Look back/ahead to the Top 100 College Basketball recruits in the SEC

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports @aldotcomSports  ·  1h 1 hour ago
Who is Alabama's best boys basketball player? Gatorade picks Madison Academy's Joshua Langford: http://ow.ly/KA8wU  #alpreps

Langford is a 5-star recruit with a boatload of major Division I offers. That list includes Alabama and Auburn, which are desperately trying to keep the three-time reigning 3A Player of the Year from bolting the state. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl made a 45-minute stop at Madison Academy on Thursday morning, according to Mustangs coach Andy Blackston.

Langford is one of the favorites to win this season's Mr. Basketball award, which will be announced at a banquet April 2 in Montgomery.

Dallas County's William Lee, now a freshman at UAB, was the Gatorade honoree last year.

[jbcarol]

Corbett Smith @corbettsmithDMN  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Congrats to Madison's Admon Gilder (@Hph_lilmon), Gatorade's Texas boys basketball player of the year. http://wp.me/p4sxAV-6MgaZ  #txhshoops

Gatorade State Boys Basketball Players of the Year have been crowned. The winners were selected based on athletic production and impact in the 2014-15 season.

Alabama: Josh Langford, Madison (Ala.) Academy
Arkansas: Kevaughn Allen, North Little Rock
Florida: Ben Simmons, Montverde Academy
Georgia: Jaylen Brown, Wheeler (Marietta)
Kentucky: Cam Justice, Knott County Central (Hindman)
Louisiana: Wayde Sims, University Lab School (Baton Rouge)
Mississippi: Malik Newman, Callaway (Jackson)
Missouri: Jayson Tatum, Chaminade College Prep (St. Louis)
South Carolina: P.J. Dozier, Spring Valley (Columbia)
Tennessee: Dedric Lawson, Hamilton (Memphis)
Texas: Admon Gilder, Madison (Dallas)

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  14m 14 minutes ago
That didn't take long. Mississippi State just lost a top 100 commitment -- D'Marcus Simonds. 2016 scoring guard is back on the market.

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  Mar 23
Darius Hicks (http://scouthoops.scout.com/player/6067298n-darius-hicks ...), who was committed to Mississippi State, has reopened his recruitment.

[jbcarol]

NCAA March Madness @marchmadness  ·  6h 6 hours ago
All 4 Naismith finalists are playing in the #Sweet16.
Willie Cauley-Stein
Jerian Grant
Frank Kaminsky
Jahlil Okafor

[jbcarol]

 AP Top 25 @AP_Top25  ·  38m 38 minutes ago

Frank Kaminsky leads AP All-America team. See who else made it: http://apne.ws/1xtnCRq 

Kaminsky, the 7-foot senior from Wisconsin, was a unanimous choice Monday. Okafor, the 6-11 freshman from Duke, received all but one first-team vote.

Notre Dame senior Jerian Grant, Kentucky junior Willie Cauley-Stein and Ohio State freshman D'Angelo Russell rounded out the first team.

Utah senior Delon Wright led the second team and was joined by Kentucky freshman Karl-Anthony Towns, Northern Iowa senior Sean Tuttle, Arkansas sophomore Bobby Portis and Virginia junior Malcolm Brogdon.

The third team was Gonzaga teammates Kyle Wiltjer and Kevin Pangos, Oklahoma junior Buddy Hield, Syracuse senior Rakeem Christmas and Iowa State junior Georges Niang.

[jbcarol]

2015 AP All-SEC Men's Basketball Teams

FIRST TEAM

u-Bobby Portis, Arkansas, F, 6-11, So.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky, C, 7-0, Jr.

Stefan Moody, Mississippi, G, 5-10, Jr.

Josh Richardson, Tennessee, G, 6-6, Sr.

t-Jarell Martin, LSU, F, 6-10, So.

t-Jordan Mickey, LSU, F, 6-8, So.

t-Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky, F, 6-11, Fr.

