Recruiting - 2014

[waldo027]

This is anything but a "silly argument." I submit that you couldn't accurately list the top 150 PG (for example) in Div. 1 basketball and you have much more information available to you in trying to do this listing than the recruiting "services" do on HS players spread throughout the country, the GREAT MAJORITY of whom these 'services" have never even seen play.

As I said in my initial post on this, all of us could probably agree that the top X number of players (maybe top 25 or so) are clearly better than players number 175-200. However, there is no recruiting expert out there willing to take your money who can make a valid case that number 89 is better than number 147. They have no clue about this level of detail. Additionally, even for those that have seen some of the kids play, WHEN they saw them play is also critical. They can't even get factual items correct let alone subjective items. Just look at the inability of the "services" to even get the weight of Marcus Bartley correct-is he 140 or 145 or 160 or 175? If they can't get this right, how can they have the ability to make the fine distinction between PG number 43 vs PG number 78?

If you think otherwise then feel free to spend your $$$ on any or all of the recruiting "services." I'd rather waste mine on an overpriced beer at the game.

The rankings for each class, the number of stars for a recruit, the height/weight of a recruit, ect, none of this information costs a dime.

[RUBillsFan]

Pistol, do you have a number that I can call to reach Ben Wex? I want to subscribe to Scout but I don't want to use my card on the internet.

I doubt Ben has any direct control over the subscription payments. That is probably controlled by the Scout.com network rather than the writers for the individual sites. He might be able to tell you who to contact though.

[doowop]

I doubt Ben has any direct control over the subscription payments. That is probably controlled by the Scout.com network rather than the writers for the individual sites. He might be able to tell you who to contact though.

Thank you and Pistol too.

[Box and Won]

Pistol, do you have a number that I can call to reach Ben Wex? I want to subscribe to Scout but I don't want to use my card on the internet.

Post your credit card number here, and I'll pass it along to him.

[NextYearBill]

your credit card will be stored on their database, which can be accessed through the internet.

[doowop]

Post your credit card number here, and I'll pass it along to him.

Okay. Just keep waiting.

[Billiken Rich]

You could always mail him a bearer bond via the pony express.

LOL!

[bauman]

bauman, it's an imperfect system but there is certainly some value in it and it's getting easier every year. More information is flying around, more kids are playing basketball year-round, and more of them are traveling to play against one another.

As for things like height and weight, any given scout for any given service is only going to see any given recruit X number of times. Bartley may have been 6-2, 140 when Scout's writer saw him, and was 6-4, 170 more recently when another guy saw him.

There are something like 25,000 high schools in the US and a lot of kids trying to play at the next level. They're doing a better and better job of providing comprehensive information, highlights, and scouting reports on players. My best stab at why there are so many gems outside the top 100 and so many busts within it is this: some guys peak early, some are late bloomers physically; some guys go to programs that don't suit their skill set or personality; and the talent pool is getting deeper and wider as kids are getting better year-round basketball instruction (not to mention are on average larger than they were in previous generations).

I agree that we shouldn't get too hung up on the fact that we're still not getting many top 100 commitments, but I still see the value in the evaluation system.

Pistol, I agree with you. There is value in these services, otherwise we would not have any idea who the good/better/best players are. My only point is that anyone who buys into there numeric ranking system 1-200 for example is being sold a bill of goods. If the # of stars system was actually kept current it would probably be the best, but don't tell me player # 63, who is in AZ is better than # 98 who is in FL who in turn is better than # 121, who plays in KY when the "ranker" has never seen any of them play.

These weekend "scouts" are kidding themselves and us when you consider the fact that professional scouts can evaluate players for 4 years in college, see many of their games, do interviews and still blow the draft selections-see 1st round draft misses.

[JettFlight5]

Isn't "GOSEETHEKIDSPLAY" the first directive of Billikens.com?

[pretty_ricky]

welmer got an offer on his visit this weekend

[DeSmetBilliken]

welmer got an offer on his visit this weekend

I'm wondering if he's the 2014 version of Mike Crawford. Lightly recruited Indiana kid that Crews sees something in.

On the positive side, his uncle Steve was one of my favorite refs in college basketball.

[willie]

I'll get disagreement from Roy but I miss the days of Welmer,O'Neill,Valentine,Higgins and Sancere. They would piss me off but at least they had some style and where not homers. In fact I think they liked making the unpopular call. They are better refs than the current A10 crop

[Pistol]

Updated. 3 spots remain for 2014. As always, updates on all names are appreciated.

