2015 SEC Basketball Recruiting

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 3m3 minutes ago

Calipari can't say names, but looking to add a guy for this season? "A player or two."

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels 2h2 hours ago

With the addition of Raquan Mitchell, Texas A&M now has five incoming freshman | Scout Now: http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1569369-raquan-mitchell-joins-texas-a-m-s-2015-class ...

Miami (Fla.) Southridge standout Raquan Mitchell verbally committed to Texas A&M on Sunday during his official visit, he told Scout.

"I'm choosing Texas A&M because it feels like home and my family loves the environment and it feels like the right place," Mitchell said.

Mitchell will join Texas A&M's roster for this coming season.

The 6-foot-4 guard told Scout he also strong considered Memphis, Tulane and Bowling Green. Arkansas, Florida State and others also dabbled with his recruitment...

[jbcarol]

2015 SEC Basketball Recruiting Classes:

6. Auburn

Top Line: Scout's overall #61 and #66, #54 and #87 SGs, and a top Juco SF

Key Losses: 6-4 KT Harrell, 18.5 ppg; 6-1 Antoine Mason, 14.4 ppg; 6-1 KC Ross-Miller 7 ppg.

Auburn's Signing Class

Horace Spencer - Findlay Prep (Las Vegas, Nev.)
4-star power forward
247Sports' No. 36 overall prospect

Pearl: "We are very excited about Horace Spencer. He brings toughness, athleticism and the ability to defend and rebound at a very high level. Horace is an outstanding young man who has terrific upside."

Spencer: "Hustle. Athleticism. I'll never give up. No matter how many points we're down, no matter the circumstances, I don't give up. Scoring, defense, having fun. I want to have fun."

New Williams - Santa Monica H.S. (Los Angeles, Calif.)
4-star point guard
247Sports' No. 109 overall prospect

Pearl: "New Williams, a terrific athlete from the West Coast. Like in football, a terrific athlete that you don't know where he can play, but he can play. It'll be interesting to see, he's a high-level player that will allow us to press and do some things. Williams is a high major prospect both on and off the court. He comes from a great family, has a great work ethic and a great foundation. Had he not undergone ACL surgery last spring that kept him out for the summer, he would have been recruited by all the Pac-12 schools. While in high school he has played a lot off the ball, our plan is for him to play point guard."

Williams: "I focused on trying to be a better point guard this season. All my life, I've played the shooting guard position because of my scoring ability, but this year I was focused on the point guard. I wanted to lead my team vocally and by example. I worked on shooting and ball handling, court vision, making reads. Auburn runs the 'flex' system, so my coach put that system in so I could get used to running similar sets..."

Danjel Purifoy - Hargrave Military Academy (Centreville, Ala.)
4-star small forward
247Sports' No. 58 overall prospect

Pearl: "Danjel Purifoy, a year ago, he was an athlete that could get into the lane and create, but had no jump shot and couldn't create. I went back to see him at Hargrave, he's a player. That kid will be a first-team All-Freshman SEC player. He'll have a chance to really dominate his position. He looks like a bunch of other guys that walked into my gym this year. Danjel is a high-energy, athletic, aggressive player who has many facets to his offensive and defensive game. He can play many positions because he can guard many positions. Definitely a system fit."

Purifoy: "I really think I've grown to be that and I have that potential. I used to just be in attack mode, but now I can pull up and shoot from anywhere. I think my defensive game is real good. Prep school basketball is harder than high school, so I think I did well..."

T.J. Dunans - Columbia State Community College (Atlanta, Ga.)
4-star shooting guard
247Sports' No. 1 Junior College prospect

Pearl: "It was important that we brought in really good guards in this recruiting class. In T.J.'s case, because he is a junior college player, he has some experience. He's the junior college player of the year last year -- he's a high scorer. T.J. is a gifted scorer and he has the ability to create for himself and others. He can play above the rim. He has a really high upside. When his motor runs hot, he is a really tough cover."

Bryce Brown - Tucker H.S. (Atlanta, Ga.)
3-star shooting guard

Pearl: "Bryce is an outstanding 3-point shooter and strong-bodied athlete. He is a self-made player who lives in the gym. He has tremendous family support and is just a terrific student-athlete. I think he'll be like KT Harrell in a couple of years."

