Recruiting - 2014

[VeniceMenace]

SLU is now expressing interest in 2014 players 6'8 Arlando Cook and 6'5 Brandon Hollins, tweets the AAU coach...

[Pistol]

SLU is now expressing interest in 2014 players 6'8 Arlando Cook and 6'5 Brandon Hollins, tweets the AAU coach...

Interesting. I was wondering if we'd ever show interest in these guys. I suppose all local potential D-I players are worth keeping an eye on.

I have to say this about SIUE- they are offering everybody locally who looks like a D-I player. They seem to be building the program smartly. Hopefully they don't become the next thorn in our side, like the Valley schools who get local kids we passed on who then have their best games against us.

[VeniceMenace]

Agree, Pistol, watch out for SIUE. Not this year, but in the future...

They just hired an assistant/recuiter who played AAU ball for the St. Louis Eagles and even holds a law degree:

http://www.bnd.com/2013/07/22/2705596/forrester-make-changes-to-siues.html

Another bad sign for SIUC.

[RiseAndGrind]

@INBRecruits: 6'9" PF Mack Mercer of Plymouth HS (2014) will take an official visit to Saint Louis August 7th & 8th

[Franchise_08]

Hope we can close Mercer on his visit. Still need a PG and a Center.

[billikenfan05]

@INBRecruits: 6'9" PF Mack Mercer of Plymouth HS (2014) will take an official visit to Saint Louis August 7th & 8th

[NH]

Rise and Grind has been rising and grinding on his recruiting information. Major props.

[JettFlight5]

Mack the Knife?

[RiseAndGrind]

Rise and Grind has been rising and grinding on his recruiting information. Major props.

#TeamNoDaysOff

#TeamNothingWithoutGod

[billikenfan05]

#TeamNoDaysOff

#TeamNothingWithoutGod

#gymflow

[Pistol]

Rise and Grind has been rising and grinding on his recruiting information. Major props.

+1

[DoctorB]

Torch: McGinnis in the HOF? He thrived in the anything goes ABA, where you could win without playing team ball. For all his scoring and rebounding he was a black hole on offense.

Is that so ? ? ? all due respect, you have a point, but I must respond...

Well, I saw him in his prime, so I guess I'm prejudiced a bit. But riddle me this: name any other player who is currently eligible, not in the hall of fame, who deserves it more? I can think of one who is comparable and I would like to hear who else anyone can think of.

ps: as for the ABA and team ball, you must not have ever seen it live, because I went to the old Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indy, and then Market Square, over and over to watch the Pacers in those years and believe me, that was a helluva team and they did play team ball. As I said, 2 of 'em got into the Hall, finally, in recent years: Mel Daniels and Roger Brown. Those two were comparable to, say, having Robert Parish and James Worthy. Maybe not quite as athletic as those two, but in terms of style and game. Throw in George (think Karl Malone), Netolicky, Freddie Lewis, and yes, it was quite a team. We often ended up duelling the Kentucky Colonels, also loaded with talent like hall of famers Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore. The year the Colonels won it all by beating the Pacers. mid 70s, (with Gilmore scoring like 28 points with over 30 boards in the final game), the owner offered NBA champs Golden State to a one-game, $1 million winner take all, which the Colonels probably would have won. The NBA refused, which was a good choice I think.

And so, as for "team ball" in this day and age, give me a break: the NBA often looks like glorfied pick-up down at the Simon to me. They did used to call fouls, for instance .... and there were some very good teams in the ABA, and yes, they even occasionally played defense -- sometimes even without mugging guys. Blieve me when I say, Gilmore and Daniels definitely did play defense, and so did Willie Wise, etc....

[Box and Won]

Check out Marvin Barnes' stat line with the Spirits.

1974-75 15.6 Rebounds 3.2 Assists 1.2 Steals 1.8 Blocks 24.0 Points

1975-76 10.8 Rebounds 2.2 Assists 1.9 Steals 2.0 Blocks 24.1 Points

[RUBillsFan]

Joe Henricksen ‏@joehoopsreport1h

Benet's Sean O'Mara narrows list to a final 6: Xavier, Loyola, Wichita St, Seton Hall, UMass. Wake Forest

[moytoy12]

Joe Henricksen ‏@joehoopsreport1h

Benet's Sean O'Mara narrows list to a final 6: Xavier, Loyola, Wichita St, Seton Hall, UMass. Wake Forest

Ouch

[b.hayes]

Joe Henricksen ‏@joehoopsreport1h

Benet's Sean O'Mara narrows list to a final 6: Xavier, Loyola, Wichita St, Seton Hall, UMass. Wake Forest

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[JMM28]

Who wanted a kid from that weak ass Benet in Lisle anyways? Onward and upward!