(u-unanimous choice to first team; t-tied for final spot on first team):

---

SECOND TEAM

KT Harrell, Auburn, G, 6-4, Sr.

Danuel House, Texas A&M, G, 6-7, Jr.

Damian Jones, Vanderbilt, C, 6-10, So.

Aaron Harrison, Kentucky, G, 6-6, So.

Michael Qualls, Arkansas, G, 6-6, Jr.

---

HONORABLE MENTION

Devin Booker, Kentucky, G, 6-6, Fr.; Alex Caruso, Texas A&M, G, 6-5, Jr.; Levi Randolph, Alabama, G, 6-5, Sr.; Marcus Thornton, Georgia, F, 6-8, Sr.

---

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Bobby Portis, Arkansas

COACH OF THE YEAR - John Calipari, Kentucky

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR - Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  5h 5 hours ago

ICYMI: DraftExpress moves Kentucky's Towns to No. 1 overall pick http://zagsblog.com/articles/draftexpress-moves-kentuckys-towns-to-no-1-overall-pick/ ...

[jbcarol]

2015 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

Consensus First Team
Willie Cauley-Stein    PF    Junior    Kentucky

Consensus Second Team
Bobby Portis    PF    Sophomore    Arkansas
Karl-Anthony Towns    C    Freshman    Kentucky

Kyle Wiltjer    PF    Junior    Gonzaga

[jbcarol]

 Kevin Brockway @gatorhoops  ·  8h 8 hours ago

Lville coach (and BD's mentor) Rick Pitino, on Mike & Mike, "I think Billy Donovan has the urge to coach in the NBA, would like to try it."

Worth taking Pitino's BD-NBA comments w grain of salt when you consider Florida and L'ville both in hunt for 2016 SG Maverick Rowan.

Billy D visited Maverick Rowan on March 19. Florida and L'ville both in hunt for top-30, 2016 SF prospect from Ft. Lauderdale.

[jbcarol]

 Steve Jones @SteveJones_CJ  ·  Apr 1

Mcdonalds All American boys box

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  8h 8 hours ago
Coach says Harrison twins would've been 1st-round picks out of high school http://zagsblog.com/articles/nba-scout-aaron-harrison-better-pro-prospect-than-andrew/ ... @joshua_newman @tsnmike

"The rules don't help kids like that because coming out of high school... [the NBA] would've said, 'Hey, we're going to draft them based on potential,'" one coach at another D-1 school told SNY.tv. "When you go to college you become exposed because the college game doesn't translate to the pro game. It never has, it never will."

The coach agreed with the NBA scout that both twins will end up leaving Kentucky in part to make room for Kentucky's next recruiting class, which includes Roselle (N.J.) Catholic point guard Isaiah Briscoe. The Wildcats — and Briscoe — are also recruiting fellow McDonald's All-American Malik Newman, who is also considering LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, N.C. State and Kansas.

"[Kentucky coach John Calipari] has to push [the Harrisons] out because if he does not he's not going to be able to recruit '15s or 16s," the coach said...

[jbcarol]

 Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  2h 2 hours ago

Three Kentuckians are in the new Rivals 150 rankings for 2016: Quentin Goodin, Aric Holman and Eli Wright http://bit.ly/1aKNZsb

https://rivals.yahoo.com/basketballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/rankings/rank-3375/2016

1. Josh Jackson  G   Napa Prolific Prep
3. Jayson Tatum F   Chaminade
7. Malik Monk    G   Bentonville
13. Kobi Simmons G Alpharetta St. Francis
14. Udoka Azibuke C Potter's House
17. Jarrett Allen   C   Austin St. Stephens Episcopal
18. Josh Langford G  Madison Academy
19. Seventh Woods C Columbia Hammond
...
62. Quentin Goodin G Taylor County
...
82. Tyree Crump  G  Bainbridge  [UGa]
93. Jordan Harris  G  Seminole Co. [UGa]
106. Romello White F IMG  [Vols]
117. John Mooney  F  Lake Brantley [UF]

[jbcarol]

Update on some of those Top 100 recruits from the '11 class that either signed with or landed at SEC schools:

PF  1  Anthony Davis  Perspectives Charter  Kentucky
Took fewest FG per game among UK's '12 National Champs starting five. #1 Draft pick.
The 22-year-old is averaging 24 and 10 with 3 blocks per game for the Pelicans.

