By ADAM ZAGORIA
Adonis and Theo Ratliff, the 7-foot twins from Archbishop Stepinac High School (NY) and the PSA Cardinals, took an official visit to USC to begin the week.
The twins have a connection to USC head coach Eric Musselman because “Muss” was an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks in the early 2000s when their father Theo Ratliff played in Atlanta. Theo was the No. 18 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft out of Wyoming.
“[The] visit was good,” Adonis told ZAGSBLOG via text. “The message is that me and my brother are [a] big priority for them and they want us because we’re more skilled than [the] majority of the guys in Big 10. they want us to come in and help the team win a championship.”
Unlike their father, a rugged big man known for his rebounding and blocked shots, Adonis and Darius Ratliff are modern-day big men who have more of an all-court game.
Adonis recently hit nine 3-pointers and went for 32 points in a Border League game.
“You definitely can’t back up off him,” Theo said of Adonis’s shooting range.
Darius is more of an inside player who is comfortable in the paint.
“I’ve gotten a lot of Karl-Anthony Towns [comparisons], mostly because he’s big, he can shoot, he can drive and pass,” Darius said. “Block shots, athletic.”
Asked to compare himself to Adonis, Darius said, “He’s more like downhill. He can dribble, shoot, he can do a lot. Me, I’m a big, I’m going to get inside, I’m going to rebound. He’s more of a three, I’m more of a four-five.”
Alabama (the state where Theo was born), Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, Florida and Creighton are among the other schools in hot pursuit of the twins.
The twins also recently completed a visit to Alabama.
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