Basketball Recruiting Report Blog
College Basketball Recruiting

Posted on: 9/12/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

Georgia lands third in-state prospect

Miller Grove (Lithonia) small forward Brandon Morris became the third 2012 Peach State prospect to make a verbal commitment to Georgia on Monday.

The 6-foot-7 small forward will head to Athens next fall along with guards Kenneth Gaines of Whitefield Academy (Mableton) and Charles Mann of Milton – both summer circuit teammates at one time or another.

"They were recruiting me to fill that small forward slot," said Morris, who is eyeing an architecture major. "It is right up the street, so that is really nice. I want my family to share the experience."

Morris averaged 9.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a junior, helping Miller Grove land its third-straight Class AAAA state title. The Wolverines will be the favorite to win another championship this season with nine returnees, including five-star post man Tony Parker.

"It was important for me to make my decision so I wouldn't be hung up on where I'm going," Morris said. "Now I can focus on my grades and helping Miller Grove win another state title."

The Wolverines will play a fierce schedule in 2011-12, featuring a trip to the City of Palms Classic in December along with showcase showdowns against Mann and Milton, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) and defending national champion St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic in January.

Morris has experience with both of his fellow Bulldog pledges, playing alongside Mann with the Southern Kings and Gaines with the Georgia Stars.

Posted on: 9/12/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

House, Knowles signal Houston recruiting revival

In one of the more significant recruiting developments since the days of "Phi Slama Jama" at the University of Houston, a pair of Top 100 seniors delivered verbal commitments Sunday to new Cougar head coach James Dickey.

Danuel House of Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) and Danrad "Chicken" Knowles of HCYA North (Houston) became the first members of Houston's 2012 recruiting class, rewarding Dickey for his focus on local talent.

"I think it signals a real positive direction for the program," said Marland Lowe, the duo's club coach with Texas PRO. "James Dickey has made a point to concentrate on the city of Houston unlike the previous coaching staffs."

House, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound wing, is rated No. 36 in the MaxPreps.com Class of 2012 Top 100. The four-star prospect helped Hightower go 28-8 and reach the Class 5A state semifinals as a junior. He posted 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

"He brings lots of energy," Lowe said of House. "He is an electric guy and does a lot of little things. He's a special kid."

Knowles, a 6-10, 190-pound forward, was one of the summer's biggest success stories, going from a virtual unknown to No. 78 on the Top 100 since the end of the high school season in March.

"He is making a lot of progress but his best years are still way ahead of him," Lowe said of Knowles, a native of The Bahamas. "He is learning to play at a high level all the time. He just needed the court time and he is getting that now."

Posted on: 9/10/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

Oklahoma State lands 5-star guard Smart, teammate Forte

Marcus Smart and Phil Forte won a state title as juniors at Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) and have helped Texas Assault win back-to-back age group titles at the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas.

Following their highly-anticipated senior season at the suburban Dallas-Fort Worth school, the duo will continue their winning partnership at Oklahoma State.

Marcus High School assistant coach Kenny Brunner confirmed that Smart and Forte committed to the Cowboys late Friday night, giving head coach Travis Ford one of his biggest recruiting coups since arriving at OSU in 2008.

In addition to being teammates, the two are close friends with ties that go back to the third grade. Though they attempted to keep their recruitments separate, the thought of continuing to play basketball together was ever-present.

"They started out together in the third grade and didn't want it to end," Brunner said of their plans to remain a backcourt tandem. "They really are like brothers and weren't going to leave each other. That kind of brought it down to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma as far as teams that were in the mix for both."

Smart, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound guard, is a consensus five-star prospect and ranked No. 11 in the MaxPreps Class of 2012 Top 100. He earned All-American honors as a junior, averaging 14 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game for the 39-1 Marauders. At the adidas Super 64 in July, he piled up 29 points and 19 rebounds in the final to make tournament MVP honors a no-brainer – even with top-ranked prospect Shabazz Muhammad in the running.

"He is one of the best competitors in America," Texas Assault coach Rick Roberts said of Smart in July. "He has heart that you can't measure. As long as you have him on any team, you got a chance to win the game."

Smart was being pursued by the likes of North Carolina and Kansas, in addition to the Cowboys.

Forte, a 5-10, 175-pound sharpshooter, led Marcus in scoring during its state championship run at over 16 points per game. His long-distance exploits became the stuff of legend in Las Vegas over the summer as it was reported he connected on 23 of 30 3-point attempts during one four-game span at the adidas Super 64.

Boise State, Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech were among other suitors for Forte's services.