SF  6  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist  St. Patrick HS  Kentucky
The god son of William Wesley overcame a speech impediment to help lead UK to the '12 Championship.  #2 Draft overall draft pick.  The 21-year-old is averaging 11 and 8 for the Hornets.

SG 7  Brad Beal  Chaminade College Prep    Florida
All-SEC 1-n-done is averaging 15 ppg as running mate of John Wall with the Wizards.

PG 8  Marquis Teague  Pike HS                   Kentucky
UK's PG on the '12 Nat. Champs was late first round pick. Plays for OkCity Blue in the D-League after averaging 10-12 mpg in two NBA seasons. His father played for Norm Stewart and Rick Pitino in college.

SG 12 Kentavious Caldwell  Greenville        UGa
Caldwell-Pope played two seasons at UGa, and was POY as a sophomore.  8th overall pick in '13 currently averages 13 ppg for the Pistons on sub-40% FG shooting.

PF 20  Jarnell Stokes  Memphis Central       Tennessee
Vols 4th all-time in double doubles (40).  Averages 6.5 mpg for hometown Grizzlies.

PG 23 B.J. Young  McCluer North                Arkansas
SEC 2nd Team left after Soph. season.  Undrafted.  Waived by the Delaware 87ers, Young played '14-15 in Georgia where he averages 31 and 7.

C  24  Kyle Wiltjer  Portland Jesuit             Kentucky -> Gonzaga
10-12 mpg on UK's Nat. Champs, transferred after soph. season to Gonzaga to work on his body.  All-American for Gonzaga in '15.

SG 25 Jabari Brown  Oakland                     Oregon -> Mizzou
One of the Mizzou transfers was All-SEC averaging 20ppg in '14.  Playing with Tiger teammate Jordan Clarkson on the Lakers averaging 10ppg.

SF 26 Rodney Hood  Meridian                     MS State -> Duke
Left State as SEC All-Frosh in the midst of their Sidney mess and coaching change. All-ACC 2nd Team for Duke, was 1st Round Pick after soph. season. Averages 8 ppg for the Jazz.

SF 27 Dorian Finney-Smith  I. C. Norcom     VaTech -> Florida
Averaged 13 and 6 on 40+% 3P% as a junior in '15 but has had discipline problems for the Gators.

SG 32 Levi Randolph  Bob Jones                 Bama
Hon. mention All-SEC as a senior averaging 15 ppg. in '15.

SF 36  Rashad Ky Madden  East Poinsett County  Arkansas
Averaged 9.6 ppg and 4.6 apg w/86.2% FT% on 27 mpg as senior in '15.

SG 37 Dai-Jon Parker  Alpharetta Milton       Vandy -> UIndy Greyhounds
Dismissed by Kevin Stallings after '14 season.

SF 39  Alex Murphy  South Kingston            Duke -> Florida
Duke transfer avg. 14 mpg in the second semester for Billy Donovan.

PF 40  Johnny O'Bryant Cleveland MS East Side  LSU
Two-time 1st Team All-SEC; one of 14 LSU players to have 1,000+ points and 700+ rebounds in his career.  2nd round pick after junior season. Has averaged 10-12 mpg for the Bucks.

PG 51  Jamal Branch  Humble Grace Prep Academy  A&M -> St. John's
Senior scored 13 points in two NCAA-T games for St. John's

SF 53  Deuce Bello  Westchester Academy    Baylor -> Mizzou -> ?
Averaged 10-12 mpg in one season at both Baylor and Mizzou. Has one to play one.

