosters, talks to coaches and deep-dives the X’s and O’s of Hunter’s options. Trevis does all the research into programs, investigating how well coaches develop and build relationships with the players. He does this in part by calling parents of other players who have gone through this. And, he says, “some of it is just Google.”

At least Haynes has experience in dealing with all this hype and can pass along some lessons.

“I get it,” she says. “You’re trying to get your homework done, and you’ve got five coaches calling you. It does kind of get overwhelming. You have to prioritize. We set up the Zooms and calls when he’s not doing his school work.”

If Hunter chooses a school that’s far from home, Haynes plans on moving with him. She has a master’s degree and works in mental health, so she is confident she could find a job in the new town. She might not be there long, anyway, as Sallis has the potential to be a one-and-done player. Bambi is just about all grown up, and the path — strong college program to the NBA — is now both obvious and exciting.

On the trail

• Missouri solidified its 2021 class with two commitments this week. The first one came from 6-6 guard Kaleb Brown, the younger brother of Tigers sophomore Kobe Brown. A day after Kaleb’s pledge, Mizzou picked up Sean Durugordon, a three-star wing from New York City who is 6-7 with a reported 7-foot wingspan. They join Anton Brookshire, a three-star guard from Springfield, Mo., who committed in the spring. After a quiet 2020 on the recruiting front, mostly because of scholarship limitations, Cuonzo Martin has the makings of a solid foundation in the ’21 group.

• Top-50 player Bryce Hopkins committed to Louisville in November but backed out of that earlier this month, citing concerns with the Cardinals’ potential NCAA sanctions. Kentucky has since offered Hopkins, who had a Zoom with John Calipari last week. If Hopkins winds up in Lexington, that surely will not be forgotten when and if he plays in the Yum! Center. Speaking of the Wildcats, Calipari’s impending reported hiring of Texas assistant Jai Lucas in a recruiting role could help them land Daimion Collins, a five-star center in 2021 from Atlanta, Texas. The Collins family had a close relationship with Lucas, who has been recruiting Daimion for the Longhorns, and Kentucky offered him this week. Collins is also a high priority for Oklahoma.

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• I’m of the opinion that college basketball is cooler when UNLV is interesting. Well, second-year coach T.J. Otzelberger might be getting the Runnin’ Rebels closer to that point. On Sunday, four-star guard Zaon Collins chose UNLV over Pac-12 programs such as Arizona, Arizona State and USC. Collins plays for Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman, and keeping him and other talented players home will be key for Otzelberger to restore the glory in Sin City.

(Photo courtesy of USA Basketball)