"It's my understanding that they made personal phone calls to the coaches from other programs that recruited them before they released their decision, even to their friends," Brunner said. "I think that's a classy move by them. They appreciated the time that the coaches put into their recruitment."

With Smart and Forte together in the backcourt, Marcus has compiled a 76-4 record over the past two seasons with back-to-back trips to Texas' version of the Final Four in Austin.

A third Marcus senior is also committed to a Division I school. Six-foot-eight wing-forward Nick Banyard made a verbal pledge to New Mexico last week.

Smart and Forte join Brooklyn product Kamari Murphy and Kentucky guard Adam Wing in Oklahoma State's 2012 recruiting class.

Posted on: 9/6/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

Maryland gets total package in Layman

King Philip Regional (Wrentham, Mass.) head coach Sean McInnis loves to talk about his rising senior star Jake Layman.

And he especially loves Layman's decision to make a verbal commitment to the University of Maryland and new head coach Mark Turgeon on Tuesday.

"It's a great decision," McInnis said. "Maryland has so much to offer and has a tremendous coaching staff. There is so much enthusiasm there and Jake wanted to be part of that."

Layman, a 6-foot-8 wing, is rated No. 56 in the MaxPreps Class of 2012 Top 100. He had a breakout junior season at King Philip, piling up 24.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game while leading the Warriors to a 17-9 record. His rise continued over the summer as a key contributor for the Boston Amateur Athletic Club's EYBL championship team.

McInnis isn't convinced that Layman's ability is fully appreciated, however.

"I actually still do think he is a secret," McInnis said. "People don't realize how good he is. He plays point guard and off guard for us. He plays the three for his BABC team. He excels with the ball in his hand."

Layman is a bit of a rarity for a star player in his area, electing to remain at King Philip – a regional public school – over transferring to one of the Northeast's prep school college pipelines.

"Jake has had those opportunities all along," McInnis said. "He could step into any prep school program in the Northeast and they would be thrilled to have him. But he is a very loyal young man and very dedicated. When we started together we promised each other to turn this program around and stay together."

With a 57-game losing streak in the not-too-distant past and a 15-year postseason drought, King Philip wasn't exactly a hoops hotbed prior to Layman's arrival.

"We sold out all but one of our games last year," McInnis said. "In three years, that's a big turnaround.

"He goes into elementary schools and reads to kids, sets up math programs and bullying programs – that's what he means (to our program). He is the full player. That's one of the great things about Maryland for him. He's not just going to be invested in basketball, but the entire Maryland community."

Thanks to Turgeon, who recruited Layman at Texas A&M and continued pursuit after taking the Terrapin post, the Maryland community is rapidly expanding.

Layman will join a 2012 recruiting class that already features four-star center Shaquille Cleare of The Village School (Houston, Texas) and guard Seth Allen of Fredericksburg Christian (Fredericksburg, Va.).

Posted on: 9/6/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

Another Stith to star at Virginia

Sibling rivalry may be partially responsible for Tony Bennett's latest big get at Virginia.

Over the weekend, Class of 2014 Top 50 prospect B.J. Stith of Brunswick (Lawrenceville, Va.) made a verbal commitment to Virginia, becoming one of about a half-dozen players his age nationally to have made a pledge to a NCAA Division I program.

"B.J. is a special kid," Bryant Stith said of his son and rising sophomore star guard. "He knows exactly what he wants and knows what it takes to get there."

According to Bryant, B.J. was partially motivated by the recruiting attention older brother Brandan was receiving and decided to devote himself to basketball, giving up football and the quarterback position.

"I think he saw that and got a little bit jealous," Bryant said. "He made a concerted effort to put himself in a position to be one of the top recruits in his class."

B.J., a versatile 6-foot-4 guard with a 6-9 wingspan, had a busy summer with Petersburg-based Team Loaded. Bennett and staff trailed him extensively going back to March when he helped Brunswick win a state title.

"Coach Bennett watched him play throughout the state tournament last year. He came down for a workout and B.J. attended the UVA elite camp in June," Bryant said. "He played well at the right times and forged a good relationship (with the Virginia staff). He started to receive letters from other schools but he knew what he wanted and didn't want to get confused.

"He established an affinity for Virginia and didn't want that to be clouded."

The decision puts a smile on Bryant's face, who left Virginia for the NBA in 1992 as the program's all-time leading scorer. He played 10 years in the NBA for Boston, Cleveland and Denver. In fact, he even faced off against Bennett as a pro.