PF 54  Hunter Mickelson Jonesboro Westside  Arkansas -> Arkansas
Kansas reserve has one more season.

C  57  Zach Price  J'Town                             Louisville -> Mizzou -> Winthrop
Mizzou star Earnest Ross sought a protection order against Zach Price before he was finally let go.  He was on the roster in '15 for Winthrop.

SG 60  Trevor Lacey  Huntsville SR Butler     Bama -> NC State
3rd Team All-SEC and Jerry West finalist as a junior for Mark Gottfried.

SF  71  Antwan Space  DeSoto                     FSU -> A&M
Averaged 10-12 mpg for A&M as a junior in '15.

PG 72  Chris Jones Oak Ridge, NC Military Academy  Vols -> NWFlSt. JC -> UofL -> ?
Dana O'Neil of ESPN wrote a passionate article on giving a "second" chance for Jones at UofL in Jan. 2014. After several second chances during '15 bordering on making their institution a joke including rape charges, Jones was let go by Pitino.

SG 84  David Gardner  Okolona                   MS State -> Itawamba CC -> ?
Got booted after a profane tweet among other things during the State house cleaning.

PF  91   Anthony Gill  Charlotte Christian     South Carolina -> Virginia
Averaged 11 and 6 for Virginia.

PF 92    Nick Jacobs  South Atlanta             Bama  -> GaTech
Was let go from Bama.  Scheduled to play senior season in '15-16 for GaTech.

PG 100  Kedren Johnson  Marshall County TN  Vandy -> Memphis
Averaged 6.7 ppg for Memphis in '15 after averaging twice that many for Vandy in '12-13.

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  13h 13 hours ago

2016 prospect Quentin Goodin has made improvements. Ran the point well tonight, made some nice passes + had nasty transition dunk.

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  2h 2 hours ago

Jamal Murray Leads World Team Over USA in Nike Hoop Summit http://zagsblog.com/articles/jamal-murray-leads-world-team-over-usa-in-nike-hoop-summit/ ... @joshua_newman

If you're not recruiting Jamal Murray to play PG for your team, you are just nuts.

[jbcarol]

 Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  11h 11 hours ago

Ivan Rabb is a big deal for Cuonzo Martin. Martin & his staff targeted him right away. Went all in. It paid off. No. 5 in 2015.

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  2h 2 hours ago

Malik Newman tells @SNYtv he won't sign an NLI because he doesn't see the need. Has 6 schools, no visits. More later on ZAGS.

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  37m 37 minutes ago

6-10 2016 Sedee Keita has added offers from Xavier, Seton Hall, Miss St, Iowa, Auburn & Temple, per his coach. Kansas has shown interest

[jbcarol]

 Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  16h 16 hours ago

Texas will stop by Quentin Goodin's (http://foxs.pt/1aBKbsu ) high school tomorrow morning, his father Chris tells Scout.

[jbcarol]

 Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  9h 9 hours ago

Six of http://Scout.com 's Top 10 recruits for 2015 have now committed: Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Cal, Marquette and UNLV. Odd group.

[jbcarol]

 Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  5h 5 hours ago

NEW: The next school to generate major buzz in the recruitment of Thon Maker will be ... Arizona State? http://bit.ly/1IoCj9k

[jbcarol]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings

[jbcarol]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  13m 13 minutes ago

Kentucky in the latest 2016 @DraftExpress Mock: No. 1 - Skal Labissiere No. 28 - Marcus Lee No. 52 - Alex Poythress

[jbcarol]

Skal Labissiere, who's headed to Kentucky next season, leads the way in the Rivals150 rankings with LSU commit Ben Simmons next in line.

The remainder of the top five consists of forwards Jaylen Brown, Brandon Ingram and Cheick Diallo, with all three yet to commit to a school for next year. Their decisions, along with those of guard Malik Newman and forward Thon Maker (who are ranked eighth and ninth, respectively), will go along way towards shaping preseason expectations in college basketball for next season.