2014 Offer List:

Tevin Glass: Northwest Florida State CC, Norcross, GA - PF: 6-8, 195. Offers: SLU, VCU, Arizona State, Auburn, Mississippi State, New Mexico, South Florida, UAB, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee State. Interest: Florida, Georgia Tech. Latest (9/9): SLU has offered the JuCo-enrolled Glass, who will be eligible immediately as a junior. He is considered one of the top JuCo prospects in the nation and is predicted to be a preseason second-team All-American when the season starts. As a senior at Milton HS (Atlanta area) in 2012, he had offers from Memphis, Murray State, Nevada, and others. In his freshman season at NW Florida State, he came off the bench to average 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds on 51.1% shooting. He shot 64.5% from the free throw line. Twitter:@Topnotch_Tglass

Corey Henderson, Jr.: Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, TX - PG: 6-3, 175. Offers: SLU, Wichita State, Wright State, Fresno State, Weber State, Long Island, Grambling State. Interest: Creighton, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Auburn, TCU, Tulsa, Houston, Indiana State. Latest (8/21): Henderson is said to have picked up a SLU offer as of July 30th. Most sources list SLU as interested. Henderson appears to be a late bloomer, having just picked up most of his offers at the end of the July period. Wichita State and Fresno State were first. Henderson plays for his dad at the same high school program that produced Phil Pressey. He is listed as a PG by some sources and SG by others. He had a triple-double for Episcopal in late January. Twitter: @chendc3

Ben Lammers, Alamo Heights, San Antonio, TX - C: 6-10, 225. Offers: SLU, Marquette, Miami, Northwestern, Baylor, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, Old Dominion, UTSA. Interest: VCU, Stanford, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Wichita State, Fresno State. Latest (9/12): Lammers visited Marquette and Georgia Tech and really liked both. He also has visits planned to Miami and Stanford. He has left the door open to Kansas State and SLU, as well, but has not planned official visits to either. Previous: Lammers was flying under the radar for a while, but a lot of coaches wanted to see before offering. Sure enough, he had a big July on the AAU circuit and the offers have piled up. He averaged 14.1, 8.9, and 5.5 blocks his junior year and had a monster state tournament. His dad, Chris, was a well-known Texas HS football defensive end in 1981, and played for Texas A&M. He is now the coach of Ben's HS basketball team at Alamo Heights. The younger Lammers is scouted as having great hands and control of his body. He's also a very skilled, smart defender.

Kelan Martin: Ballard, Louisville, KY - SF/PF: 6-6, 210. Offers: SLU, Richmond, Butler, Xavier, Providence, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Auburn, New Mexico, Indiana State, Ohio, Western Kentucky, IUPUI, UMKC. Interest: VCU, Creighton, Mizzou, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, LSU, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Boston College, Tulsa, Southern Miss. Latest (9/9): Martin visited SLU the weekend of 9/7. Previous: Crews and Bronson went out to Vegas at the end of July to see Martin, among others. Martin impressed at the Elite 40 Skills Academy, where he was said to have one of the smoothest jump shots there. He said this about Butler: "I like their program and I think I'm a good fit for their school." Martin has had an impressive spring on the AAU circuit and the offers are starting to roll in. He has no top 5, though many presume Butler is the favorite at this point. Twitter: @kee_broo

Patrick McCaw: Trinity, Spanish Lake, MO - SG: 6-5, 180. Offers: SLU, DePaul, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, SIUC, Missouri State, Bradley, Illinois State, Loyola-Chicago, Loyola-Maryland. Interest: Georgetown, Creighton, Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State, Florida State, Missouri, Kansas State, Tennessee. Latest (9/13): McCaw is taking an official visit to DePaul the weekend of September 13. Previous: McCaw transferred from CBC to Trinity to play for his dad. Billikens.com's own TheChosenOne scouted McCaw as a three-point specialist, a report McCaw seems to agree with, based on his Twitter handle (@StephCurryJr_). After the Peach Jam, where he played for Mac Irvin Fire out of Chicago, some scouts on Twitter remarked that he scores in a variety of ways, is strong on the break, and can take guys off the dribble. McCaw was ranked 87th in the June rankings for the class of 2014 (CBC teammate Jordan Barnett was 86). Twitter: @StephCurryJr_