"I've played against Coach Bennett since we were in high school," Bryant said. "He is bringing in high-quality individuals to Virginia. Those players are going to be accountable and they are going to buy into the system. I think Coach Bennett will restore the luster to University of Virginia basketball."

Brandan, a 6-6, 200-pound rising junior, also has an offer from Virginia. Scholarship numbers may force him to spend a year in prep school before joining B.J. in the 2014 class, however.

"His situation is more complex and we are giving him the time he needs to make a decision," Bryant said.

Bryant has been as successful on the sideline at Brunswick as he was on the floor at Virginia and in the NBA, compiling a 78-15 record in four seasons with a state title in 2011.

Posted on: 9/5/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

Five-star guard Ricardo Ledo picks Providence

While college football dominated the nation's sporting attention over the weekend, several college basketball programs were busy garnering key verbal commitments.

The biggest news came Monday as multiple media outlets reported that Ricardo Ledo, a 6-foot-6 guard rated No. 10 in the MaxPreps Class of 2012 Top 100, gave a pledge to Providence.

Ledo – a Providence, R.I., native who plays at Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.) – was previously committed to the Friars under former head coach Keno Davis. He opened things back up only to rejoin the fold under new head coach Ed Cooley.

Ledo's commitment is significant for the Friars, especially in light of four-star point guard Kris Dunn's verbal to the program two weeks ago.

More weekend basketball recruiting news

Montay Brandon, Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) to Florida State: Brandon is a unique 6-6 guard that can play the point. He will run alongside super sophomore Theo Pinson this season at Wesleyan and don't be surprised if he garners Top 100 honors before heading to Tallahassee.

L.J. Rose, Westbury Christian (Houston, Texas) to Baylor: Rose made a surprising announcement Saturday via Facebook, joining five-star 7-footer Isaiah Austin in Baylor's 2012 class. The point guard is rated No. 63 in the MaxPreps Class of 2012 Top 100.

Shavon Shields, Northwest (Olathe, Kan.) to Nebraska: Shields, the son of former NFL star Will Shields, will follow his father's path to Lincoln. This Shields will be taking to the hardwood instead of the gridiron, however. He plays with Top 100 7-footer Willie Cauley at Northwest.

Skylar Spencer, Price (Los Angeles, Calif.) to San Diego State: Big pickup for Steve Fisher and the Aztecs. Spencer, a 6-8 forward/center, has found a place on just about everybody's Top 100 list at some point. He's been a bit slow to deliver on the promise and some have cooled on the big man but expect Fisher to bring out the best in him.

Brandon Taylor, Trenton Catholic Academy (Trenton, N.J.) to Penn State: Nittany Lion fans will love Taylor, a burly and rugged (albeit slightly undersized at 6-6) power forward willing to do the dirty work. Along with Massachusetts wing Akosa Maduegbunam, new Penn State head coach Pat Chambers is quietly off to a nice start on the recruiting trail.

Devin Thomas, Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, Pa.) to Wake Forest: Thomas is one of the most underrated talents in the country and joins a Demon Deacon class that could help the program take a big step toward stability once it arrives next fall. Thomas, a slender 6-8 forward, averaged 21.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game as a junior at Central Dauphin to earn first team Class AAAA All-State honors.

Posted on: 9/3/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

L.J. Rose latest coup for Baylor's Drew

Scott Drew is recruiting so well at Baylor, it's no longer a surprise when elite players commit to the Bears.

L.J. Rose of Westbury Christian (Houston, Texas) and the Houston Hoops club program continued the flow of talent to the Waco campus Saturday by giving Drew and his ascending program a verbal commitment. The announcement came via Facebook at around 3:30 p.m. EST.

"I have committed to Baylor University!! Sic em!!" Rose wrote.

Rose, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound pass-first point guard, is rated No. 63 in the MaxPreps Class of 2012 Top 100. He was regarded as a Top 25-caliber prospect in the class early in his high school career. He joined Top 100 guards Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke verbal commitment) and J-Mychal Reese (Texas A&M) in the backcourt for Houston Hoops over the summer, averaging 8.8 assists per game in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League finals.

The future Bear began his high school career at Second Baptist in Houston but transferred to Westbury Christian following his junior season.

Rose joins a 2012 recruiting class for Baylor that already includes five-star 7-footer Isaiah Austin.

Posted on: 9/2/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

Mizzou stays local for point guard Jorgenson

Rising junior point guard Travis Jorgenson of Rock Bridge High School, located in Columbia less than 10 minutes from the University of Missouri campus, made a verbal commitment to embattled Tiger head coach Frank Haith on Thursday.