[slu72]

This shouldn't cause too much alarm unless he was a game changer. We're well covered on the inside for 14-15 w/JM, GG, RA, TL, and Gillman. More concerned if our PG targets start flying off Pistol' s board.

[bauman]

Joe Henricksen ‏@joehoopsreport1h

Benet's Sean O'Mara narrows list to a final 6: Xavier, Loyola, Wichita St, Seton Hall, UMass. Wake Forest

Looks like he is only interested in the big time conferences-Big East, ACC and MVC. Also, no Big 10 schools on the list.

[MusicCityBilliken]

The old ABA was great. Used to watch the old Nets play in Island Garden out in Commack, Long Island when I was in grade school and high school. They had players like Rick Barry and Julius Irving.

Billiken Triva ??: what Billiken player played for the old ABA Nets?

[Old guy]

Looks like he is only interested in the big time conferences-Big East, ACC and MVC. Also, no Big 10 schools on the list.

Bauman his final list includes UMass which is in A10

[NH]

It's certainly not good news since we've been recruiting this guy for a long time and he is a very talented player. I'm guessing whitesell leaving hurt us a lot. But if we didn't make his top 6 we were never going to land him.

[Pistol]

Joe Henricksen ‏@joehoopsreport1h

Benet's Sean O'Mara narrows list to a final 6: Xavier, Loyola, Wichita St, Seton Hall, UMass. Wake Forest

Bummer. I thought we might make a final list if/when he put one together. Loyola-Chicago and no SLU?! PORTER! (And WHITESELL!)

Also disappointed UMass is on there. This is a very interesting list.

[Pistol]

Updated to remove O'Mara. 4 spots remain (1 2013, 3 2014) after the Roby and Gillmann commitments and Crews said it's likely all 4 will be used for 2014. As always, updates on all names are appreciated.

2014 Offer List:

Ore Arogundade: St. Viator, Arlington Heights, IL - SG: 6-3, 180. Offers: SLU, Creighton, SIUC, Murray State, Drake, Santa Clara, Loyola-Chicago, San Jose State, Wright State, Toledo, UMKC, Northern Illinois, San Francisco, Utah State, Wofford, UT-Pan Am. Interest: DePaul, Xavier, Temple, LaSalle, Texas Tech, Wichita State, Missouri State, Oregon State. Latest (7/29): Arogundade says SLU is among the schools recruiting him hardest. He just played in his final AAU tournament with the Illinois Wolves in the last weekend of July. Previous: Arogundade played well in mid-July with the Wolves, gaining attention for his three-point shooting. He picked up offers from UMKC, Wofford, and UT-Pan Am. He vistied Drake and SLU. Twitter: @OreAro_23

Darius Austin: Cahokia HS, Cahokia, IL - SF: 6-6, 200. Offers: SLU, DePaul, Miami-Ohio, Indiana State, SIUE, UMKC. Interest: Xavier, Indiana, Illinois, Mizzou, Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Iowa, Oregon State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, SIUC, Drake, Murray State. Latest (7/24): Austin took recent unofficial visits to Murray State, SLU, and Carbondale. Previous: Austin is working with a personal trainer to recover from an ankle injury that kept him sidelined in April and May and will be playing with the Illinois Wolves for the July evaluation period. DePaul seems to be his frontrunner of those that have offered and Oregon State is recruiting the hardest from the interest list. He wants to decide before his senior year starts. According to IL Prep Bullseye, Austin is their pick for a mid-late summer high-major break-out recruit. He tore it up at the DePaul Team Camp and may have been the best player in the thing. Twitter: @DariusAustin23

Corey Henderson, Jr.: Episcopal School of Dallas, Dallas, TX - PG: 6-3, 175. Offers: SLU, Wichita State, Wright State, Fresno State, Weber State. Latest (7/31): Henderson is said to have picked up a SLU offer as of July 30th. 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

