Pistol

SLU showed some interest but didn't make his top five (Houston, Memphis, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M): Solomon Washington - SF, 6-7, 190 - New Orleans, LA (George Washington Carver) - AAU: Team Thad (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @nolimitsa_ Offers: Creighton, LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M, Houston, Memphis, Tulane, McNeese State, Louisiana, New Orleans, Southern. Interest: Saint Louis, Xavier, St. John's, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Baylor, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Arizona State, Utah, Cincinnati, Wichita State, Tulsa, East Carolina, Air Force, Loyola-Chicago, SIU-Carbondale, Murray State, Tennessee-Martin, East Tennessee State, UNC-Wilmington, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, Southern Miss, UAB, Northern Kentucky, Lehigh, Stephen F. Austin, Georgia State, Albany, UC-Riverside, Jacksonville, Grambling State, Bethune-Cookman. Latest News: Washington received an offer from Texas A&M. He visited Alabama. (7/2/21) Scouting Report: Washington is a versatile, physical wing who plays hard at both ends. He's a threat to score anywhere inside the perimeter, and his outside shot is developing. He's very good in transition, finishes strong, and runs the floor well. He's a dominant rebounder and plays with a ton of energy. Rankings: Prep Hoops - 147, 247Sports - 145, 247Sports Composite - 154.

He's a rising junior, though, so he's ahead of schedule in that regard. I changed his bio in the Recruiting Lists thread to Trophy Club. Some sites say Keller, some Trophy Club. His own Twitter says Dallas.

Offers and interest. He's not trimming his list yet. He's up to 10 offers and power conference schools are starting to recruit him seriously. SLU is still very much involved. Hope we don't get squeezed out as his stock rises. Still a lot of time either way for a 2023 recruit.

Fixed, thanks. When I update recruiting stuff, I tend to do so much at once that things blur.

Keyon Menifield, Jr. - PG, 6-2, 165 - Flint, MI (The Skill Factory, GA) - AAU: The Family (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @TheCh0sen0ne_ Offers: Saint Louis, St. Bonaventure, Massachusetts, Boston College, Washington, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Cleveland State, New Mexico State. Interest: Xavier, Marquette, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Florida, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi State, Arizona State, Cincinnati, South Florida, Utah State, Boise State, Loyola-Chicago, SIU-Carbondale, Illinois State, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan, Miami-Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Milwaukee, Detroit, Louisiana-Monroe, Jacksonville State, Holy Cross, Charleston, Iona, Canisius, North Dakota State, UMBC, NJIT, Stetson, South Carolina State, Jackson State, Alabama A&M. Latest News: Menifield received an offer from SLU. (7/27/21) Scouting Report: Menifield is a lead guard with elite scoring ability. He scores in bunches and on all three levels. He shoots very well off the dribble and finishes in the paint. He's got great handles, good vision, and dynamic playmaking ability. He graduated from Beecher HS in Michigan but reclassified and is taking a prep year at The Skill Factory in Georgia. -He came out of nowhere to lead the EYBL in scoring. Led his HS team in MI to a state championship before graduating and then deciding to take a prep year.

Had interest in this guy at one point. He committed to Coastal Carolina. Just saving the bio here in case I need to search for it later. Josh Uduje - SG, 6-5, 205 - London, UK (Compass Prep, AZ) - AAU: ProSkills Academy (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @JoshUduje Offers: Middle Tennessee State, Coastal Carolina, Central Connecticut State. Interest: Saint Louis, Illinois, Texas Tech, Utah, Oregon State, Utah State, San Jose State, San Francisco, Portland, San Diego, Illinois-Chicago, IUPUI, Holy Cross, Lamar, New Orleans, Appalachian State, South Dakota State, Denver, UC-Santa Barbara, UC-Riverside, Cal State-Fullerton, Montana State, Southern Utah, South Carolina-Upstate, Utah Valley, Howard. Latest News: Uduje received an offer from MTSU. (7/7/21) Scouting Report: Uduje is a wing with a big frame who scores on all three levels. He gets to the rim and finishes with either hand. He can shoot it from deep and is lethal when left alone. He rebounds the guard position well, using his 6-11 wingspan. He can guard any position on the perimeter.

