Recruiting - 2014

[JMM28]

Darius Austin is announcing today at 2:30 per his AAU coach.

[moytoy12]

Larry Austin, Sean O'Mara, Jordan Barnett and Mack Mercer were all at one point top targets. All drop SLU in about a week. Still a chance to be a very good class just need to reel some people in soon.

Agree.

[slu72]

My guess w/Mercer is he looked who was in front of him, ie RA, TL, GG and thought fewer minutes. Or his girlfriend got accepted at Belmont.

[moytoy12]

Not concerned yet, but if some of our top pg priorities start coming off the board, then I'll start getting a little worried.

[kshoe]

Not concerned yet, but if some of our top pg priorities start coming off the board, then I'll start getting a little worried.

Agreed. All it takes is one commitment and we'll all feel great again and start talking about how the player that committed was better than all those other players anyway and how he fits into our system perfectly, etc. But until then, seeing all these guys fly off the board is a bit concerning.

[Pistol]

Darius Austin is announcing today at 2:30 per his AAU coach.

I haven't heard his name and SLU's name together much recently. DePaul? UMKC?

I'll guess DePaul.

[Pistol]

Austin visited SLU, SIUC, and Murray State this summer, in that order. Also has Miami-Ohio, SIUE, and Indiana State offers.

He had interest from some Big Ten, SEC, and Big East schools. I guess he didn't get any additional offers after July so he'd rather decide now than wait until spring.

[Pistol]

Updated to remove Austin. 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

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

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, Tennessee-Martin, Western Illinois. Interest: SLU, Illinois, Virginia Tech, SIUC, Missouri State, SIUE, Georgia State, Troy, Indianapolis, Nebraska-Omaha, Alabama A&M. Latest (8/5): Cook will be visiting SLU with AAU teammate Brandon Hollins. Previous: 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 (8/5): Hollins will be visiting SLU with AAU teammate 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.: 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

[RUBillsFan]

Larry Austin, Sean O'Mara, Jordan Barnett and Mack Mercer were all at one point top targets. All drop SLU in about a week. Still a chance to be a very good class just need to reel some people in soon.

I don't think SLU ever had a good chance with Larry Austin or Jordan Barnett. They seemed set on BCS schools all along. It appears O'Mara is leaning that way as well. I'm glad SLU went after those guys, but they would have been guys you are ecstatic to get not necessarily ones you should be disappointed went elsewhere.

Mercer is odd because it appeared SLU was the front-runner, but as DeSmet said he seems a bit redundant with Lancona already in the fold.

There are still plenty of names from Pistol's list and probably others we don't know about like Roby who came out of nowhere.

[RUBillsFan]

Some info for Pistol:

Jonathan Mosley (coach of the St. Louis Gym Rats AAU team) tweeted this last night:

Jonathan Mosley ‏@CoachJMosley13h

Take the H off of SLU lol. RT @NBADreams_: going to visit SLUH w/ @___BallxBooks ... Want us to be at a practice to

@NBADreams_ appears to be Brandon Hollins and @___BallxBook is Arlando Cook (as you have listed above).

[Pistol]

There are still plenty of names from Pistol's list and probably others we don't know about like Roby who came out of nowhere.

This. I keep track of what I can, and use every update offered, but sometimes these things come out of nowhere and wrap up immediately. Roby is a perfect example. The next four commits could come from the list, from out of nowhere, in the spring, or some combination.

[HusakAttack]

This. I keep track of what I can, and use every update offered, but sometimes these things come out of nowhere and wrap up immediately. Roby is a perfect example. The next four commits could come from the list, from out of nowhere, in the spring, or some combination.

Which is exactly why I laugh when certain people freak out when a recruit doesn't commit. There are plenty of recruits we have never heard of and plenty of recruits on the list that SLU has zero interest in. Go Bills!

[Pistol]

Some info for Pistol:

Jonathan Mosley (coach of the St. Louis Gym Rats AAU team) tweeted this last night:

Jonathan Mosley ‏@CoachJMosley13h

Take the H off of SLU lol. RT @NBADreams_: going to visit SLUH w/ @___BallxBooks ... Want us to be at a practice to

@NBADreams_ appears to be Brandon Hollins and @___BallxBook is Arlando Cook (as you have listed above).

Thanks, added.

I love the coach correcting him via Twitter. Could have also told him to add an extra "o" to "to" but that's probably asking too much. His original tweet makes it sound like Claggett is recruiting them as transfers to U High.

[Old guy]

OK people let's do some math before despair sets in. We recently had 17 open offers for 4 scholarships for 2014. Out of these there were 8 open offers for kids classified as guards. Out of these we lost one, Larry Austin who took us off his list. However, we never thought we had a real chance with him. We still have 7 open offers for guards, still 4 scholarships. Now we have lost 3 out the offer list, in positions other than guard: Barnett SF who we really did not think we had a chance with, Mercer PF who we thought we were going to get, and this one may have hurt, and O'Mara C who was a reach for us.