Rounding out the top ten in the Rivals 150 are Maryland commit Diamond Stone at six, Cal commit Ivan Rabb at seven, Newman, Maker and Kentucky commit Isaiah Briscoe at ten.

https://rivals.yahoo.com/basketballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/rankings/rank-3252

1. Skal Lab                UK
2. Ben Simmons         LS
10. Isaiah Briscoe       UK
13. Antonio Blakeney  LS
28. Tyler Davis           AM
29. Elijah Thomas       AM
37. PJ Dozier              SC
38. DJ Hogg               AM
42. Brandon Sampson LS
48. Chas Matthews     UK
53. Ted Kapita            AR
55. Jimmy Whitt         AR
65. Admon Gilder       AM
67. KeVaughn Allen    UF
69. Danjel Purifoy       AU
71. Horace Spencer    AU
81. Noah Dickerson    UF
91. Derek Ogbeide     UG
94. Keith Stone          UF
116. Q. Weatherspoon MS
122. Cam Justice        VU
124. Wm Jackson       UG
132. Terence Davis    OM
133. Joseph Toye       VU
134. Chris Silva         SC
142. Terrence Phillips MU
144. Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey  OM
149. Kevarrius Hayes  UF

Missing: Bama, Tennessee

[jbcarol]

 SEC Sports @SEC  ·  Apr 21

Two #SEC student-athletes participate in #NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum: http://www.secsports.com/article/12736307/two-participate-ncaa-student-athlete-forum ...

[jbcarol]

 Jonathan Givony @DraftExpress  ·  19h 19 hours ago

And our 2016 Mock Draft has been updated too: http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2016/ ... - Class has gotten much stronger and deeper with so many guys returning

1. Skal Lab            UK
3. Ben Simmons    LS
4. Malik Newman   (projected to an SEC school TBA April 24)
18. Damian Jones  VU
29. Marcus Lee      UK
43. Finney-Smith   UF
44. Danuel House  AM
52. Alex Poythress UK

[jbcarol]

 Jerry Meyer @jerrymeyer247  ·  19h 19 hours ago

Ben Simmons still #1 in updated Top247. LSU, Kentucky, Arizona, Maryland, FSU & Cal represented in top 10. http://bit.ly/1JhfCar

LSU's Ben Simmons retains the top spot the 2015 Top247 while Skal Labissiere, Brandon Ingram, Cheick Diallo and Jaylen Brown round out the top five.

Few players have come around the past ten years with the combination of size, athleticism, competitiveness, intelligence and skill level as Simmons. He is a long range jumper away from having an elite complete game. Simmons impacts the game in a similar way as Draymond Green, but is a more explosive athlete than Green.

Labissiere, who is headed to Kentucky, has a skill package and length that reminds one of Pau Gasol. With his game on the rise, it will be interesting to see if Labissiere develops the strength and toughness to max out on his abilities.

http://247sports.com/Season/2015-Basketball/RecruitRankings?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool

1. Ben Simmons        LS
2. Skal Lab                UK
7. Malik Newman       (expected to announce with an SEC school later today)
14. Antonio Blakeney  LS
16. Isaiah Briscoe       UK
17. DJ Hogg               AM
22. PJ Dozier              SC
41. Ted Kapita            AR
43. Tyler Davis           AM
46. Kevarrius Hayes    UF
47. Horace Spencer    AU
59. KeVaughn Allen    UF
60. Danjel Purifoy       AU
65. Jimmy Whitt         AR
69. Chas Matthews     UK
73. Elijah Thomas       AM
75. Brandon Sampson LS
81. Noah Dickerson    UF
82. Chris Silva           SC
83. Admon Gilder       AM
95. Djery Baptiste      VU
111. New Williams     AU
118. Q. Weatherspoon MS
125. Donte Fitzpatrick OM
128. Donta' Hall         UA
130. Wm Jackson       UG
139. Keith Stone        UF
149. Samir Sehic        VU
153. Terrence Phillips MU
167. Derek Ogbeide   UG
181. Dazon Ingram    UA
193. Brandon Austin  UA
197. E'torrion Wildridge UG
198. Cam Justice        VU
209. Joseph Toye       VU
229. Adm. Schofield   UT
241. Terence Davis    OM
247. Shembari Phillips UT