Logan McLane: Greenfield School, Wilson, NC - PF: 6-8, 210. Offers: SLU, Seton Hall, Miami-Ohio, Toledo, Buffalo, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, Winthrop, Appalachian State, Mercer, High Point, Western Carolina, Georgia Southern. Interest: George Mason, Stanford, Iowa, Old Dominion, East Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida International, East Tennessee State, Mount St. Mary's, Furman. Latest (9/12): McLane picked up an offer from Appalachian State. He received home visits from Appalachian State, FIU, East Carolina, Western Carolina, UNC-Greensboro, and Mercer. Previous: Mclane remains a SLU target and offers are coming in. He played well after returning from his ACL injury and has started hearing from the likes of Stanford, Iowa, and George Mason. He made an official visit to High Point. He was cleared to play after recovering from a torn ACL, finally returning to action in Vegas with Team Loaded from NC. He injured it early in his junior season, November 2012. Scouts say schools "should not sleep on him," though, as he has a high-level skill set for his position. He has visited Miami-Ohio. Twitter:@LMcLane4

Ikenna Okwarabizie: East, Sioux City, IA - C: 6-11, 240. Offers: SLU, Illinois State, Southern Miss, SIUC, SIUE. Interest: Creighton, Marquette, Iowa, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Wichita State, Tulsa, Rice. Latest (9/12): Okwarabizie visited Iowa and said it went very well.Previous: Okwarabizie transferred to Sioux City East HS from St. Louis Christian. He will be living with the family of East teammate Chase Kern. He will miss the first 6 games of the HS season. Okwarabizie emerged this spring and picked up his first offer from Southern Miss. He is drawing "serious attention" from Rutgers and visited Illinois State. He received a SLU offer but things have been quiet on that front since mid-July. He played AAU ball with the St. Louis Eagles. Twitter: @iykerulez1

Avery Patterson: Wheeler, Decatur, GA - PG: 6-1, 175. Offers: SLU, Richmond, Xavier, Butler, Boston College, Kansas State, Central Florida, Murray State, Tulane, Western Kentucky, Boston. Interest: Memphis, UAB. Latest (8/28): Patterson picked up an offer from Tulane and Memphis has called lately. Previous:Patterson was low on offers until mid-July, when a slew of new ones came in from SLU, Richmond, Butler, BC, KSU, UCF, Murray State, and WKU. Most of those schools had already been in contact. He's a left-handed PG with a strong frame and very long range on his jumper. Has also drawn a lot of scouting attention for his leadership and control; a pure PG who gets it done at both ends. Twitter: @Showtime_AP

Jalyn Patterson: Montverde Academy, Alpharetta, GA - PG: 6-0, 170. Offers: SLU, George Mason, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Georgia, Texas A&M, Oregon State, Houston, Tulane, Murray State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville. Interest: Tennessee, Florida State, South Carolina, Charleston, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee State, Kennesaw State. Latest (8/8): Patterson picked up offers from Houston, Oregon State, and Jacksonville. Previous: Of the three schools recruiting him hardest lately, he says, “I am planning on trying to get out to St. Louis and George Mason and probably Houston,” he said. “I am still thinking about other schools and choosing which schools I would like to visit but those are three that I am definitely hoping to get to.” Patterson gained some attention on the national radar after hitting the game-winning 3-pointer to defeat St. Benedict's Prep (NJ) in the ESPN National High School Invitational championship game. As a junior, Patterson played with 2 McDonald's All-Americans (Dakari Johnson and Kasey Hill) and the team finished the season ranked #1 in the nation. This year, he will play alongside potential All-American SG D'Angelo Russell and 4-star SG Justin Bibbs. Twitter: @jalynpatterson

Johnnie Shuler: Theodore Roosevelt, Washington, DC - PG: 5-11, 160. Offers: SLU, LaSalle, Seton Hall, Fairfield, Quinnipiac. Interest: Villanova, Maryland, Nebraska, Miami, UNLV, Wichita State. Latest (7/22): Shuler picked up offers from SLU and Quinnipiac. Seton Hall was the first one, followed by Fairfield and LaSalle. He transferred to TRHS from DeMatha and sat out for half of last season. He plays on a loaded DC Warriors AAU team. He said he'd like to play "out west" for a team that plays an "up and down" style, so UNLV is particularly attractive. He acknowledged Seton Hall also plays that style. Twitter: @jshuler_0

