2013 Recruits

[StrangeGator]

Originally Posted by don23lucia

Illinois also did not make Parker's initial list, but Smith said Illini coach John Groce has continued to recruit Parker. Smith was unsure whether Groce would be given an in-home visit.

Purnell will make his pitch to Parker and his family Wednesday. Smith thought what DePaul had especially going for it was its location.

"You never know," Smith said. "He loves the state of Illinois."

I get it that he might love Chicago, but the state of Illinois is little more than a giant cornfield stretching south and west of Chicago. Go to DePaul, or get the heck out of the midwest. Preferably to UF.

[don23lucia]

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncbr...kentucky-visit

The nation's No. 3 recruit in the ESPN 100, senior power forward Julius Randle (Dallas, Texas/Prestonwood), returned home Sunday from Kentucky after his first official visit.

All senior prospects are allowed five official visits that last no longer than 48 hours, and Randle shared his itinerary and thoughts from his first experience, on which he was accompanied by his mother, Carolyn Kyles.

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Courtesy Lori Young
Julius Randle is ranked No. 3 overall in the 2013 class.On Friday, Randle had dinner at coach John Calipari's house with the staff and team and spent an evening with the Kentucky players. On Saturday he met with an academic adviser, went on a campus tour, attended the UK alumni game at Rupp Arena, attended Kentucky's football game against Western Kentucky and had dinner with the coaching staff. Later Saturday night he went to the practice facility and did some late-night shooting from 1:30-3 a.m. with some Kentucky players. And finally on Sunday he had breakfast with the staff and attended team practice before departing.

Here were his initial impressions from his first official visit.

On your first official campus visit, what were your thoughts going into the visit?
"I knew everything would be great. I went with my mom and I really wanted her to enjoy it and she did. Going into the visit my thoughts were to make sure I hung out with the players and really get to know them off the court. Also, it was important to for me and my mom to get to know the staff even better."

What were your first thoughts about UK as you headed back home?
"Family. Everybody is so together and for each other. Coach Calipari really cares about his players and helps them reach their goals and dreams."

What really stood out about your visit?
"The people. Coach Cal and his staff (Kenny Payne and Orlando Antigua) were very genuine. That stood out to me. In fact, all the people I met were really nice."

What was one of the best things you did on your visit?
"Me, Archie Goodwin and Julius Mays went to the practice facility and put up shots at 1:30 a.m. to about 3 a.m. I love having access to the practice facility when I want to go into the gym and shoot."

How well do you know the Kentucky players?
"I know a lot of them through the AAU circuit. Especially Archie Goodwin, Alex Poythress and of course Nerlens Noel. And I know Ryan Harrow a little bit."

Will you be signing early or late?
"Definitely late. I want to take my time with the decision -- see how the coaches coach and make visits during their season."

What are your plans for future visits?
"I was scheduled to visit Florida in October and now they want me to reschedule it during the season so I can attend a game. I am also looking at Duke, Kansas, UNC, N.C. State and Texas to visit."

What were your impressions of the Kentucky alumni game?
"The atmosphere was exciting and Kentucky has great fans."

What were your thoughts on Kentucky's practice?
"It was really good. It was the first time they could practice together as a team. You see how the players listen to coach Cal, and I really like their style of play. They go up and down and guys handle the ball. I definitely liked it."

[tampajack1]

Julius:

What were your thoughts on the football game?

[InstiGATOR1]

Well with the Randle visit UK reportedly offered 6'9" PF Marcus Lee. With recruiting it is hard to know if one has to do with the other.

BTW, Robert Hubbs to UTn. I think UTn is having a solid class and I suspect they get Nichols. The SEC in general is stocking up this year.

[MJGator8104]

Originally Posted by don23lucia

What was one of the best things you did on your visit?
"Me, Archie Goodwin and Julius Mays went to the practice facility and put up shots at 1:30 a.m. to about 3 a.m. I love having access to the practice facility when I want to go into the gym and shoot."

Don't all schools allow their players access to the practice facility 24/7/365? Sincere question as I would have no idea whether this is true or not and if it isn't true for all schools, does UF?

[REM08]

Originally Posted by MJGator8104

Don't all schools allow their players access to the practice facility 24/7/365? Sincere question as I would have no idea whether this is true or not and if it isn't true for all schools, does UF?