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Instantly moves Towns & Okafor to 2/3 @sportando 
Nedim Buza will enter the 2015 NBA Draft http://www.sportando.com/en/usa/nba/159396/nedim-buza-will-enter-the-2015-nba-draft.html ...

[jbcarol]

owa State picked up its first commitment in the Class of 2015 on Sunday, as top 100 prospect Nick Noskowiak committed to Iowa State.

While the 6-foot-2 Noskowiak is the first incoming freshman to commit to Fred Hoiberg's program in the class, he isn't the first addition the Cyclones have made this spring. Nick Babb, who began his career at Arkansas and is the younger brother of former Iowa State guard Chris Babb, transferred to Iowa State earlier this month and will sit out the 2015-16 season per NCAA transfer rules.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  3h 3 hours ago

Projected 2016 picks per http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2016/ ...
1. Labissiere (UK)
2. Brown
3. Simmons (LSU)
4. Newman (MSU)
5. Ellenson (Mar)
6. Ingram

[jbcarol]

SEC Network @SECNetwork  ·  2h 2 hours ago
College basketball's greatest recruiting class? 1979: Wilkins, Thomas, Worthy, Sampson, Bowie. #DominiqueBelongsToUs

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  2h 2 hours ago

Cheick Diallo is projected as the No. 14 pick in 2016 by @DraftExpress so don't expect him at Kansas long.

[jbcarol]

 Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  1h 1 hour ago

Top 100 guard Quentin Goodin (http://foxs.pt/1P7s0si ) will visit Xavier tomorrow, his father tells Scout.

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  19h 19 hours ago
From @CityLeagueHoops: Video highlights of UK commitment Tai Wynyard from the recent Nike Hoop Summit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA6-rnuYMRU&feature=youtu.be ...



#reclassify

[jbcarol]

 Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  13h 13 hours ago

Top 100 player J.J. Caldwell breaks down his commitment to Texas A&M | Story: http://foxs.pt/1PgI5Mr 

[jbcarol]

 Chip Miller @BLUEChip_Miller  ·  3h 3 hours ago

Scouts Final 2015 Player Rankings: 1. Skal Labissiere 2. Ben Simmons 3. Brandon Ingram 4. Jaylen Brown 5. Ivan Rabb

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  3h 3 hours ago

The state of Florida has the most players in Scout's top 100 with 11. California is second with 10. The state of Texas is third with 8.

[jbcarol]

 Chip Miller @BLUEChip_Miller  ·  3h 3 hours ago

Four Remain Available in Scout's 2015 Top 100 Player Rankings: Thon Maker Kobie Eubanks Tevin Mack Marcus Lovett

[jbcarol]

 Scout Recruiting @scoutrecruiting  ·  7h 7 hours ago

Scout Hoops Final Top 100 Rankings for the Class of 2015! http://on.scout.com/MykiR 

http://scouthoops.scout.com/topic/players?type=players&start=0&category=Basketball%2520Recruiting&classYear=2015&minimumInterest=%2522Low%2522

1.  Skal Lab               UK
2.  Ben Simmons        LS
10. Malik Newman      MS
12. Isaiah Briscoe       UK
21. Antonio Blakeney  LS
25. PJ Dozier              SC
33. Tyler Davis           AM
36. DJ Hogg               AM
47. Elijah Thomas       AM
60. Brandon Sampson LS
63. Ted Kapita            AR
64. Danjel Purifoy       AU
67. KeVaughn Allen    UF
68. Jimmy Whitt         AR
69. Keith Stone          UF
74. Horace Spencer    AU
75. Chas Matthews     UK
83. Noah Dickerson    UF
86. Quinndary Witherspoon  MS

[jbcarol]

Ben Roberts @NextCats  ·  9h 9 hours ago

ESPN's top 25 college players for next season: Skal is #9. Ben Simmons is #1. Former Wildcat Kyle Wiltjer is #2 ...