Brown: "I think I bring perimeter scoring, helping out and supplying scoring. I can play defense and just provide depth with my team. Being compared to KT, that's a compliment. He's one of the best in the SEC, I'm trying to become that player. We're going to need some scoring and I'm looking forward to doing that."

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 55m55 minutes ago

Hearing the surprise at Mississippi State this Summer was freshman SG Quinndary Weatherspoon. Going to be a factor for Bulldogs. Shooter.

[jbcarol]

Courtney Cronin ‏@CourtneyRCronin 3h3 hours ago

The fifth member of Ben Howland's 2015 recruiting class is cleared to enroll at Mississippi State. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/mississippistatesports/2015/08/06/msu-joseph-strugg-will-enroll-later-this-month/31236701/ ... via @MikeBBonner

Joseph Strugg will be the fourth member of MSU's freshman class, is cleared academically and will enroll by the end of the month (sic)

Fellow freshman Malik Newman, Quinndary Weatherspoon and Aric Holman enrolled in early June.

Strugg's high school transcript has been the issue preventing the 6-foot-8 forward from arriving on campus. Strugg, a three-start prospect, committed and signed with Mississippi State under former coach Rick Ray.

He's the latest Bulldog to come through the Carver High School pipeline in Montgomery...

[jbcarol]

Richard Davenport ‏@ArRecruitingGuy 18h18 hours ago

Forward considering a change of plans: There is a good chance small forward Doobie Jenkins will become a late ... http://bit.ly/1SY4ULN

[jbcarol]

Richard Davenport ‏@ArRecruitingGuy 10h10 hours ago

Jenkins commits to Arkansas: Small forward Doobie Jenkins has committed to Arkansas during his official visit ... http://bit.ly/1T7nYHv

 Doob  ‏@kingdoobie15 10h10 hours ago

Thanks To All The Schools That Have Recruited Me. But I've Decided To Commit To The University Of Arkansas #WPS

[jbcarol]

Kentucky freshman guard Jamal Murray has been one of the breakout players of this summer thanks to some strong play in the Pan-Am Games for the Canadian national team. Now it appears the senior Canadian national team is interested to see what the 6-foot-5 guard can do against the nation's best players as Murray is listed on the Canada Basketball training camp roster for FIBA Americas later this summer.

FIBA Americas is an important event for Canada because they have to finish either first or second to qualify for the Olympics.

Now the question becomes whether Murray makes the roster and if it conflicts with classes beginning at Kentucky. Classes at the school begin on Aug. 26th while the FIBA Americas go on from Aug. 31 to Sept. 12 in Mexico City. It means Murray might have to decide between doing one or the other.

[jbcarol]

Josh Newman ‏@Joshua_Newman 16h16 hours ago

With the roster now out, under normal circumstances, Jamal Murray makes the Canadian National Team. The UK conflict may prevent that, though

[jbcarol]

2015 SEC Basketball Recruiting Classes:

7. South Carolina

Top Line: Scout's overall #25, 4 more 3-stars, and one more

Key Loss: 6-3 Tyrone Johnson 9.5 ppg and 3.5 apg

http://www.scout.com/player/171646-perry-dozier/analysis?year=2014&s=143

Perry Dozier, a 6-6 PG is South Carolina's McDonald's All-American in the '15 class

http://www.scout.com/player/180151-chris-silva/analysis?year=2014&s=143

Chris Silva, a 6-9 PF playing in the New Jersey circuit

http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1533521-gregory-commits-to-south-carolina?s=143

Jamall Gregory, a 6-4 G from ELEV|8 Prep Academy

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/eric-cobb

Eric Cobb, a 6-9 PF from Jacksonville

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/162657/travon-bunch

Travon Bunch, 6-10, 186 C from Racine has apparently committed but not signed with South Carolina and Fall Semester is looming

Raymond Doby, 6-6 SF was released from his NLI to DePaul

http://www.scout.com/player/151758-raymond-doby

[jbcarol]

It's looking less and less likely that incoming Kentucky freshman Jamal Murray will have a chance to play for his country at the FIBA Americas tourament.

ZagsBlog.com quoted a source close to Team Canada as saying that the likelihood of Murray's participation is 'not looking good', while TSN's Toronto Raptors beat writer tweeted that Murray is 'not expected' to be a part of the team.