I can't imagine a competitive D1 program not making their practice facility available to players 24/7. The kids want to practice the game they were recruited to play and they're not able? Can't picture this. Dont' know for sure tough.

[don23lucia]

ESPN.com has confirmed that power forward Schuyler Rimmer (Orlando, Fla./Boone) is no longer committed to Florida.

Rimmer was expected to walk on in Gainesville and then receive a scholarship as a sophomore. Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Stanford and South Carolina are schools after the three-star player.

Billy Donovan's Gators remain the No. 1 class on ESPN.com with commitments from top-10 players Kasey Hill (Eustis, Fla./Montverde Academy) and Chris Walker (Bonifay, Fla./Holmes County).

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncbr...l/post?id=2619

[CoachSayre]

Originally Posted by MJGator8104

Don't all schools allow their players access to the practice facility 24/7/365? Sincere question as I would have no idea whether this is true or not and if it isn't true for all schools, does UF?

Yes they can come in at anytime. They have cards.

[your_perfect_enemy]

Originally Posted by MJGator8104

Don't all schools allow their players access to the practice facility 24/7/365? Sincere question as I would have no idea whether this is true or not and if it isn't true for all schools, does UF?

maybe he's comparing it to high school? I bet some schools that don't have a dedicated practice facility have restrictions even for their players, like when we used to practice on the auxillary courts in the O-dome. I'm using that more as an example of how the situation would arise probably wasn't the case for us

[MJGator8104]

Originally Posted by CoachSayre

Yes they can come in at anytime. They have cards.

Thanks. His quote about his favorite part of the trip seemed to imply that he isn't aware that practice facilities are available anytime he wants in college. As your_perfect_enemy stated, his HS probably didn't allow practice 24/7. Hopefully, he'll have a better understanding about this by the time or at least after he visits UF. UK doesn't need any additional help with recruiting...

[Gator Mike]

FWIW, a little bird tells me that when Jabari Parker narrows his list to five schools, Florida will make the cut.

They're probably fifth, but they've still got a shot.

[don23lucia]

Originally Posted by Gator Mike

FWIW, a little bird tells me that when Jabari Parker narrows his list to five schools, Florida will make the cut.

They're probably fifth, but they've still got a shot.

Thanks for the inside scoop hopefully we make a run.

[don23lucia]

Senior shooting guard Keith Frazier (Dallas/Kimball), the No. 19 overall player in the ESPN 100, is one of the best shooters/scorers in the country regardless of class.

Right now Frazier likes Providence, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Arizona, SMU and Memphis. Frazier will likely commit in April, which will allow him to get a better feel for programs, coaches and players. Without a doubt he will be a prime target for many elite programs.

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Courtesy of Anthony Scott Kurtz
Keith Frazier is ranked No. 19 overall in the 2013 class.
"I am looking for a school where I can instantly play big-time minutes, the coach is loyal and with me when I do something good or bad, and someone that can help me get to the next level. Make me a pro," Frazier said.

Frazier played on the travel circuit with DJH5 and Houston Hoops. At 6-foot-5 and about 190 pounds, he is the type of guard who can get hot from deep. He spots up on the break, comes off screens and spaces to the open area on the side of dribble penetration. He shoots over smaller defenders with ease and has continued to improve at making plays off the bounce as well.

Frazier is a true shooting guard and fun to watch when he gets in a groove. Against man or zone, the defense better know where Frazier is at all times.

"I am a pretty good scorer, but I have to work on my on-ball defense," Frazier said. "But it is getting better."

Frazier has taken a few unofficial visits, but no officials or any in-home visits yet. He has been preparing to take the SAT on Oct. 27 and said school is going extremely well and that his favorite class is pre-calculus right now. "I have really started to like math," Frazier said.

Frazier has a special offensive skill in his ability to shoot, and this skill is at the top of coaches' lists when discussing prospects in a recruiting meeting. No doubt Frazier is at the top of many shooting guard lists that are on the board in many coaching staff conference rooms.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncbr...er-likes-eight

[don23lucia]

CHICAGO -- Simeon Career Academy forward Jabari Parker, the nation's No. 1-ranked senior, has added Connecticut to the list of schools he's considering, his father said on Thursday.


Parker released a list of 10 schools in July, and it included BYU, DePaul, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Stanford.