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  2h 2 hours ago

Mark Few of Gonzaga be the head coach of the 2015 U.S. Pan American Men's Basketball Team. Tad Boyle & Mike Brown are assistant coaches.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman @GoodmanESPN  ·  3h 3 hours ago
Michigan State commit Caleb Swanigan has decommitted, source told ESPN. Hearing Purdue is strong for a landing spot.

[jbcarol]

Matt Jones @KySportsRadio  ·  11h 11 hours ago

That was quick RT @dandakich: Swanigan to Purdue is done

7 of Top 15 players in 2015 going to LSU, Miss St, Cal, UNLV and Purdue. The NIT is going to be LOADED next year

[jbcarol]

 Jay Bilas @JayBilas  ·  6h 6 hours ago

'Froback Friday! The basketball player formerly known as Prince. '

[jbcarol]

2015 Super Five - Only three SEC recruits make the Super Five

Labissiere, who's No. 1 on Rivals.com and Scout.com, is regarded as perhaps the best long-term prospect in the 2015 class, while Simmons, the top player on ESPN.com and 247Sports.com, is generally seen as 2015's most polished, complete player today.

They're joined in the 2015 Super Five by two dynamic wings – long, lanky Brandon Ingram, who's committed to Duke, and stout, athletic Jaylen Brown (California) – and a high-scoring guard, Mississippi State signee Malik Newman.

Labissiere's future teammate, New Jersey point guard Isaiah Briscoe, made the Super Five second team, and Simmons' future LSU running mate Antonio Blakeney is on the third team.

SKAL LABISSIERE

School: Lausanne Collegiate (Memphis, Tenn.)

Height: 6-11

College: Kentucky

Rankings: 247Sports.com – No. 2; ESPN.com – No. 2; Rivals.com – No. 1; Scout.com – No. 1.

Why he's super: A long, lanky, skilled big man whose long-term potential probably exceeds everyone else in the 2015 class, Labissiere dazzled against elite competition at the Nike Hoop Summit last month and established himself as a consensus top-two senior and an early favorite for the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Labissiere, a native of Haiti who moved to Memphis after the devastating 2010 earthquake in his home country, can do it all – shoot, run, jump, block shots. UK coach John Calipari, who offered Labissiere a scholarship before any other 2015 prospect, has said he's in the same mold as Anthony Davis and Marcus Camby. Because he transferred across town to Lausanne just this year, Labissiere was ineligible to play this season for that school, so his American guardian cobbled together a team of area players called Reach Your Dream Prep...

Evan Daniels, Scout.com: "I think he's the best long-term prospect. At 6-11, Skal has tremendous offensive potential. He has great hands. He's got very soft touch around the basket. He's comfortable on the block going over either shoulder. He can face up and make mid-range jump shots, and he's also able to step out and make collegiate 3-pointers. Then you throw in the fact that he's mobile and runs the floor with ease. He has potential on the defensive end. He has good but not great length but very good timing and is pretty quick off his feet. I think he's going to end up being a pretty good rim protector. At the Nike Hoop Summit, I thought he was aggressive, and he clearly added 12 pounds to his frame. He's going to continue to add weight once he gets to a college weight room. I really didn't second-guess this choice (as No. 1 for Scout)."

BEN SIMMONS

School: Montverde (Fla.)

Height: 6-9

College: LSU

Rankings: 247Sports.com – No. 1; ESPN.com – No. 1; Rivals.com – No. 2; Scout.com – No. 2.