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 3m3 minutes ago

Calipari can't say names, but looking to add a guy for this season? "A player or two."

https://twitter.com/IsaacHumphries7/status/635083588657152000

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/636158221489602560

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/NextCats/status/636245647860047872

Skal Labissiere is projected as the No. 2 overall selection to the Minnesota Timberwolves

http://watch.scout.com/malik-monk-eybl-select-team-training-camp-2015

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/HailStateMBK/status/636294557039218688

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/sports_cj/status/636655158655451136

According to a release from the program, guards Jonny David and Dillon Pulliam will join the team for the year as non-scholarship players.

David, a 6-2 freshman from Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, was a prep 1,000-point scorer and an all-state selection.

The 6-3 Pulliam comes in from Transylvania University in Lexington, where he averaged 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds last year as a freshman. He'll sit out the upcoming season per NCAA transfer rules and have three years of eligibility left beginning in 2016-17.

The two newest players bring the roster to 14 for the season.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/Rob_Harrington/status/637337368060633088

[jbcarol]

Someone will be able to admit this shooter:

European shooting guard not joining Western: Kristaps Gluditis, a native of the Czech Republic whose perimeter shooting ability was praised by head coach Ray Harper earlier this summer.

Gluditis, who is eligible to compete by NCAA standards, did not meet the school's academic standards for international students. In regards to college basketball Gluditis has three options at this point according to the report: retake the exam in hopes of joining the team midyear, enroll at a junior college or enroll at another four-year school since he's cleared by the NCAA.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 39m39 minutes ago

Former Arkansas commit Ted Kapita has signed a contract to play professionally in France, source told @CBSSports. Will not attend college.

[jbcarol]

Brian Snow@BSnowScout

So per UVa Mamadi Diakite is enrolling early and will redshirt. A best case scenario for both parties, allows him college S&C program

Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels 3h3 hours ago

Evan Daniels retweeted Brian Snow

More kids should do this, IMO. 

[jbcarol]

8. Bama

[jbcarol]

9. Vandy

[jbcarol]

10. UGa

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 1h1 hour ago

Hearing Charles Matthews continues to be the early surprise at Kentucky. Could be this team's version of DeAndre Liggins. Glue Guy.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 4h4 hours ago

Malik Newman talks about why he chose Mississippi State, the Bulldogs' supporting cast, and more. A Q & A @CBSSports: http://cbsprt.co/1idfbDD

CBS Sports: So what do you think your response would have been a year ago if someone told you that you were going to wind up at Mississippi State?

Malik Newman: I probably would have just laughed, but it would have been that way with any school. I wasn't big with the recruiting stuff anyway. If somebody said something like that to me, it was probably just a fan. I didn't really give information to anyone about which way I was leaning.

CBS Sports: How much did your level of interest in Mississippi State go up once Ben Howland was hired as head coach in March?

Newman: It went up a whole lot especially after the first time I got a chance to talk to him. He had a lot of information to share with me about where he's been and what he's accomplished. It went up a lot as soon as he was hired for sure.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 1h1 hour ago

Villanova, Josh Scott, & why Charles Matthews could be UK's next DeAndre Liggins. Observations @CBSSports: http://cbsprt.co/1EQw8hx 

The 6-6 Liggins guarded multiple positions on the defensive side of the floor and also made timely three-point shots on offense as evidenced by his decisive long range bomb when the Wildcats beat North Carolina the 2011 Elite Eight. Matthews could have a similar type of impact for this Kentucky team. Word out of Lexington is that the 6-5 wing continues to be a major surprise and possesses something that separates him from other players on the Wildcats' roster -- he can impact the game without needing the ball.

With Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray, and Isaiah Briscoe set to handle the majority of the ball handling responsibilities with Alex Poythress, Marcus Lee, and Skal Labissiere holding down the front court, this team could use a Glue Guy. Don't be shocked if that turns out to be Matthews. He wasn't rated as high as some of the other players in Kentucky's recruiting class, but that doesn't matter if he affects the only thing Calipari and Wildcats' fans care about -- winning.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 7m7 minutes ago

Canada Falls to Venezuela in FIBA Americas Semifinal, 2016 Olympics Now in Doubt http://zagsblog.com/articles/canada-falls-to-venezuela-in-fiba-americas-semifinal-2016-olympics-now-in-doubt/ ... via @adamzagoria

Canadian National Team blew a 7-point fourth quarter lead and fell in controversial fashion to Venezuela Friday night in a FIBA Americas semifinal, 79-78, in Mexico City.