"After talking with Coach (Frank) Haith and Coach (Isaac) Chew, I felt like it would be the best place for me," Jorgenson said.

The 5-foot-11 future Tiger averaged 11.1 points and 6.2 assists per game as a sophomore at Rock Bridge, leading the Bruins to a 22-6 record and state semifinal appearance. Mizzou fans should have no problem following his progress over the next two years playing just minutes from the heart of campus.

"I tried to keep an open mind," Jorgenson said of weighing his college options. "But I would say the fact that it's my hometown was definitely a factor."

Jorgenson also found success with KC Pump-N-Run over the summer, teaming with fellow 2013 standout guard Conner Frankamp and 2014 star Dominique Collier to help the club team capture the adidas Super 64 title in Las Vegas. Frankamp is committed to Kansas, setting up a future matchup between the two at the college level.

"It was a lot of fun playing with those guys," Jorgenson said. "Not only are they great players but great guys, as well."

Jorgenson's commitment comes despite a recent cloud hovering over Haith, who has been linked to the Nevin Shapiro scandal at Miami. He isn't ruling out expects to be playing for Haith when he arrives in the fall of 2013.

"They are hoping the Miami situation is handled quickly, but also let me know that there are no guarantees," Jorgenson said of discussions with the staff on the matter. "After talking with them though, I feel like they are going to be there."

Jorgenson joins a 2013 recruiting class at Missouri that already includes 6-8 North Carolina forward Tyrek Coger. The Tigers have three commitments in the 2012 class.

Posted on: 8/31/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

Brooklyn's Murphy picks Oklahoma State

After three years at storied New York City powerhouse Lincoln (Brooklyn), Kamari Murphy made the move to IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) this summer to prepare himself for the college game.

Tuesday, the college he will be attending came into focus as the 6-foot-8 senior forward made a verbal commitment to Oklahoma State.

"Oklahoma State has everything that I was looking for in a college," Murphy said via press release. "I've already sat down with their academic advisors to pick the right courses for my major. The facilities are great and the team is supported by the community. When talking to Coach (Travis) Ford, it felt like I was with friends and family already."

Murphy was a Daily News second team All-New York City pick as a junior, averaging around 15 points and 11 rebounds per game. The Railsplitters went 29-3 in 2010-11, spending several weeks in the national rankings before falling to rival Boys & Girls (Brooklyn) in the PSAL AA (New York City public schools) title game.

"Kamari is good enough to be in college right now," IMG basketball director Andy Borman said. "He's at the IMG Basketball Academy to be college-ready next year as a student, as a person and as a basketball player."

After sending 6-7 wing-forward De'Andre Daniels to defending national champ Connecticut last season, the IMG roster looks to be well-stocked with versatile forwards again for 2011-12. In addition to Murphy, 6-6 senior David Andoh of California and 6-7 Boubacar Moungoro, a sophomore from Mali, are expected to attend the renowned sports academy this year.

Oklahoma State also has a Class of 2012 commitment from Kentucky guard Adam Wing.

Posted on: 8/30/2011 - By: Jason Hickman

Emery, Haws continuing BYU legacy

Nick Emery and T.J. Haws led Lone Peak (Highland) to a 24-1 record and Utah's Class 5A state title last season.

Though they are both underclassmen, the duo cemented plans to remain together Monday night by giving pledges to Brigham Young University.

"Nick was leaning this way a little bit since the first of August," Lone Peak head coach Quincy Lewis said. "I was a little bit surprised T.J. decided this quickly, but we have a pretty good situation here, Top 20 program with a similar style to what we do here, 20 minutes away. I think this was really good for both of them to get it out of the way."

Emery, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound junior guard, was Utah's Class 5A Player of the Year last winter as a sophomore, putting up 21.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He was named to MaxPreps.com's Sophomore All-American Team following the season.

Haws, a 6-2, 165-pound guard, added 13.8 points per game last season for the Knights, who will take their act national in December at the prestigious Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"I worked as a college coach for eight years, so I know that side of it," Lewis said. "My phone was going to be ringing off the hook for the next year and a half (if Emery and Haws remained uncommitted).

"It's a lot. It's a lot for the players. It is a distraction and I think it allows them to put the focus where it needs to be – getting better."

Both players have family legacies at BYU.

Emery, a workout partner of recent Sacramento Kings draft pick Jimmer Fredette, is the brother of 2011 Cougar senior Jackson Emery. Haws is the sibling of Tyler Haws, who is on a two-year religious mission after playing in Provo as a freshman in 2009-10.