J.P. Macura: Lakeville North, Lakeville, MN - SG: 6-5, 185. Offers: SLU, Dayton, Butler, Xavier, Creighton, Mizzou, Purdue, Minnesota, Miami, NC State, Boston College, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Florida State, Auburn, Drake, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Vermont, South Dakota, South Dakota State, New Mexico State, Utah State, Toledo, Wyoming, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Nebraska-Omaha. Interest: Providence, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Penn State, Texas, Oklahoma. Latest (8/2): Macura is taking an unofficial visit to Minnesota in early August. He will begin taking official visits later in the month and in September, and hopes to have a decision after those. No deadline yet, and he still seems open to a lot of schools. Previous: Crews and Bronson watched Macura play in Vegas. Macura got the Minnesota offer from Pitino, but knows he is recruiting several more highly-rated shooting guards. He did not grow up a Gopher fan. Macura seems very tuned in to the positions filled at each school on his list, as he wants to compete for minutes immediately. He also doesn't seem to want to play in college with his AAU teammates, which include SLU offer Delshon Strickland. Macura made an official visit to Butler and shortly thereafter was shocked by Brad Stevens' decision to leave the school, which was one of his leaders (though Butler remains in high interest). Since then, he has been contacted by many more. Showing an elite three-point shooting ability, Macura has had a couple huge AAU tournaments (including the recent adidas VIP Exclusive Run) and is hitting the radar of Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC schools. He is looking for a school with a "family atmosphere." He is up to #89 in Scout's 2014 rankings. Twitter: @jpmacura

Kelan Martin: Ballard, Louisville, KY - SF: 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 (7/31): Martin picked up offers from West Virginia and Richmond. Previous: Crews and Bronson went out to Vegas at the end of July to see Martin, among others. Martin picked up recent offers from SLU, Xavier, and Texas Tech, and more recently from Butler. 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.

Steve McElvene: New Haven, New Haven, IN - C: 6-11, 260. Offers: SLU, LaSalle, Pittsburgh, Kansas State, Wright State, Ball State, Chicago State. Interest: Xavier, Purdue, Clemson, Kansas State, Eastern Michigan. Latest (8/1): Purdue is waiting for McElvene to finish summer school. If his academics are in order, an offer will follow by the end of the summer. Previous: McElvene had offers from Wright State Ball State, and Chicago State, but picked up offers from SLU, LaSalle, and Kansas State after an impressive Peach Jam showing. Purdue has been talking to him for a while but has not offered, though the mutual interest level is very high. In the regional round of the IN state tournament this spring, McElvene had 39 points, 33 rebounds, and 11 blocks in two games and was "unstoppable anywhere near the basket" against some of the highest-level competition in the state. He is said to have "scary" upside, has soft hands for his size, and does not play stiff. He even has a nice jumper from just outside the paint, and a dangerous drop step. Nicknamed 'Big Steve,' he also plays football and is an absolute giant. He moved from Alabama to Indiana before his junior year. Twitter: @TCCTree

Logan McLane: Greenfield School, Wilson, NC - PF: 6-8, 210. Offers: SLU, Seton Hall, Miami-Ohio, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, Buffalo, Winthrop, Mercer, High Point, Western Carolina. Interest: Furman. Latest (8/2): McLane picked up an offer from Western Carolina, bringing his offer total to 10. Bigger programs are still holding off - could be be a spring recruit? Previous: McLane 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 just visited Miami-Ohio. Here, McLane gives some reasons why he likes his current list of offers. Twitter: @LMcLane4

Mack Mercer: Plymouth, Plymouth, IN - PF: 6-9, 210. Offers: SLU, Boston College, Miami (Ohio), Indiana State, Illinois State, Kent State, Belmont, Loyola-Chicago, Valpo, Rice, Ball State, Vermont, William & Mary. Interest: Butler, Xavier, Mizzou, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Notre Dame, Clemson, Mississippi State, Northwestern. Latest (8/5): Mercer will take an official visit to SLU on August 7-8. Previous: Mercer picked up an offer from SLU, who remains in "hot pursuit" of him. Crews and Bronson went to see him play in Vegas at the end of July. Prior to that, Mercer's most recent official visit was to Boston College. He previously called Boston College, Indiana State, and Belmont his top three, but hinted that he might be expanding that "top" list now that some Big Ten schools and others have shown increased interest. Twitter: @MackMercer