Venezuela is through to the 2016 Rio Olympics, while Canada will have to go through the World Qualifying Tournament next summer to get to Rio.

"It's very disappointing, obviously. Our dreams have been put on hold," said Head Coach Jay Triano.

Canada was without University of Kentucky freshman point guard Jamal Murray, who had to be on campus in Lexington by a certain date. The 18-year-old had a monster Pan American Games in helping the Canadians to a silver medal. The run to silver included a semifinal win over the United States in which Murray scored all of his 22 points between the fourth quarter and overtime.

Keep in mind that the World Qualifying Tournament will be contested in the middle of NBA Summer League.

Murray is projected as the No. 6 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by DraftExpress, so he is another one that could potentially face an NBA-Team Canada conflict if he needs to be at Summer League.

[jbcarol]

2015 SEC Basketball Recruiting Classes:

4. State

Top Line: Scout #10, #78, #55 C

Key Losses: 6-7 Roquez Johnson, 9.3 and 5.1,

Courtney Cronin ‏@CourtneyRCronin 43m43 minutes ago

ICYMI: Mississippi State filled last spot in 2015 class w/ La. Tech transfer Xavian Stapleton (3 yrs eligiblity).  http://www.clarionledger.com/story/recruitingreport/2015/07/05/xavian-stapleton-mississippi-state/29737239/ ...

http://www.scout.com/college/mississippi-state/player/153212-malik-newman/analysis

MSU Men's Basketball ‏@HailStateMBK 2h2 hours ago

Injury bug strikes again. Aric Holman will have knee surgery this week (patellofemoral disorder). Could be lost for year.

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/aric-holman

[jbcarol]

He is a 19-year-old basketball star. He is 7 feet tall with a 7-foot-2-inch wingspan, but he moves and plays like a normal-sized human. He is attending an extremely high-profile college in Kentucky, whose immediate basketball hopes hinge in large measure on his immediate performance. He is almost guaranteed to be a top-five selection in the earliest possible NBA draft for which he can declare, in 2016.

Skal Labissiere was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1996. By sixth grade, he was already good enough, tall enough and driven enough to be considering a move to the United States on the path to one day reaching the NBA. On Jan. 12, 2010, when he was 13, Labissiere returned home from basketball practice. He went to the bathroom. Then, as ESPNHS's Matt Remsberg wrote in 2012, "the ground began to shake."

[Labissiere] and his younger brother both ran to their mom, Ema, in the next room, where they huddled together as a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rumbled. As fate would have it, they were in the only room of their home that didn't completely cave in, but the wall they were leaning against began collapsing on top of them. A desk was the only thing preventing it from coming all the way down.

Calipari had his 2009-10 team (Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, et al.) man phone lines to help raise $1,000,000 for the Haitian earthquake just before they lost their first game to South Carolina.

[jbcarol]

Lamonte' Turner ‏@LTurn1 Sep 28

Blessed to be apart of such a great school and basketball program but I've been ruled ineligible for the 2015-16 season. Truly humbled! VFL🍊

Wes Rucker ‏@wesrucker247 Sep 28

#Vols freshman PG Lamonte Turner ruled academically ineligible: http://bit.ly/1KGbOOW 



4-star

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 5h5 hours ago

NCAA talked to LSU freshman and ex-Louisville commit Antonio Blakeney earlier this week about his experiences on visit, source told ESPN.

Pat Forde ‏@YahooForde 41m41 minutes ago

Updated story on allegations that Louisville basketball staffer paid madam to provide sex for players and recruits http://yhoo.it/1PattkY

[jbcarol]

Eric Crawford ‏@ericcrawford 18h18 hours ago

From the Indianapolis Business Journal story, from the book's author http://www.ibj.com/articles/55155-book-louisville-hired-prostitutes-to-woo-basketball-recruits ...