Quadree Smith: Paul VI, Fairfax, VA - PF/C: 6-7, 290. Offers: SLU, St. Joe's, George Mason, Nebraska, Tennessee, Southern Miss, Tulsa, Kent State, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida International, Drexel, Siena, Fairfield, Rider, Radford, Quinnipiac, UNC-Greensboro, Kennesaw State, Austin Peay, Towson. Interest: Xavier, Virginia, Albany. Latest (9/15): Smith received a home visit from Drexel. Scouts who attended the DMV Elite 80 said Smith appears to have slimmed down and is more mobile. Previous: Smith visited UNC-Greensboro in early September and said it went well. He told a writer he has offers or interest from Towson, George Mason, Radford, Nebraska, Southern Miss, FGCU, Fairfield, Tennessee, and Tulsa. Reading between the lines, he mentioned 9 schools of all levels and SLU wasn't one of them. No, the "290" is not a typo. He's a man mountain of Bill Brasky proportions. He was not allowed to play pee wee football because of his size so he picked up hoops instead. He transferred into Paul VI at over 300 lbs, but the school has a good strength and conditioning coach working with him. He's billed as a relentless worker. He averaged 9 PPG and 13 RPG his junior season and was a key factor in a double overtime win over Oak Hill (13 and 19, with 2 free throws to seal it). Twitter: @Dont_Hate_Q

Delshon Strickland: Minnetonka, Minnetonka, MN - SG: 6-4, 180. Offers: SLU, Richmond, Rhode Island, Miami, Virginia Tech, Auburn, Missouri State, Drake, Tulsa, UTEP, Toledo, Lehigh, Vermont, North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Hampton. Interest: Butler, Gonzaga, Memphis, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Iowa State, Northwestern, Florida State, Washington State, Northern Iowa, Utah State. Latest (9/15): Strickland had a good visit to Auburn and said they're "definitely in [his] top five." Previous: Strickland was visited by Auburn, UTEP, and North Dakota. He transferred from Holy Angels to Minnetonka. He has been aggressively pursued by Auburn and mutual interest is very high. Strickland picked up a SLU offer one week after receiving one from Missouri State and two weeks after Virginia Tech. Memphis came to watch Strickland in July and was reportedly very impressed. He is an AAU teammate of J.P. Macura, and both are being recruited by a few of the same schools. However, they don't seem interested in playing together in college. Twitter: @Delshon_11

Joe Thomasson: State Fair CC, Sedalia, MO - PG: 6-4, 180. Offers: SLU, St. Bonaventure, Creighton, Oklahoma State, Southern Miss, UTEP, Ball State, Wright State, Eastern Kentucky. Interest: Mizzou, Alabama, Arizona State, Cincinnati. Latest (9/12): Thomasson is enrolled at State Fair Community College and will be a 2014 recruit, eligible immediately as a junior. A Dayton native, he originally signed with Wright State and opted for the JuCo route instead. He committed to Oklahoma State on 8/14 and decommitted in early September. OSU then landed a commitment from Jared Terrell (major Rhode Island target), and it seems as though Thomasson didn't feel there was room for both of them. He averaged 14.4 points at State Fair his freshman year on 44.6% shooting and 40.9% three-point shooting. He also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists, appearing in 28 games and starting in 27 (State Fair went 20-10 overall). He shot 78% from the stripe.

Andre Walker: Bullis School, Clarksville, MD - C: 6-10, 200. Offers: SLU, VCU, Xavier, DePaul, Cincinnati, Temple, UMass, George Mason, SMU, Fairfield, Delaware. Interest: Georgetown, Indiana, Kansas, NC State, Maryland, Miami, Hofstra. Latest (9/12): Walker played at the DMV Elite 80, where he showed "a nice lefty hook shot" and impressed in post drills. The event's website said his current offers are Temple, DePaul, Delaware, and George Mason. Previous: Walker got an in-home visit from Hofstra. This guy is hard to Google. Xavier recently had a player by the same name, and there's another HS recruit with the same name. He wears rec specs.

Hunter Ware: North Cobb Christian, Kennesaw, GA - PG: 6-2, 165. Offers: SLU, Murray State, Western Kentucky, Cornell, Brown, Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville, Gardner-Webb, Appalachian State, Stetson, Radford, Wofford, Furman, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Southern, North Florida, Kennesaw State. Interest: Mizzou, Butler, Charleston, Charlotte, UAB, Nevada, Buffalo, Charleston Southern. Latest (8/12): Ware is visiting Western Kentucky in late August. Previous: Ware picked up a WKU offer and calls them his favorite, with MTSU probably second. He's considered one of the fastest-rising players in the state of Georgia's class of 2014. On The Radar Hoops says: "Hunter showcases a great change of speed and high basketball IQ, he constantly gets a piece of the paint and pushes the tempo off the rebound. He fills the middle and goes until he is stopped either scoring or dishing off the ball for the easy basket for his teammates." But this is my favorite profile of him. Twitter: @Hunter_Ware1