ESPNChicago.com Colleges blog
The latest news and notes on the local college scene. Blog
Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, who recently replaced longtime coach Jim Calhoun, will visit Parker's home in Chicago next week, said Parker's father, Sonny Parker.

"It was Jabari's decision," Sonny Parker said. "He's picking all the schools for the home visits. He's talked to Coach Calhoun previously before. That's one of the schools that showed some interest to him. He's had conversations with them previously. Of course, coach Kevin Ollie came in, and (Jabari) wanted them for a home visit."


Michigan State coach Tom Izzo will make his in-home visit Thursday, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will come Friday. Next week, Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins, North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Ollie are scheduled to make visits. Williams' visit was originally scheduled for this week but had to be postponed because Williams had surgery on Wednesday to remove a tumor from his right kidney.


BYU, DePaul, Florida and Kansas have already made in-home visits, and no other schools are expected to come in for visits.


Sonny said he expects his son to narrow his list to five schools in the near future and then set up official visits.


As a junior, Parker was named the ESPNChicago.com Player of the Year, Illinois' Mr. Basketball and the national Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 19.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per contest.

[don23lucia]

Several of the nation’s top coaches have zeroed in on Wayne Selden (Boston/Tilton) as a recruiting target, with Kansas, Florida, UCLA, Ohio State, Syracuse and Missouri all in the hunt for the ESPN 100 small forward's services.

Earlier this week, Kansas’ Bill Self and Florida’s Billy Donovan became the first two coaches to conduct in-home visits with Selden.

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Courtesy of Nike
Wayne Selden is the No. 2 SF and the No. 13 overall prospect in the ESPN 100.
Self and assistant coach Norm Roberts were in town on Tuesday, visiting first with Selden’s mother in Boston and then continuing up to see the star swingman on Tilton’s New Hampshire campus.

Donovan arrived a day later and followed a similar plan alongside assistant Matt McCall.

“They both went well,” Selden said on Thursday.

The in-home visits are expected to be a critical part of Selden’s decision-making process since he said he was only expecting to take three or four official visits.

Another major development on Thursday: The star swingman might no longer sign during November’s early signing period.

“I was going to [sign early], but now I’m not sure it’s going to work out time-wise,” he said. “My mom is going to go on the visits with me and she has to find time in her schedule.”

Selden, who has earned a reputation for being one of the most dangerous perimeter scorers in the Class of 2013, said he’s looking for both an opportunity to make an immediate impact as well as a chance play with other high level players.

“I play my best when I’m with other great players,” he said, “and I’m trying to be an overall better player [aside from just scoring]. That was a big thing for me this summer.”

Selden will have every opportunity to prove his versatility this year at Tilton as his senior season will bring the unique challenge of leading an otherwise young team after having spent previous seasons playing with the likes of Nerlens Noel, Georges Niang and Goodluck Okonoboh, among others.

“I’m going to have to be the leader, definitely set the tone,” he said, “I’m going to have to rebound, defend and score.”

After Selden, there are only two other returning players from last year’s roster, both of whom were freshmen.

“Everything is going to be new,” he said. “We just want to come out, give it our all and set the trend for future seasons.”

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncbr...kansas-florida

[don23lucia]

Florida
Visitor: ESPN 60 C Dakari Johnson
This was supposed to be Schulyer Rimmer’s visit weekend before he decommitted this week. Johnson is a tentative visit but worth noting given his profile.

[MJGator8104]

[quote]Selden, who has earned a reputation for being one of the most dangerous perimeter scorers in the Class of 2013, said he’s looking for both an opportunity to make an immediate impact as well as a chance play with other high level players.

“I play my best when I’m with other great players,” he said, “and I’m trying to be an overall better player [aside from just scoring]. That was a big thing for me this summer.”[quote]

Sounds like we fit the bill....

[REM08]

Evan Daniels says Iverson to Memphis. I think I remember him coming up in this thread. If not, oh well.

[don23lucia]

Originally Posted by REM08

Evan Daniels says Iverson to Memphis. I think I remember him coming up in this thread. If not, oh well.

It has been reported on ESPN as well I can't get on the site right now only the mobile site

[gatorfan12]

Originally Posted by REM08

Evan Daniels says Iverson to Memphis. I think I remember him coming up in this thread. If not, oh well.

We had a real shot at this kid if we wanted him. He was never a take for us which is disappointing because I really wanted him.