I think that leaves Janet Oberle as the only person still in the AD from my era, the early 00s. Margo was always really nice to deal with. She deserves a happy retirement.

He's strong. He can come in and defend college guards today, physically speaking. I'm not saying he's an all-conference defender yet or that he couldn't still improve his footwork and quickness, just that he more than held his own against many of the most talented HS guards in the country and can do it at SLU's level. He's stronger than most of the players he faced and he's a total pest in terms of how willing he is to get his body right up on the ball handler. Majerus would love him.

I watched all but 2 or 3 games of BBE's EYBL-Peach Jam run and think people are being a little hard on Miller. His decision making was poor at times, notably in that final play, he needs work on his perimeter game, and he's too inconsistent. Even so, when he's even a little bit on, he's almost impossible to stop. There were several games he put away by himself. Smith made the leap from fringe-top 50 or borderline 4-star/5-star player to more like a top-25, definite 5-star in my book. He was awesome over the past couple weeks. As for our guys, I think @3star_recruit is right. They're solid 3-stars who might never get their due in the rankings. That's fine. Kramer ended up being .342 from 3 over 15 games and 5 makes away from being over 40%. I would've liked to see a few more of those go in and some of his poorer shooting games came from him missing one early and forcing things. He really was a 3-and-D guy in this event and on this roster, whereas he's more versatile on his SLUH team, where he's the key player. So I'm interested to see him play in that setting, when he's playing big minutes, expected to do more things, drawing double teams, etc. Even with less efficiency than I'd have wanted from him, it's not hard to see how he translates - he shoots in a variety of ways (going any direction, comfortable off the dribble), he's got a big, strong frame, he defends on the ball at a high level, he's tough and fearless. I think he has work to do off the ball defensively, positioning himself for rebounds, building out his skill set offensively, but none of that stuff scares me off him as a prospect. Thames began the event way more timid than he ended up being down the stretch in the Peach Jam. He went from passing when he had uncontested layups to calling for the ball by the end. His 3-point shooting wasn't great (3-18) but in the last few games he was taking really good shots and they just weren't falling. He's a good rebounder despite his slim frame; he was 5th on the team in total rebounds despite being more like 8th in minutes. There's some rawness to his game - he looks like a guy who has grown very quickly and is continuing to grow - but he's a smart player who puts himself in good position at both ends. He's really active all over the floor. He's another guy who plays a totally different role on his HS team (where he has a better supporting cast than Kramer does) and who will be interesting to watch this season. I think because of his shooting and physical tools, Kramer is probably more college ready right now, but Thames is a really strong long-term prospect.

BBE is on right now, for those who didn't see here or on Twitter: Court 6 stream.

Kansas and Iowa State both make a ton of sense in the Big Ten to me.

Regarding Tarris Reed, it seems like the most smoke is around Michigan lately. Michigan State had been his leader for a lot of his recruitment, from outside appearances. Regarding Christian Jones, getting him to commit as a way to get closer to Macaleab Rich is an odd tactic. They're HS teammates and I'm sure they're friends, but it's not like they're siblings. Martin is an ESL guy. He doesn't need excuses to be there all the time. FWIW, I think Rich is going to be a stud. Would take him in a heartbeat and would absolutely be prioritizing him. As for Jones vs. Thames, I would still take Thames. He's the better player right now and his feel is much better. They're both relatively raw in certain ways, and both are definitely players who need to add a lot of muscle for college. I think Thames is going to end up taller, too (his dad is taller than him at this point, and the younger Thames has huge feet). They've both got a lot of developing to do and things could change, I just don't see more upside in Jones.