Ikenna Okwarabizie: St. Louis Christian, St. Louis, MO - C: 6-10, 240. Offers: SLU, Illinois State, Southern Miss, SIUE. Interest: Rutgers, Marquette, Oklahoma, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Rice. Latest (7/15): Okwarabizie picked up offers from SLU and Illinois State. Previous: Okwarabizie is just starting to emerge this spring and picked up his first offer from Southern Miss. He is drawing "serious attention" from SLU and Rutgers and visited Illinois State. He is playing with the St. Louis Eagles on the AAU circuit this summer. He is not a major contributor at this point but has tremendous size and potential. Twitter: @iykerulez1

Avery Patterson: Wheeler, Decatur, GA - PG: 6-1, 175. Offers: SLU, Richmond, Xavier, Butler, Boston College, Kansas State, Central Florida, Murray State, Western Kentucky, Boston. Interest: UAB. Latest (7/16): Patterson was low on offers until this past weekend, 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: 5-11, 170. Offers: SLU, George Mason, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Georgia, Texas A&M, Tulane, Murray State, Georgia State. Interest: Houston, Tennessee, Florida State, South Carolina, Charleston, Tennessee Tech, Georgia Southern, Tennessee State, Kennesaw State. Latest (7/17): Patterson picked up offers from SLU and Tulane. 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.” 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: 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 (8/2): Smith played well over the past few weeks and added offers from Towson and Austin Peay. His latest offer is from Southern Miss. Previous: Smith picked up offers from SLU and Florida Gulf Coast. 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: Holy Angels, Minneapolis, MN - SG: 6-4, 180. Offers: SLU, Richmond, Rhode Island, Miami, Virginia Tech, Auburn, Missouri State, Drake, 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 (7/22): Memphis came to watch Strickland and reportedly was very impressed. Previous: Strickland has picked up a SLU offer, one week after receiving one from Missouri State and two weeks after Virginia Tech. 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

Andre Walker: Bullis School, Clarksville, MD - C: 6-10, 210. Offers: SLU, VCU, Xavier, DePaul, Cincinnati, Temple, UMass, George Mason, SMU, Fairfield, Delaware. Interest: Georgetown, Indiana, Kansas, NC State, Maryland, Miami. Latest (8/2): Walker hasn't gotten any new offers since late May/early June. Previous: 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. Twitter: @Andre_Walker21

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. Interest: Mizzou, Butler, Charleston, Charlotte, UAB, Nevada, Buffalo, Charleston Southern. Latest (8/2): Ware says he has a top 5 and will begin official visits this month. 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

Thomas Welsh: Loyola, Los Angeles, CA - C: 7-0, 245. Offers: SLU, UCLA, Gonzaga, California, USC, Arizona State, Colorado, Rice, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Pacific, Portland. Interest: Arizona, Wake Forest, San Diego State, Brown, UC-Santa Barbara. Latest (8/2): Welsh picked up a Colorado offer. 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. Previous: 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:

Marcus Bartley: MacArthur, Decatur, IL - PG: 6-4, 175. Offers: Oklahoma State, DePaul, Creighton, Northwestern, Rice, SIUC, Bradley, Illinois State, Eastern Illinois, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Tennessee-Martin, Southeastern Louisiana, William & Mary. Interest: SLU, Mizzou, Stanford, Iowa, Georgetown, Harvard, Tennessee. Latest (8/1): Bartley visited SLU on August 1 and was impressed. Previous: Bartley took an unofficial visit to Stanford after receiving a recent home visit from them. He recently picked up Creighton and DePaul offers. Both of his parents attended Creighton, who is making him a "major priority." Northwestern is recruiting him very hard. Oklahoma State is the biggest program to offer so far but he may be on the cusp of a few more. Twitter: @MB3_Dreamville

Aaron Brennan: Guerin Catholic, Noblesville, IN - PF: 6-6, 200. Offers: Indiana State, Loyola-Chicago, Belmont, Cornell, Columbia, Toledo, IUPUI, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro. Interest, SLU, Butler, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa, Wright State. Latest (7/24): Brennan played well at Top 100 last week. He just picked up a UNC-Asheville offer. Previous: Brennan 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, Radford. Latest (7/24): Cheeks played well at Big Shots Richmond, reportedly scoring well at all levels and rebounding very well for his position. He also handles the ball well, allowing him to make plays in traffic. Previous: Seems to be considered a lower-tier D-I recruit at this point. 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. Interest: SLU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, SIUC, Missouri State, SIUE, Tennessee-Martin, Western Illinois, Georgia State, Troy, Indianapolis, Nebraska-Omaha, Alabama A&M. Latest (8/4): After a strong showing throughout July, Cook is officially on SLU's radar. 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