How are we much worse off now, I ask? We still have 7 open offers for guards, and 13 total open offers still for 4 scholarships. This means that 9 of these offers will not come to SLU any way you slice it. Then there are also others who remain unknown that may come. I do not think there is solid cause for despair at this time. We had one setback, Mercer, but that is about that. We are still looking good and have good prospects in the pipeline.

[JMM28]

Agreed Old guy.

I am working under the assumption that the mix of fall/spring will be either 3/3 or 4/2. We already have 2 in the fall period, so one or two more isn't asking for much.

Spring resets itself somewhat from fall. Players who waited could rise or fall multiple levels. Players that were on the D2 radar are now BCS players. Players get pissed off during the season and transfer.

There will be a whole new Pistolist in the spring. We will do the same old song and dance all over again.

[Pistol]

Those familiar with Austin (Roy, others who GOSEETHEKIDSPLAY on the IL-side): What are your feelings on today's announcement? Are you going to be disappointed if he doesn't choose SLU? If he does choose SLU, how excited should I be? I don't know a whole lot about him, haven't watched/read as much as with other names.

[billikens747]

Darius Austin to announce at 2:30 today.

[RiseAndGrind]

Those familiar with Austin (Roy, others who GOSEETHEKIDSPLAY on the IL-side): What are your feelings on today's announcement? Are you going to be disappointed if he doesn't choose SLU? If he does choose SLU, how excited should I be? I don't know a whole lot about him, haven't watched/read as much as with other names.

I'd put good money on DePaul but wouldn't be surprised if SLU was the choice.

Edit:

Alex Kline ‏@TheRecruitScoop10m

2014 Cahokia (IL) forward Darius Austin is making his college decision this afternoon between DePaul, Indiana State & UMKC.

Followed by Earl Austin Jr.

[RiseAndGrind]

Agreed Old guy.

I am working under the assumption that the mix of fall/spring will be either 3/3 or 4/2. We already have 2 in the fall period, so one or two more isn't asking for much.

Spring resets itself somewhat from fall. Players who waited could rise or fall multiple levels. Players that were on the D2 radar are now BCS players. Players get pissed off during the season and transfer.

There will be a whole new Pistolist in the spring. We will do the same old song and dance all over again.

You're probably right, but it seemed like the momentum was there to get Mercer. That one definitely stung the coaching staff a little bit as the kid had an official planned for today.

To the earlier point about losing Barnett and Austin - I had written those guys off a long time ago. Neither Austin or Barnett had mentioned SLU in a long time and I believe the coaching staff had moved on from them.

Like others have said, as long as a PG is locked up soon I will be feeling pretty good.

[slufanskip]

Was Roby even on the radar or list when he committed?

It seems every other day we have a new player who's name comes up as someone we are looking at, so I don't really care if Mack Mercer chooses Belmont or Darius Austin chooses DePaul, Indiana St, or UMKC. I didn't see anything from Mercer that makes him appear better than Lancona and the Austin kid looks like a reach anyway. I trust that we'll see new names as others lose their interest in us or we lose our interest in them. I'd be disapointed if Darius Austin takes a spot today. I don't mind reaching for bigs with a good skill set but needing to add strength, but I don't want to reach for a guard

[billiken_roy]

I haven't heard his name and SLU's name together much recently. DePaul? UMKC?

I'll guess DePaul.

When it seemed that cahokia would not have a sports program this uocoming school year (of course since,athletics have been saved and the school will instead budget away academics and special ed aspects ), it was rumored austin would "move" to chicago for his senior year.

I.e. influences want him in chicago, so i agree depaul might be the destination

[JMM28]

I'd put good money on DePaul but wouldn't be surprised if SLU was the choice.

Edit:

Alex Kline ‏@TheRecruitScoop10m

2014 Cahokia (IL) forward Darius Austin is making his college decision this afternoon between DePaul, Indiana State & UMKC.

Followed by Earl Austin Jr.

That is a really strange list. Does he want to play in the NBE and win about 30 games in his 4 years, play in the MVC and be middle to upper pack there, or go to a rebuilding UMKC?

[NH]

I don't think Austin is really picking anyone over the Bills. From what I can gather, we never actually offered. I don't think we will be missing out.

[Pistol]

Well, there we have it- DePaul, Indiana State, and UMKC. Like I said, haven't seen his name tied to SLU in quite a while. I don't have a strong feeling either way on this one. Onward and upward. His name is off the list.

[jimbofive]

Mack mercer just committed to Belmont per his twitter.

That sucks.

what a fuoking idiot. that loser can piss up a rope. belmont... they have made the tourney like 6 of the last 8 years, garnering 15, 15, 15, 13, 14 and 11 seeds, though!