I don't know how realistic it is, but I think it's an ideal setup if possible. Football at the top level is already walled off to the top conferences. Even if you go undefeated in one of the next five conferences, you're probably not getting a playoff shot. Just make it official. Bowls aren't run by the NCAA, either. Make big-time football its own thing, keep the NCAA Tournament intact.

Thames indeed had a strong performance this afternoon. Played more confident and aggressive than he has yet in the EYBL season or Peach Jam. Miller didn't have his best game so Thames ended up being second in scoring with 11. I've been impressed with his rebounding. He's raw in some ways and certainly needs to add to his frame but the pieces are all there. Quiet game from Kramer, who was more effective this morning. He and Thames basically flipped today. Stacker has been excellent for the past two weeks but had a quiet game. He's really raised his stock, in my eyes. UAPB is the only offer so far and I think more have to be on the way. I just don't see much from Jones. He looks like a total reach/project for Mizzou. Smith looks like a 5-star, as Miller already is. He had a rough game this morning but has been spectacular most of the entire event. Turnbull is a long-term big for Butler. Really needs to add muscle and get more assertive. Should be a solid four-year big in college if he puts in the work. Same is true of Lewis, and he's probably a step behind Turnbull. Prep year might make sense for him. Fears is the Chicago PG playing up with this team. Frustrating player. Has some talent but I question his PG instincts. Does one year make that big a difference? Banks is a PF from KC and I don't think SLU is recruiting him. He's been a perfect junkyard dog in some games and really sloppy in others. Not super skilled, and seems to play best at the rim, going for rebounds, putbacks, easy finishes. I really like him as a prospect if he could be more consistent.

Game 2 of the day for BBE. If they don't make it out of group A, this would be their last game. They should be in with a win (MOKAN and ProSkills play each other and any order is possible, with point differential as the tiebreaker). Stream. EDIT: To be clear, BBE can still lose and make it out of Group A into the playoffs. They just need ProSkills to beat MOKAN.

Early start for BBE this morning. They're up 36-31 on ProSkills at halftime. Thames hit a 3 to close out the half, his only points. Kramer hasn't scored yet (0-2, both from 3). New offer KyeRon Lindsay has 8 and 4 for ProSkills. SLU also has some interest in his teammate Jalen Reed, who has 2 and 3. Both are key players who should get a lot of run in the second half if you want to get a look at them. Stream here. Stats here.

Kramer had a strong game. 13 points (4-7, 3-6, 2-2), 1 rebound, lot of strong defensive play. Not as much from Thames today. 2 points (0-3, 0-1, 2-2), 2 rebounds, 1 assist. BBE won handily in the end. MOKAN is different without Reed, and whether they're a factor in the Peach Jam after this depends on his availability. Also, they've been without Skyy Clark (knee) for the whole EYBL.

8 SLU offers on the floor. Can't miss it. Stream here.

Whether or not this is what they're actively pushing toward or whether it would mean a separate division in the end, the trend toward four mega conferences has been underway for over 15 years beginning around the time of the Big East breakup, with certain events along the way accelerating it. The four-team CFB playoff, for example, is designed to upset at least one power conference per year. I guess you could point to other markers in college sports before the BE overhaul, like the Big 8 becoming the Big 12, but I look at that as the beginning of this era of power conference consolidation. If this happens, it's the end of the Big XII as we know it and the next step toward the SEC-ACC-B10-P12 scenario.

Check this game out if you're not watching already. Kramer just hit a really nice 3 to end the first quarter. Lost his mane with a shot fake. Somebody from the other team drilled a three-quarter-court bomb after that but it was after the buzzer. Thames is now 0-3, couldn't convert on two nice moves to the rim and just missed a 3 from the corner.