Josh Cunningham: Morgan Park, Chicago, IL - SF: 6-7, 195. Offers: UMass, DePaul, Mizzou, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, St. John's, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Bradley, Northern Illinois. Interest: SLU, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami, Illinois State, UIC. Latest (7/24):Cunningham has some new offers, including Minnesota. Previous: Cunningham opened some eyes at the recent Nike EYBL in Hampton, Virginia when he filled in for an injured 5-star player. He's said to be a gamer with explosive leaping ability and a nice 3-point stroke. Twitter: @JoshMCunningham

Mory Diane: Detroit Country Day, Franklin, MI - SG: 6-3, 170. Offers: Detroit, Kent State, Indiana State, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Central Connecticut. Interest: SLU, Xavier, Butler, DePaul, Mizzou, Michigan State, Iowa, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Ohio, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, IPFW, Robert Morris. Latest (7/24): Diane played in the Under Armour Summer Jam. His most recent offer is from Buffalo. Previous: Diane hopes to have his list down to 5 by the end of July or possibly just before school starts in late August. He expects a few more offers to come in by then. Billed as a strong perimeter and mid-range scorer, solid defender, and natural shooting guard with PG skills if necessary. Twitter: MDiane_20

Brady Ellingson: Hamilton, Sussex, WI - SG: 6-4, 175. Offers: Bradley, Drake, Oakland, Wright State, Toledo, Ball State, Brown, Citadel, Northern Colorado, South Dakota, South Dakota State, UC-Davis, Albany. Interest: SLU, George Washington, Mizzou, Wisconsin, Utah, Harvard, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Lehigh, Air Force, Utah State, North Dakota State, Cal-Poly, Quinnipiac. Latest (7/29): SLU coach Jim Crews recently watched Ellingson and Ray Allen Select teammate Riley LaChance, two talented HS shooting guards. The scouting report on Ellingson is like that on LaChance, a pure shooter who will make the teams that didn't sign him pay come March. Ellingson showed off his shooting ability in Las Vegas the last weekend of July and received offers from Ball State and Toledo. Oakland is reportedly recruiting hardest at this point. Twitter: @B_Ellingson22

Jacob Hammond: Home School United Prep, Oklahoma City, OK - C: 6-10, 240. Offers: Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Nebraska, TCU. Interest: SLU, Indiana, UCLA, Mizzou, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Creighton, Wichita State, TCU, Tulsa, Loyola-Marymount, Navy, Army. Latest (7/24):Hammond is playing in the Adidas 64 in Vegas this week. Expect more offers to roll in; he's a top-150 player who has only picked up a few offers since the Oklahoma decommitment. Previous: Hammond previously committed to Oklahoma but backed out in May. He reportedly played very well at the Pangos Camp. He has played his three years of HS basketball at three different schools in Oklahoma and Kansas. Twitter: @J_ham_24

Brandon Hollins: Jennings, Jennings, MO - SF: 6-5, 170. Interest: SLU, UC-Riverside, Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois. Latest (8/4): 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."

Avery Johnson, Jr.: Cooper, The Woodlands, TX - PG: 5-9, 173. Interest: SLU, LaSalle, Baylor, LSU, Rutgers, Florida State, Wichita State, Rice, Charleston, Santa Clara, Bucknell, Columbia. Latest (7/2): LaSalle has contacted him. Previous: Johnson says Baylor, SLU, and LSU are recruiting hardest but Baylor stands out most at this point. He has only visited Baylor and SLU so far. The son of former NBA player and coach Avery Johnson, he recently 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).Twitter: @itsaveryjohnson