Elliott Welmer: Columbus North, Columbus, IN - PF: 6-8, 195. Offers: SLU, Wright State, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Illinois. Interest: Butler, Purdue, IPFW. Latest (9/15): Welmer received an offer from SLU on his visit this weekend. Previous: Welmer attended SLU's camp with Tucker Blackwell (2016), Nai Carlisle (2015), Matt Holba (2015), Taishaun Johnson (2013), and Filip Serwatka (2015). He visited Northern Kentucky recently with Josh Speidel, a 2015 recruit from the same HS as Welmer, and also a kid on SLU's radar. Welmer seems to be growing still, as he is listed as a SF and an inch or two shorter by many recruiting services. He plays for the Eric Gordon All Stars AAU team. As a junior, he was ranked the 26th prospect in Indiana's class of 2014 (McIntosh: 7, Mercer: 8, Brennan: 10, Mitchell: 90), and the report was: "[Welmer] is relatively unknown, but is getting big minutes and scoring some points this winter for North...He had a good summer and should land his name on the radar of some schools...Has good perimeter skills for a guy of his size, handles the ball well...I think that Elliott will still grow another inch or two and his game is just starting to come into its own...He shoots the ball well from the perimeter and blocks shots defensively...I am sure I have him higher than most people, but I think he will end up moving up even more within the next year...Keep an eye out for him." Welmer's uncle is Steve, who officiated a ton of SLU and other big-time college basketball games over the years. Twitter: @Welmer_33

Thomas Welsh: Loyola, Los Angeles, CA - C: 7-0, 245. Offers: SLU, UCLA, California, USC, Stanford, Utah, Arizona State, Colorado, Notre Dame, Boston College, Gonzaga, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Pacific, Portland, Rice. Interest: Arizona, Wake Forest, San Diego State, Brown, UC-Santa Barbara. Latest (9/12): Welsh set up three official visits: Cal, UCLA, and Colorado. Cal will be first. He plans to set up two more visits by November. Previous: Welsh has made unofficial visits to USC, Cal, Stanford, Utah, UCLA, and Colorado and will be announcing official visits soon. Lately in his recruitment, Cal, Stanford, Colorado, Utah, USC, and UCLA are making the biggest push. In Vegas, he was in a much-watched post matchup with top-10 player Myles Turner, who was said to have lived up to his elite shot-blocking billing. However, "the multi-skilled Welsh exhibited his unique skill set as he nailed several mid-range jump shots and displayed his all-around post game." UCLA was apparently present for every Welsh game, and Enfield and USC were at most, too. Welsh has an offer from Steve Alford at UCLA. SLU is said to be one of Welsh's early offers, which is interesting, given that he's a Southern California kid with otherwise exclusively West Coast offers. Welsh has spoken with Andy Enfield at USC quite a bit. He just recently visited Cal. He played very well at the recent Pangos All-American Camp and is now ranked #75 in Scout's 2014 rankings. Dave Telep says, "Welsh has touch, size, and he can pass. Patience in the post is uncommon. Nice player. Pac 12 guy talent-wise."

2014 Interest List:

Aaron Brennan: Guerin Catholic, Noblesville, IN - PF: 6-6, 200.Offers: Indiana State, Loyola-Chicago, Belmont, Cornell, Columbia, Toledo, IUPUI, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, William & Mary. Interest: SLU, Butler, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa, Ball State, Wright State, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky. Latest (8/27): Brennan picked up offers from Belmont and William & Mary. Previous: Brennan played well at Top 100, picking up an offer from UNC-Asheville immediately after. He contracted foot-in-mouth disease last June and was quarantined for the rest of that month. He had a rough AAU season the rest of last summer after returning, sluggish from lingering effects. Several Big Ten schools have shown interest but, according to Brennan, want to see if he grows more. He just made an unofficial visit to Toledo in late June and has also visited Butler, Loyola-Chicago, and Indiana State. Twitter: @Aaron_Brennan_

Brandon Cheeks: Meadowbrook, Richmond, VA - SG: 6-1, 190. Offers: None. Interest: SLU, George Mason, Delaware, Quinnipiac, Radford. Latest (8/27): Cheeks said SLU and Quinnipiac were tracking him in June and July on the AAU circuit. Previous: Cheeks played well at Big Shots Richmond, reportedly scoring well at all levels and rebounding his position well. He also handles the ball well and makes plays in traffic. His father played at VCU and holds their single-game scoring record (42 in a 1989 game vs. ODU). He later coached at VCU, West Virginia, Georgia State, and UNC-Charlotte.

