Naasir Cunningham, who is considered the top recruit in the class of 2024, will sign with Overtime Elite. Cunningham will sign via OTE's new scholarship model, as opposed to taking a salary. This will allow Cunningham to retain his NCAA eligibility.

Cunningham played the first two seasons of his high school career at Gill St. Bernard's School in New Jersey. The West Orange, New Jersey native said that he believes joining Overtime Elite is the past path for his professional future.

"This is best place for me to develop as a player, while getting the right education to fall back on at the same time," Cunningham said. "Overtime built a relationship with my family and I, which was a big factor in trusting them with my future. I want to be the best basketball player I can, an NBA draft lottery pick and hopefully one of the best in the league. Overtime is going to put me in position to become the best player I can."

Cunningham is the highest-ranked player to sign with Overtime Elite in their two-year history. OTE is an alternative, academy-style path for players who would like to earn money, while also preparing for their professional careers in basketball.

Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright is expected to retire after 21 seasons as the head coach at Villanova, sources told ESPN.

Fordham's Kyle Neptune, who spent 10 years under Wright as a video coordinator and assistant coach, is expected to be named his successor, sources said.

Wright has called a team meeting for Wednesday night, according to sources.

Gonzaga center Drew Timme has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2022 NBA Draft. Timme will leave the option open to return to Gonzaga after going through the pre-draft process.

Timme has been a three-year rotation player for the Bulldogs, including starting 64 games the past two seasons. As a junior, Timme averaged 18.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. His numbers dropped slightly from his sophomore campaign, but Timme shared the frontcourt with project top-3 pick Chet Holmgren.

The 6-foot-10 center projects as a second-round pick. Some draft analysts think Timme could improve his draft stock by returning to Gonzaga for his senior season.

Auburn forward Jabari Smith has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2022 NBA Draft. Smith is expected to be a top-three selection in this year's draft.

In his freshman season at Auburn, Smith put together an impressive campaign. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Smith shot 42% from behind the arc on 5.5 three-point attempts per game.

Depending on how the draft lottery shakes out, Smith will be in the mix for the first overall pick. Most experts have Smith, Paolo Banchero of Duke and Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga as the first three picks in the draft.

Auburn center Walker Kessler has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2022 NBA Draft. Kessler is projected as a mid to late first-round pick.

Kessler shined in his first season with Auburn after transferring from NC State. In 34 games with the Tigers, Kessler averaged 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.6 blocks.

At 7-foot-1, Kessler projects to be a pure center in the NBA. He's a good finisher inside, showing strength and good touch. Kessler is also fairly quick and agile for his size, which projects to him being a solid defender at the NBA level.

Thad Matta is back in coaching -- and back at Butler.

The Bulldogs announced Sunday they were hiring Matta as their next head coach.

Matta, who spent the last year as an associate athletic director at Indiana, replaces LaVall Jordan, who was fired Friday after five seasons as Butler's head coach.

"The success that Thad has achieved at every one of his programs speaks for itself," athletic director Barry Collier said. "He is a championship-caliber coach and recruiter who brings valuable experience and contagious energy to Butler. I have seen that personally in Thad as a player, assistant coach and head coach. The Matta Family -- Thad, Barb, Ali and Emily -- has a deep appreciation for Butler and I know they join all of the Butler community in how excited we are for what's to come."

Michigan State freshman wing Max Christie has declared as an Early Entry Candidate for the 2022 NBA Draft. Christie will maintain his college eligibility as he explores the draft process.

Christie is currently ranked as the 41st prospect on ESPN's Top 100 prospects. That ranking puts him in the mix to be drafted anywhere from the late first round to the middle of the second round.

In his freshman season, Christie averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He shot 38% from the floor, including 32% on three-pointers. As a six-foot-six wing, NBA teams may view Christie as a developmental 3&D prospect.

Ohio State freshman guard Malaki Branham is entering the 2022 NBA Draft as an Early Entry Candidate. Branham will maintain his college eligibility and ability to return to Ohio State.

Branham was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He averaged 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Buckeyes. He shot 49.7% from the field, including 41.1% from behind the arc.

The six-foot-five guard is ranked 16th on ESPN's Top 100 prospects list.