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 3h3 hours ago

New Story || UK basketball's practice Sunday will be live on ESPNU. Sneak peeks at newcomers, Poythress' recovery: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/10/05/espnu-to-televise-uk-basketball-practice/73383870/ ...

[jbcarol]

Skal Labissiere, like Kansas' Cheick Diallo, is allowed to practice while the NCAA continues to look into his case

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 4h4 hours ago

Jeff Goodman Retweeted Josh Brown

Enes. Kanter.

Josh Brown
‏@jbrownVI

@GoodmanESPN of course everything will go smoothly. It's Kentucky. If he had went anywhere else he'd be sitting.

[jbcarol]

Michael Bonner ‏@MikeBBonner 4h4 hours ago

Athlon Sports calls Malik Newman one of the five best freshmen in the country. https://shar.es/1uX85o

Two of the top freshmen in the country — Kentucky's Skal Labissiere and Kansas' Chieck Diallo — have yet to be cleared to play this season by the NCAA.

Elsewhere, the consensus No. 1 player in the class, Ben Simmons, doesn't play for a consensus top 25 team...

[jbcarol]

Sheldon Mickles ‏@MicklesAdvocate  Oct 8
#LSU forward Simmons back on practice court after ankle injury http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/13657430-128/lsu-forward-simmons-back-on ... via @theadvocatebr

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/JoshGershon/status/652618051670544384

I must break you

[jbcarol]

Profiles on Kentucky basketball's class of 2015

[jbcarol]

Michael Bonner ‏@MikeBBonner  4h4 hours ago
MSU's Malik Newman named to Jerry West Award watchlist http://on.thec-l.com/1RKKMIP 

The honor is in its second year and is given to the nation's top shooting guard.

Antonio Blakeney, Louisiana State

Malik Newman, Mississippi State

Danuel House, Texas A&M

[jbcarol]

LSU Tigers are No. 19 in the preseason poll, one of three SEC teams in the rankings as the season gets close

Anchored by four returning guards and an influx of four newcomers, LSU is looking to build off a 22-11 season a year ago that ended with an NCAA Tournament berth -- the program's first since 2009.

NOLATigers ‏@NOLATigers Oct 14

What LSU basketball coach Johnny Jones said at Media Day on Wednesday http://bit.ly/1ODiYpF 

Question: Regarding the open practice with the NBA scouts and executives, since obviously NBA executives can come in throughout the season, I was wondering when you decided to hold this practice, and what you hope to get out of it and what you hope the team gets out of it.

"Well, the big thing we want to make sure that we feel in making sure that those NBA teams have an opportunity to come in and watch us.  This date has been really good for us because we had an opportunity to get some practices in.  They have an opportunity to watch our guys.  It's great for our guys to have an opportunity to play and work out in front of a number of executives and NBA people that will have a chance to watch.

"With that being said, less of a distraction as we continue to move forward, having a chance for our guys to work out for them now, close the doors, get in here, our guys have a chance to run, hopefully get our chemistry right, and then those opportunities for those execs to have an opportunity to come back in, but we wanted to make sure that we set a date for that.  We had the teams to do it a year ago.  They had some success doing it, and it lessens, I think, a little bit of the distractions that can occur sometimes day in ‑‑ on a daily basis for our guys, but to give us a chance to coach them so that they understand and be able to pick things up.

[jbcarol]

Jerry Tipton: Labissiere case not unusual, but 'firestorm' understandable

Calipari downplayed the significance of the NCAA not yet determining when, or if, star freshman Skal Labissiere will be eligible this season.

"There's probably 50 players" that have their eligibility scrutinized each year, he said, adding that UK had five players have eligibility reviews last year. "A couple of them got cleared a week before the (first) game," he said.

Not all eligibility questions are answered before the start of a fall semester because the NCAA Eligibility Center handles athletes from some 700 schools in Divisions I and II. But a message is sent when a high-profile athlete expected to play a high-profile sport for a high-profile basketball program is not yet ruled eligible in mid-October. The message: The NCAA believes there is reason to check, re-check and triple-check a potential problem.

The NCAA has not yet made a ruling on the eligibility of one of Kansas' top freshmen, Cheick Diallo.

Calipari all but scoffed at media interest in Labissiere's review.