Riley LaChance: Central, Brookfield, WI - SG: 6-2, 160. Offers: Creighton, Butler, Mizzou, Oklahoma State, Utah, Davidson, Drake, Rice, Tulane, Indiana State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Yale, San Francisco, Western Michigan, South Dakota, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, Idaho State, San Diego, UC-Davis. Interest: SLU, Dayton, Marquette, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern, Virginia, USC, Oregon State, Gonzaga, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, UW-Green Bay, Lehigh, Portland, Army, UC-Riverside. Latest (7/29): SLU coach Jim Crews recently watched the Ray Allen Select AAU team with LaChance and Brady Ellingson, two talented HS shooting guards. Scouts who have LaChance play this summer call him a pure shooter who can light it up from deep. His name has gained serious buzz after the last weekend in July because of his performance in Las Vegas. Twitter: @riley_lachance3

Bryant McIntosh: Greensburg, Greensburg, IN - PG: 6-4, 175. Offers: Rhode Island, Davidson, Creighton, Mizzou, Memphis, Iowa, Northwestern, Clemson, Florida State, Auburn, Indiana State, Bradley. Interest: SLU, Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, Xavier, Wake Forest. Latest (7/29): Crews and Bronson watched McIntosh while watching some other recruits in Vegas this past weekend. Previous: Northwestern and Creighton are the latest offers for McIntosh, who was also recently contacted by SLU, Dayton, Wake Forest, Xavier, and others. He was a former ESPN 60 name who faded, committed to Illinois State, decommitted in early July, and has since drawn attention (and offers) from top programs again after a couple big AAU weekends. He's considered a high-level shooter who may play more of a shooting guard in college. Twitter: @BryantMac30

Justin Mitchell: Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN - PG: 6-4, 180. Offers: Ball State, IPFW, Chicago State. Interest: SLU, Xavier, Tennessee, Indiana State, Ohio, and Toledo. Latest (7/22): After seeing Mitchell play with Steve McElvene in the EYBL Peach Jam, SLU has been in touch along with the others listed above. Mitchell played very well, at the level of top-50 opposition.

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. Latest (8/1): 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, Mizzou, Butler, Michigan, Xavier, Tennessee, Iowa, SIUC. Latest (7/24): Reddick was impressed by Northwestern on his visit there. Northwestern is expected to offer soon. He also took unofficial visits to Illinois State and Bradley in June. Previous: Reddick visited Valpo with C.J. Rivers and both picked up offers. Twitter: @_14Reddick

C.J. Rivers: Cahokia, Cahokia, IL - PG: 6-2, 180. Offers: SIUC, SIUE, Miami-Ohio, Valpo, Toledo, Cornell, Brown, UIC, Wright State, UMKC, Northern Kentucky. Interest: SLU, Illinois, Mizzou, Xavier, Tennessee, Drake. Latest (7/31): Rivers will be taking official visits to both Drake and Cornell in August. Previous: Rivers visited Drake in mid-June. He visited Valpo with Reddick and both picked up offers. Rivers has visited SLU already. Twitter: @Cj_Rivers05

Shawn Roundtree: Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL - 6-0, 175. Offers: SIUE. Interest: SLU, Ball State. Latest (7/22): Roundtree has been contacted by SLU and Ball State, but SIUE leads Roundtree's recruitment at this point. Twitter: @2Yung4_Simba

Marial Shayok: Blair Academy, Blairstown, NJ - SF: 6-6, 205. Offers: Marquette, Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence, LaSalle, Cincinnati, Boston College, Minnesota, Rutgers, Kansas State, West Virginia, Texas A&M, Georgia. Interest: SLU, VCU, Dayton, Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, Gonzaga. Latest (7/22): Shayok said Marquette, BC, Villanova, Cincinnati, and Rutgers are recruiting him hardest. Georgia and Michigan have shown increased interest recently. Previous: 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, Bucknell, Detroit, Holy Cross, Delaware, Quinnipiac, Wagner, Stony Brook, Buffalo. Interest: SLU, Creighton, Boston College, SMU. Latest (8/1): Smith is definitely a SLU target and recently spoke with Ben Weixlmann. Previous: 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.)

Dmitri Thompson: Orlando Christian, Orlando, FL - SG: 6-4, 195. Offers: Purdue, Miami, Oklahoma State, Mississippi, Georgia, South Florida, Central Florida, Murray State, Georgia Southern. Interest: SLU, Georgetown, Butler, Kansas State, Virginia, Alabama. Latest (7/18): 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

[Pistol]

Who else was Whitesell the lead on? After O'Mara removed SLU from consideration, I'm wondering how Whitesell's departure affects the other Illinois (specifically Chicagoland) recruits- Arogundade, for one.