Oh, Hello: 2021 New Jersey Center Elijah Hutchins-Everett Commits To Penn State Basketball

Hometown: Orange, NJ
High School: Putnam Science Academy
Class: 2021
Position: C
Height: 6-foot-10
Weight: 225 pounds
Ranking: ★★★ (247 Composite)
Notable Offers: Villanova, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Minnesota, Miami, Providence, Iona, DePaul.

Elijah was originally a 2020 prospect that opted to go to prep school, bumping him to the 2021 class. Indiana, not listed above as having offered Elijah, made the hardest push for him when he was set to be part of the 2020 class.

As has been the case for a number of Pat Chambers’s recruits lately, Hutchins-Everett was a 4-star recruit, and was rated as the 64th best player in the 2020 class, but is ranked 182nd in the 2021 class. Having no way to showcase his talents to the world right now could be a big factor in the slide, but what is available of him does show the potential to turn into a big contributor when he gets on campus.

The departures of John Harrar and Trent Buttrick after this season would leave Abdou Tsimbila as the only person taller than 6-foot-7 on the team, so adding capable bodies at the position was of utmost need. As a result, seeing the 2021 go heavy on the big men is no surprise. This also means the possibility that Hutchins-Everett sees the floor early and often in 2021 is quite high.

For better or worse, Hutchins-Everett likely won’t get the luxury of casually sitting back and waiting for his turn, as has been the case for the majority of the players coming in the past few classes.

Overall, this puts Penn State in better position in terms of roster balance. The Nittany Lions have played with at least two viable options at center for the past four seasons, and the addition of Hutchins-Everett, and TaQuan Woodley before him, ensures that trend will continue.

Welcome to Penn State, Elijah!