"How did this ... become like a firestorm?" he said.

Well, let's see. First, it's UK basketball, which is synonymous with firestorms, real and imagined. As Calipari himself said at the 2011 Madness, "We do more than move the needle. We are the needle."

Then, there's the widely held view that Labissiere may be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Oak Hill Academy Coach Steve Smith coached against Skal Labissiere's team in the Marshall County Hoop Fest last year. He came away impressed.

"I thought he was the best player we played against last year," Smith said.

Among the players Oak Hill Academy faced last season were Harry Giles, the No. 1 rated player in the class of 2016, and LSU freshman Ben Simmons, who some rated the best player in the class of 2015.

"I thought he was better than Ben Simmons," Smith said. "And, Ben Simmons, everybody talks about him being LeBron (James)."

Why does Smith think Labissiere is better than Simmons? "His skill level for a player his size was off the charts ... ," the Oak Hill coach said. "He moved athletically like he was about a 6-2 guard, not a 6-11 guy."

Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio Oct 14

Calipari tells Jerry Tipton to stop asking about Skal http://bit.ly/1LMomlb  #BBN

[jbcarol]

Steve Walentik ‏@Steve_Walentik 21h21 hours ago

From today's Tribune: Plenty of new talent spread throughout the SEC  http://www.columbiatribune.com/sports/mu_basketball/plenty-of-new-talent-spread-throughout-the-sec/article_9e15be22-e1a3-5ddd-8c0b-919ac9764fd9.html ...

Of all the newcomers — including transfers — here are the 10 I expect to make the biggest impacts this fall based not only on their ability but the opportunity they're expected to have with their new teams:



9. Jimmy Whitt, G, Arkansas: Hickman's all-time leading scorer (2,412 points) might be asked to do more than he's ready for in his freshman year. Arkansas must replace four starters from last season, including top scorers Bobby Portis and Michael Qualls, and a fifth, Anton Beard, has been suspended after being arrested with two teammates and charged with forgery. So the Razorbacks are going to need production from somewhere, and Whitt, a 6-3 guard, is their most heralded newcomer. He needs to get stronger, but Coach Mike Anderson said that "he's got a chance to be an elite guard." It remains to be seen how quickly he'll make his mark.

10. KeVaughn Allen, G, Florida...

[jbcarol]

Dan Hanner@DanHanner

Here are our SI projections for the top freshman scorers: http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/10/20/top-scoring-freshmen-ben-simmons-lsu-jaylen-brown-cal ...

SI is revealing its player projections, conference forecasts and national rankings for the 2015-16. These are derived from our statistical projection system, a collaboration between economist Dan Hanner and SI's Luke Winn and Chris Johnson that's now in its second year.

The fourth reveal of SI's projection-system output is the top 50 scoring true and redshirt freshmen, according to points per game:

1. Ben Simmons LS
4. Jamal Murray UK
5. Malik Newman MS
6. Skal Lab*      UK
12. Blakeney     LS
21. I. Briscoe    UK
22. PJ Dozier    SC
37. Jimmy Whitt UArk

[jbcarol]

Andy Katz ‏@ESPNAndyKatz 19h19 hours ago

LSU coach: Antonio Blakeney unlikely to miss games over Louisville scandal

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 12h12 hours ago

FWIW here's our story from when Antonio Blakeney Committed to Louisville in 2014 http://zagsblog.com/articles/antonio-blakeney-commits-to-louisville/ ...

Sept. 4, 2014: Five-star shooting guard Antonio Blakeney committed to Louisville on Thursday night as Rick Pitino grabs another high-level guard from the Class of 2015...

Blakeney was also considering Kentucky, Florida State, LSU, Missouri, Southern California, and Oregon.

"He's just excited about going up there and visiting, and he's enjoying the process," coach Alex Jackson of Oak Ridge (FL) High School said.

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones @KySportsRadio  ·  11h 11 hours ago

Las Vegas businessman is trying to get McDonald's AA to skip college BB and play 1 year for $700,000 before NBA http://kentuckysportsradio.com/basketball-2/vegas-businessman-wants-top-high-school-players-to-skip-college-with-him/ ...