Arlando Cook: Madison Prep, St. Louis, MO - PF: 6-8, 175. Offers: Kent State, SIUE, Tennessee-Martin, Western Illinois. Interest: SLU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, SIUC, Missouri State, Indiana State, Georgia State, Troy, Indianapolis, Nebraska-Omaha, Alabama A&M. Latest (9/12): Cook visited Western Illinois in early September. Previous: Cook visited SLU with Brandon Hollins of Jennings HS. After a strong showing throughout July, Cook is officially on SLU's radar and has "big interest" from Indiana State. He had what has been called a "breakout weekend" at the Under Armour Summer Jam in Wisconsin, averaging 19 and 13 during the tournament for the St. Louis Gym Rats Elite AAU team. Florida Gulf Coast will be visiting him at home soon. Tennessee-Martin has "very high" interest. Cook took an unofficial visit to SIUC in early August, and SIUE immediately after. Twitter: @___BallxBooks

Brandon Hollins: Jennings, Jennings, MO - SF: 6-5, 170. Interest: SLU, UC-Riverside, Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois. Latest (8/15): Hollins visited SLU with Arlando Cook. Previous: Hollins is on SLU's radar officially after a solid July. He led the Suburban East in scoring his junior season, at 18 PPG. He missed his entire sophomore season with a knee injury. He is said to be a "skilled wing who is most effective slashing to the basket and finishing at the rim," who "needs to be more confident handling the ball" to be successful at the next level. Earl Austin said this of Hollins' July play in Vegas for Team Ramey: "Hollins opened a lot of eyes out west with his energetic play on the wing...averaged about 15 points a game. Always known as a potent perimeter shooter, the slender Hollins displayed slashing ability, plus he rebounded well." Twitter: @NBADreams_

Avery Johnson, Jr.: Plano West, Plano, TX - PG: 5-9, 173. Offers: Southern Miss. Interest: SLU, LaSalle, Baylor, LSU, Rutgers, Florida State, Wichita State, Rice, Charleston, Santa Clara, Bucknell, Columbia. Latest (9/12): Johnson retweeted that Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Tulsa were in the house to watch Plano West, but it's likely they were there to see one of his teammates (probably junior Tyler Davis, a 270-pound center with high interest from SMU and Texas). Previous: Earlier in summer 2013, Johnson said Baylor, SLU, and LSU are recruiting hardest but Baylor stands out most at this point. He has visited Baylor and SLU. The son of former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson, he made headlines when he Tweeted taunts at the Nets after losing to the Bulls in the playoffs (his dad coached the Nets before being fired). He is scouted as being very quick, with a very high basketball IQ and competitive nature. Twitter: @itsaveryjohnson

Therence Mayimba: Saint James, Hagerstown, MD - SF: 6-5, 200. Offers: VCU, George Mason, Georgetown, Villanova, Miami. Interest: SLU, Duquesne, George Washington, Indiana, Syracuse, Maryland, Virginia Tech, UAB, Tulsa, Morgan State. Latest (9/15): Mayimba seriously impressed scouts at the DMV Elite 80, being called by some the "Defensive MVP" of the camp. He was said to be one of the best multi-position defenders there and was "making plays all over the court" at both ends. Previous: Mayimba has four official visits planned: SLU, George Washington, George Mason, and UAB. He transferred to Saint James School in Hagerstown. He is following former Montrose Christian head coach Dan Prete there and fellow former MC teammate Justin Robinson will join him. Mayimba says he's been hearing from UAB, GW, George Mason, Georgetown, SLU, Duquesne, Tulsa, VCU, and Morgan State. His profile reads like a guy who'd be ranked in the top 50 if he were a couple inches taller (most have him at 6-5; Scout has him at 6-7). ESPN says he's "blessed with a prototypical basketball body, long, cut-up, and extremely athletic. He's a phenomenal defender because he has the ability to guard multiple positions and is equally dangerous as a help-side defender where he aggressively rotates to block shots. Mayimba is also a ferocious rebounder." VerbalCommits is the only site that lists any offers, and all but one (VCU - 2/13) are dated 7/28/12, so the current status of all is questionable. Mayimba played for the Pan Africa team at the Nike Global Challenge, where he was scouted as a heady player, lock-down defender, and someone who could knock down 3-pointers. His offense is said to be still developing, but he's a high-energy guy. Twitter: @GabonHoop23

