Top 25 Prospect To Visit Utah Basketball
Aug 25, 2024, 10:48 AM | Updated: 10:56 am
Utah Utes center Branden Carlson (35) dunks the ball in the final minute of a men’s basketball game against the Brigham Young Cougars at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. (Photo Cred: Megan Nielson, Deseret News)
(Photo Cred: Megan Nielson, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – It’s August, which means the Utah Football season is about to kickoff. However, Craig Smith and Utah Basketball are making some noise on the recruiting trail.
Utah finalized the 2024-25 roster last week with the addition of Israeli big man Joul Karram. They’re now able to shift their entire recruiting focus to the future.
In the coming weeks and months, Utah Basketball will welcome a few prospects to campus for visits. Here are some updates on Utah Basketball recruiting.
Utah Basketball is an option for Top 25 prospect Miika Muurinen?
In a couple of weeks, Utah Basketball will welcome a consensus four-star prospect to campus for a visit. A Finland product, Miika Muurinen is considered by most to be a top 25 player, even a top 10 player according to On3, in the 2026 class.
Muurinen is a 6-foot-10, 200-pound forward who can do a bit of everything. He has lengthy arms that make him a rim-protecting force on the defensive end.
Muurinen moves really well for his size, in terms of general athleticism and fluidity. He looks comfortable handling the ball, can make plays off the bounce, and can finish at all levels of the floor.
Miikka Muurinen, standing at 6'11", is undoubtedly the top long-term prospect in the 2026 class. 📈📈
📽️: Synergy
✅HS Coaches Get Synergy: https://t.co/3kwsPkZSZQ pic.twitter.com/RDJ3Li0trB— Jay Frye (@JayFryeNBA) August 7, 2024
He’s a tantalizing prospect and has offers from the who’s who of college basketball. Alabama, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, and others are all on the offer sheet. He has visits scheduled to Utah on September 7, Kentucky on September 14, and Duke on September 27.
Though they may stick out like a sore thumb compared to the others in the mix, Utah has strong connections to the Finnish basketball program. Miro Little is the current Finnish product on the roster and he will play a role in Utah’s recruitment of Muurinen.
What about the 2025 recruiting class?
Utah is also gaining traction in the current cycle. Four-star Chris Nwuli recently cut his list of options to a top six that included Utah, UCLA, Louisville, TCU, USC, and San Diego State.
Nwuli is a 6-foot-7 200-pound forward, who is considered an industry-wide four-star prospect. He’s closing in on a top 50 overall player ranking as well. Utah is working to get Nwuli on campus for an official visit this fall.
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— Christopher Nwuli (@ChrisNwuli) August 18, 2024
Lino Mark is a three-star prospect Utah is making good progress with. He’s a 6-foot-2 point guard with good overall playmaking ability on offense and the requisite athleticism and toughness on defense.
He has scheduled visits to USC on September 6, Seton Hall on September 9, Rutgers on September 18, Utah on September 27, and TCU on October 4. Utah seems to be progressing fairly well with Mark.
Both Nwuli and Mark are members of the Oakland Soldiers AAU basketball program.
Making the cut for Anthony Felesi
Another promising 2026 prospect, Anthony Felesi is a top 100, four-star prospect in the 2026 class. He is considered a top 75 player by most services in the industry. At 6-foot-5, 180 pounds, Felesi is a promising shooting guard who can score from all levels.
He’s seen his recruitment pick up some steam but has narrowed things down to five. Included on his list are BYU, Houston, Kentucky, UCLA, and Utah. The Utes have work to do but they’re in the mix.
Top-25 junior guard Anthony Felesi (@AnthonyFelesi4) has really come into his own over the past year. He spoke with @madehoops about five schools standing out early as well as a couple of potential visits.
🔗: https://t.co/jH2M0R8pNm pic.twitter.com/6cJD1UQhHL
— Travis Graf (@TravisGrafHoops) August 19, 2024
Utah Basketball Roster
Smith and his staff finalized the basketball roster last week with the addition of Joul Karram of Israel. You can find Utah basketball’s new roster here.