Vegas owner says he thinks he can get "5 of top 25" High School players to skip college THIS YEAR and play for him

AmeriLeague, you know, the league that's bee talking about offering top high school players large salaries as an alternative to college. They've recently signed some ex-NBA players, and Ted Kapita (after originally being reported as signing in France) signed with them. The past week or so, word has been getting out that things are falling apart with the league, people haven't been getting paid, etc. Basically playing out like everyone thought it would from the start.

Well....the guy running the AmeriLeague is Cerruti Brown. Except there is no Cerruti Brown.

Because Cerruti Brown is...........Glendon Alexander.

Yes, former Razorback and felon Glendon Alexander.

http://erinasimon.com/amerileagues-cerruti-brown-is-reportedly-glendon-alexander/

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 8m8 minutes ago

Founder of new pro basketball league isn't who he says he is. Instead, he's an ex-McDonald's All-American. OTL: http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/13944043/amerileague-founder-tells-operations-manager-persona-fake-lines ...

The founder of the fledgling pro basketball league AmeriLeague, identified publicly for months as "Cerruti Brown," told the league's operations manager Wednesday night that the persona is fictitious and he actually is a former basketball standout who has numerous criminal convictions for fraud, Outside the Lines has learned.

"I talked to him, asked him, and he admitted he was [former McDonald's All-American] Glendon Alexander," Marcus Bass, AmeriLeague's operations manager, told Outside the Lines. "He told me he was stepping away and to tell the staff that there'll be new ownership. I was in shock. I'm just hoping that all the people who have worked on this project can land on their feet."

[jbcarol]

Shams Charania
‏@ShamsCharania
Kentucky freshman Skal Labissiere -- projected top draft pick -- has received NCAA eligibility to play 2015-16 season, sources tell Yahoo.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria  3h3 hours ago Croton-on-Hudson, NY
UK spokesman: 'We don't confirm eligibility of any our student-athletes until the first game'

[jbcarol]

 Evan Daniels ‏@EvanDaniels Oct 23

Which freshmen will impact college basketball the most? | Top 15 Impact Freshmen | List: http://www.scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/story/1602645-college-basketball-s-top-15-impact-freshmen ...

#1 Ben Simmons
LSU's five-game trip to Australia was certainly a quick preview of what's to come for Ben Simmons this season. Simmons averaged 20 points, nine rebounds, 5.4 assists and 3.6 steals a game. Now he'll need to get his turnovers down (five a game)...

#2 Skal Labissiere
At his size, Labissiere is skilled and can score the ball well, not only around the basket, but also from mid-range, where he can consistently make jump shots. He's not strong or able to play real physical yet...

#5 Malik Newman
Malik Newman closed out his high school career as one of the best scorers in the 2015 recruiting class and I'm sure Ben Howland will give him plenty of opportunities to put up some points. In high school, Newman took and made tough, difficult shots. I'd expect his shot selection to improve...

#8 Jamal Murray
Jamal Murray, a 6-foot-4 combo guard, built a big reputation with strong performances in the Nike Hoop Summit and at the Pan Am games. Murray is a very good shooter and is quite confident in his shot from long distance...

#14 P.J. Dozier
Even with South Carolina's top two perimeter scorers back there will be plenty of opportunity for P.J. Dozier, a 6-foot-6 combination guard. Dozier will spend time on and off the ball for Frank Martin and can be effective in both roles. As the season goes on look for Dozier's impact on the team to grow. He's a high IQ guy that can really pass...

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Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 15h15 hours ago

Auburn freshman Danjel Purifoy has still not been cleared by the NCAA, Bruce Pearl told @CBSSports. Top-50 player.

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Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 1h1 hour ago

Kobie Eubanks Cleared to Play in December, Down to 3 Schools (w/ quotes) http://zagsblog.com/recruiting/kobie-eubanks-cleared-to-play-in-december-down-to-3-schools/ ... via @adamzagoria

Kobie Eubanks has been cleared by the NCAA to play college basketball in the second semester of the 2015-16 season, and is down to three schools, he told SNY.tv on Thursday

"I am fully 100 percent eligible," he said.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Elev8 Academy (FL) is down to Texas A & M, Baylor, and Georgetown and plans to visit Georgetown and A&M.

Eubanks, who de-committed from Baylor,  was ruled ineligible at Alabama in August.