Why he's super: The Australian native is a brilliant passer and playmaker for his height, and he's the best player on the best high school team in the country. He averaged 28 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in carrying Montverde (30-1) to its third straight DICK's High School Nationals title last month, and he was the tournament MVP for the second straight year. Simmons also won the Gatorade, Naismith Trophy, Morgan Wootten and USA Today national player of the year awards, and he was a McDonald's All American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit participant. Simmons and Super Five third-team pick Antonio Blakeney will give LSU an elite 1-2 freshman punch. LSU had an important in with Simmons; Tigers assistant coach David Patrick played pro ball with Simmons' father in Australia and is Ben Simmons' godfather.

Evan Daniels, Scout.com: "What's impressive about him is his versatility at his size. At 6-9, he's a good ball handler. He runs the floor pretty well, but he's a tremendous passer. He sees the floor very well and really puts his passes on the money. He's become a better rebounder, and because he's strong and physically developed, he's able to play physical and make plays in transition. The next steps for him are improving his shooting and developing a back-to-the-basket game."

MALIK NEWMAN

School: Callaway (Jackson, Miss.)

Height: 6-3

College: Mississippi State

National Rankings: 247Sports.com – No. 7; ESPN.com – No. 10; Rivals.com – No. 8; Scout.com – No. 10.

Why he's super: A lethal scorer who wants the ball in his hands in every big moment, Newman routinely takes – and makes – some of the most difficult shots of any player in the country. Newman averaged 29.7 points per game as a senior to cap one of most decorated high school careers ever in Mississippi. He won four consecutive state titles, scored 3,108 career points and was a McDonald's and Jordan Brand All-American. Newman has also been an alpha player for USA Basketball, winning gold medals and tournament MVP honors at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship and 2013 U16 FIBA Americas Championship. Newman could have been an exceptional complementary, off-ball guard at Kentucky, but he turned down the Wildcats and others to stay close to home, run the point and control the game for MSU, where his father played. Bet on Newman being among the leading scorers in the SEC next season.

Evan Daniels, Scout.com: "His obvious strength is his ability to put up points. ... You could make the case that he's the best perimeter scorer in the class. ... I think they're going to hand him the keys (at MSU) and say, 'Rev up the engine, and let's get it going.' He wants the ball in hands. He wants to be a primary scorer. He wants to kind of have that type of early impact, and he's going to get that at Mississippi State, because he's going to score a lot of points in Year 1."

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  5h 5 hours ago
LaGerald Vick to Kansas, Could Reclass to 2015 http://zagsblog.com/articles/lagerald-vick-to-kansas-could-reclass-to-2015/ ...

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  5h 5 hours ago
The Vick commitment also means Kansas can't take @kobeeubanks

To clarify, Kansas has 1 ship left but isn't planning on taking any more guards.

Meantime, @kobeeubanks is due to visit Alabama beginning Tuesday.
http://zagsblog.com/alabama/kobie-eubanks-sets-kansas-alabama-visits/ ...

[jbcarol]

 Jonathan Givony @DraftExpress  ·  41m 41 minutes ago

One NBA team asked each Kentucky player they interviewed "which UK teammate would you pick to go to war with?" All answered same: Tyler Ulis

[jbcarol]

 Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  11h 11 hours ago

Jay Huff, a 4 star, committed to Virginia this evening, multiple sources told Scout | Story: http://scouthoops.scout.com/story/1548424-huff-commits-to-virginia ...

One of the last top 100 "bigs" or at least "tall and longs" that was available.

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  18m 18 minutes ago

Indiana, Arizona State Talk Most With Thon Maker's Guardian http://zagsblog.com/articles/indiana-arizona-state-talk-most-with-thon-makers-guardian/ ... via @adamzagoria

Thon Maker's guardian says Indiana & ASU both have a plan in place for Maker to spend 1 1/2 yrs on campus beginning December.

Ed Smith also says John Calipari told him when Thon Maker is ready to be recruited, to call him.