Miller is excellent. Smith has been their best player, but both of them have looked like 5-star caliber players for most of the EYBL/Peach Jam so far. Watching Miller and Smith with Fears, I wonder if BBE would've been better off letting Fears go play for Mac Irvin or MeanStreets. There were a few times yesterday when Miller had a rebound and could have and/or should have given it to Fears to start the offense but either dribbled past him, threw it cross court to Smith, or otherwise ignored him. Once I noticed the top two guys sort of ignoring Fears, I kept noticing it. They were never like that with Martin. Fears is younger and less experienced and has played less with them, plus we've already talked about his poor decision making at times. I think BBE would be even better with him still there, even if Fears is the bigger talent (and physically bigger).

Just a reminder that Brad Beal Elite (Thames and Kramer) play again today at 1:00 STL time. Stats and streaming will be in the same place as before. They play Team Takeover, which lost by 4 to ProSkills yesterday. No SLU recruits on Team Takeover, a DC-based program. Plenty of SLU recruits in BBE's pool, though, which includes ProSkills (KyeRon Lindsay, Jalen Reed), MOKAN (Tarris Reed, Damien Mayo, Larry Hughes Jr., Rob Martin), and Albany City Rocks (Amarri Tice). The MOKAN kids and Lindsay have offers, the others just interest for now.

This seems important. Also, instead of dwelling on Jolly (or other board favorite Obi), how about considering some of the other guys we've gotten from Texas? Danny Brown, Cory Remekun, David Burns, Virgel Cobbin, Larry Simmons - that's a sneaky tough lineup right there.

KyeRon Lindsay - F, 6-8, 205 - Denton, TX (Guyer) - AAU: ProSkills (Nike EYBL) - Twitter: @KyeronLindsay21 Offers: Saint Louis, Oklahoma State, UNLV, Tulsa, SIU-Carbondale, Illinois-Chicago, Texas-El Paso, Texas-San Antonio, Rice, Old Dominion, Texas State, Northeastern, McNeese State, Texas-Arlington, Cal State-Fullerton. Interest: Creighton, Butler, Notre Dame, Kansas, Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Texas A&M, South Carolina, LSU, Stanford, Arizona State, Utah, California, Washington State, Houston, SMU, South Florida, East Carolina, New Mexico, Boise State, Wyoming, BYU, San Diego, Princeton, Cornell, Brown, Loyola-Chicago, Indiana State, Illinois State, North Texas, Louisiana Tech, Florida International, Marshall, Western Michigan, Milwaukee, IUPUI, VMI, Lehigh, Army, Sam Houston State, Nicholls State, Lamar, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, New Orleans, Incarnate Word, Houston Baptist, Georgia State, Little Rock, South Alabama, Georgia Southern, South Dakota State, Oral Roberts, UC-Riverside, Maine, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Longwood, Lipscomb, Liberty, New Mexico State, Texas-Rio Grande Valley, Howard, Morgan State. Latest News: Lindsay received an offer from SLU, the latest in a flurry of offers as he explodes on the EYBL circuit. (7/20/21) Scouting Report: Lindsay is a strong, tough, athletic forward who is very active at both ends. He can stretch defenders to mid-range with his jumper. He's comfortable facing up and finishes quickly with either hand. He runs the floor well, has good vision, and rebounds at both ends.

BBE ended up winning 80-54. Grew the lead every quarter. Brandon Miller and Nick Smith are unreal. Smith in particular played out of his mind today. Couldn't miss from 3, saw the whole floor, just awesome. Both have SLU offers but Smith already has some finalists and we're not in the mix. To SLU's credit, Miller still mentions us as being involved - still, I'd be shocked if we end up in the final mix. Connor Turnbull (FZN HS, Butler commit) was great today. Braxton Stacker was solid, the beneficiary of the way Miller and Smith and to a lesser extent Fears opened things up. Tavion Banks, too - 10 and 9 in just 10 minutes, just putting back offensive rebounds and finishing lobs. Productive under the basket. Kramer and Thames were solid, even if Kramer made only his first 3PA. He rimmed out the rest, save for an airball at the end of a shot clock late in the game after JL3 basically quit. Shooters have streaks like that. His shot looked fine. Just wish another 1-2 had gone in. Thames was so active today. Rebounded really well. Made hustle plays.