Anthony Pate: New Hampton Prep, New Hampton, NH - SG: 6-3, 190. Offers: St. Bonaventure, Duquesne, Harvard, Yale, Florida International, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Hofstra, Boston, Maine, UMBC, UNC-Greensboro, Binghamton, NJIT. Interest: SLU, George Washington, George Mason, Davidson, Marquette, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Tulsa, Bucknell, Siena, Drexel, Northeastern, Utah State, Marist, Elon, New Hampshire. Latest (9/12): Pate was rated #9 in the loaded NH class of 2014 by the New England Recruiting Report. Previous: Pate is picking up a lot of interest and offers after playing well at the Super 64 in Vegas. Scouts said his game is a lot like that of Elijah Brown, the son of Mike Brown who played at Santa Ana HS in California and is heading to Butler this fall. Pate is said to have a confident stroke and good facilitating ability. One concern may be transfers: Pate is from Canada, attended Saint Anthony in New Jersey before transferring to Long Island Lutheran for his junior season, then New Hampton Prep this past season. He will stay at NHP for a prep year. Twitter: @416Pate

Darreon Reddick: Belleville East, Belleville, IL - PG: 6-3, 200. Offers: DePaul, Valpo, Missouri State, Indiana State, Bradley, Detroit, Toledo, IUPUI. Interest: SLU, Dayton, Xavier, Butler, Northwestern, Michigan, Mizzou, Tennessee, Iowa, SIUC. Latest (9/4): Reddick was impressed by Northwestern on his unofficial visit there, though the school has not yet offered. If he gets an official offer, he will visit again officially before deciding. NU seems to be holding off in order for McIntosh and Bartley to make their decisions. Previous: Reddick visited Bradley and Illinois State in June. He also visited Valpo with C.J. Rivers and both picked up offers. Twitter:@_14Reddick

Shawn Roundtree: Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL - PG: 6-0, 175. Offers: SIUE. Interest: SLU, Ball State, Missouri State, Indiana State. Latest (9/12): Roundtree received visits from SIUE, Missouri State, and Indiana State as the fall recruiting period opened. Previous: Roundtree played in the Purdue Elite Camp in August. He has been contacted by SLU and Ball State, but SIUE was the early leader in his recruitment. Twitter: @2Yung4_Simba

Marial Shayok: Blair Academy, Blairstown, NJ - SF: 6-6, 205. Offers: Marquette, Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence, LaSalle, Cincinnati, Boston College, Virginia, Minnesota, Rutgers, Kansas State, West Virginia, Texas A&M, USC, Georgia. Interest: SLU, VCU, Dayton, Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, Notre Dame, Gonzaga. Latest (9/12): Shayok received a home visit from Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino. As the fall period started, he was also visited by Seton Hall, Marquette, and USC; BC will visit soon, as well. Previous: Shayok took an unofficial visit to UVA in late August and has visits scheduled to Marquette and BC. He previously said Marquette, BC, Villanova, Cincinnati, and Rutgers are recruiting him hardest. Georgia and Michigan have shown increased interest recently. He has not decided on any visits yet and doesn't plan to do so until August. He is considered one of the most athletic wings in the class of 2014. He's from a big-time basketball family: His father played at Dayton, his sister plays at Detroit, and his brother just transferred to UMKC from Bradley. Twitter: @ToOffical_11

Tarin Smith: St. Anthony's, Jersey City, NJ - PG: 6-0, 175. Offers: LaSalle, St. Joe's, UMass, Penn, Princeton, Brown, Lehigh, Bucknell, Detroit, Holy Cross, Delaware, Quinnipiac, Wagner, Stony Brook, Buffalo. Interest: SLU, Creighton, Boston College, SMU. Latest (9/13): Smith will be visiting SLU in late September. Previous: Smith took an official visit to Lehigh. SLU has been looking at Smith very closely but has not yet offered. Smith is the starting point guard at NJ powerhouse St. Anthony's, whose past point guards include Bobby Hurley, Tyshawn Taylor, Tray Woodall, and recent Temple addition Josh Brown. He says St. Joe's, Bucknell, Stony Brook, Princeton, and Penn have been in contact the most and that SLU, SMU, Creighton, and Boston College have all contacted him to let him know they're coming out to watch him this July. St. Joe's has had a few recent St. Anthony's grads, including Ahmad Nivins and Dwayne Lee. (There is also a 2016 recruit from McCluer North by the same name.) Twitter: @Smittee_

Dmitri Thompson: Orlando Christian, Orlando, FL - SG: 6-4, 195. Offers: Purdue, Miami, Oklahoma State, Mississippi, Georgia, South Florida, Central Florida, Charleston, Florida International, Murray State, Georgia Southern. Interest: SLU, Georgetown, Butler, Kansas State, Virginia, Alabama, Appalachian State, Mercer. Latest (9/12): Thompson has a new offer from FIU and what appears to be some renewed interest from Butler. Previous: Thompson says Appalachian State and Mercer are interested. His offers from bigger programs are all listed as being from 2012, so I'm wondering how current they are. Thompson and teammate Adonys Henriquez had publicly mentioned the possibility of being recruited as a package deal, but Henriquez committed to Miami this past fall, while Thompson continues to explore his options. The two have won a state championship together already and expectations are high for their senior season. Twitter: @BigMeech_2014

[billiken_roy]

I'll get disagreement from Roy but I miss the days of Welmer,O'Neill,Valentine,Higgins and Sancere. They would piss me off but at least they had some style and where not homers. In fact I think they liked making the unpopular call. They are better refs than the current A10 crop

They all suck.

What i hate about welmer, oneil, valentine, etc they seem to Think the fans came to see them.

[DeSmetBilliken]

They all suck.

What i hate about welmer, oneil, valentine, etc they seem to Think the fans came to see them.

Welmer was always very complimentary to the Band, so there's that. I think O'Neill was as well.

[cheeseman]

Welmer was always very complimentary to the Band, so there's that. I think O'Neill was as well.

Why would they not be? There is nothing in it for them not to be.

[Old guy]

bauman, it's an imperfect system but there is certainly some value in it and it's getting easier every year. More information is flying around, more kids are playing basketball year-round, and more of them are traveling to play against one another.

As for things like height and weight, any given scout for any given service is only going to see any given recruit X number of times. Bartley may have been 6-2, 140 when Scout's writer saw him, and was 6-4, 170 more recently when another guy saw him.

There are something like 25,000 high schools in the US and a lot of kids trying to play at the next level. They're doing a better and better job of providing comprehensive information, highlights, and scouting reports on players. My best stab at why there are so many gems outside the top 100 and so many busts within it is this: some guys peak early, some are late bloomers physically; some guys go to programs that don't suit their skill set or personality; and the talent pool is getting deeper and wider as kids are getting better year-round basketball instruction (not to mention are on average larger than they were in previous generations).

I agree that we shouldn't get too hung up on the fact that we're still not getting many top 100 commitments, but I still see the value in the evaluation system.

Pistol I like this quote a lot. The numbers say it all. With 25000 high schools, the number of kids playing HS basketball is probably a bit shy of the 250,000 level. Let's say 10% have talent, are motivated, and really trying to go to the next level, well, that is about 25,000 kids. So, for each kid making the top 100 there are around 250 talented kids playing well and trying to make it to that level. When you add the differences of build, strength, and the fact that some are late boomers, what you really have is a potential treasure trove of real talent, not ranked in the top 100, and waiting to be discovered by someone.

[Quality Is Job 1]

Pistol I like this quote a lot. The numbers say it all. With 25000 high schools, the number of kids playing HS basketball is probably a bit shy of the 250,000 level. Let's say 10% have talent, are motivated, and really trying to go to the next level, well, that is about 25,000 kids. So, for each kid making the top 100 there are around 250 talented kids playing well and trying to make it to that level. When you add the differences of build, strength, and the fact that some are late boomers, what you really have is a potential treasure trove of real talent, not ranked in the top 100, and waiting to be discovered by someone.

I'd say the number is significantly less than 10 percent. Do you really think that, on average, there's one Div. I player per high-school team? I don't.

[JMM28]

There are 16000 basketball players at NCAA schools. There are 4472 D1 scholarships and 3050 D2 scholarships.

There are around 500,000 high school students playing basketball in a given year.

[Clock_Tower]

All interesting facts... but haven't we agreed that colleges really don't recruit kids by going to watch their high school games?? Isn't it mostly their play on AAU/Select teams nowadays?

[Quality Is Job 1]

All interesting facts... but haven't we agreed that colleges really don't recruit kids by going to watch their high school games?? Isn't it mostly their play on AAU/Select teams nowadays?

1. No, we haven't agreed to stipulate that. Coaches certainly do take in high-school games and recruit there.

2. Even if what you're claiming were true, what does it change with respect to the percentages of high-school athletes who move on to the next level and the value of being rated in the top 100 or 150?

[JMM28]

Wacker is going to Boise State per Evan Daniels.

[RiseAndGrind]

@NikeHead_Vonte: Therence Mayimba tells me that he will be commiting late October @GabonHoop23

[pretty_ricky]

Do we know how much of a chance we have on this kid? seems to have some serious upside and with the offers to back it. Hopefully the visit goes well

[Westy03]

Therence Mayimba is visiting SLU October 15th