LSU Basketball 2015 Recruiting Class

[The_Iceman]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/school?id=99&_slug_=lsu-tigers

Dang. Look$ like $omeone ha$ been recruiting well.

[jbcarol]

Rod Walker @rwalkeradvocate  ·  15 hours ago

This guy (#LSU signee Ben Simmons) will take on Helen Cox Thursday night.

https://vimeo.com/116196139

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  7 hours ago
Craig Victor would be eligible at LSU in early December and miss only about 6 games before teaming up w/ Ben Simmons & Antonio Blakeney

[jbcarol]

[vine]OplKdxzxrL3[/vine]

Shea Dixon @Sheadixon  ·  17 hours ago

The LSU basketball chick who had no chill is on @1045espn radio. The only place she's been since the game: Buffalo Wild Wings. Just gold.

#LSU basketball chick with no chill on radio: "Whenever I go hard like that, it's kind of like getting drunk. You just forget things."

[jbcarol]

Sheldon Mickles @MicklesAdvocate  ·  Jan 12

Though he won't play until December, Arizona transfer Craig Victor will practice for first time with #LSU today, Johnny Jones says.

[The_Iceman]

[vine]OplKdxzxrL3[/vine]

Shea Dixon @Sheadixon  ·  17 hours ago

The LSU basketball chick who had no chill is on @1045espn radio. The only place she's been since the game: Buffalo Wild Wings. Just gold.

#LSU basketball chick with no chill on radio: "Whenever I go hard like that, it's kind of like getting drunk. You just forget things."

Reminds me of:

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  19 hours ago

Talked to @CampusInsiders this morning about LSU's recruiting success | Check it out: http://ow.ly/HktWt 

[jbcarol]

Ben Love @BenLoveTSD  ·  7 hours ago
Blakeney/Simmons would be first time #LSU's had two McDonald's All-Americans in same year since 1993. @BenSimmons25 @blakeney96

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  46 minutes ago

Ben Simmons, the No. 1 player in 2015, will be in NJ to play Kentucky-Bound @_IsaiahBriscoe and St. Ben's Feb. 13 &14 http://zagsblog.com/articles/2014-15-elite-high-school-hoops-schedule/ ...

[jbcarol]

Randy Rosetta @RandyRosetta  ·  13 hours ago

This stunned me a bit -- Jackson, MS prep star @iammaliknewman told ESPN's @ReggieRankin that #LSU will get an official visit.

[jbcarol]

Zagsblog: Just one day after Malik Newman told ESPN's Reggie Rankin that LSU will receive one of his five available official visits, Tigers head man Johnny Jones was on hand to the see Callaway (MS) High five-star shooting guard go for 31 points in a win on Tuesday night, according to Courtney Cronin.

Newman — who says he still has all five officials remaining — is set to utilize his visits on the campuses of Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State and N.C. State to go along with LSU. Previously, Newman was scheduled to officially visit Ohio State the weekend of Jan. 24 but never made the trip, instead landing behind the bench at Ole Miss as the Rebels took on the Florida Gators in Oxford.

[jbcarol]

Ross Dellenger @DellengerAdv  ·  11 hours ago

RT @theadvocatebr: Superstar LSU basketball signee Ben Simmons takes up for Johnny Jones after Tigers' loss to Auburn http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/11528782-123/superstar-lsu-basketball-signee-ben ...

Ben Simmons @BenSimmons25

I don't know why people try and blame the coach for every loss, a lot of the time it comes down to players executing plays and making shots
10:02 PM - 5 Feb 2015

Ben Simmons @BenSimmons25

All good teams have good players. There's only so much a coach can do. #FACTS
10:03 PM - 5 Feb 2015

Ben Simmons @BenSimmons25

@2016jwk1 so the free throws or the defensive rebounds given up were who's fault ? Coach can only do so much, I don't expect a non player
10:28 PM - 5 Feb 2015

[jbcarol]

Courtney Cronin ‏@CourtneyRCronin 25 minutes ago

Per his father, Malik Newman will unofficially visit LSU for the Tigers 6 p.m. tip vs Kentucky tonight. #MSPreps

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  1 hour ago
.@DickieV is right that Simmons & Blakeney will be huge additions to LSU, but hard to imagine Simmons lasting more than 1 yr.Projected top 2

LSU asst David Patrick also has them in the mix for @iammaliknewman who says he will take an official there among his 5

[jbcarol]

LSU signee Ben Simmons named Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist

Also

Isaiah Briscoe  Union, New Jersey Roselle Catholic  Senior PG  UK

[jbcarol]

Jonathan Givony @DraftExpress  ·  Feb 13
Ben Simmons says he's been invited to the @nikehoopsummit and will be playing in Portland."It's a great opportunity to represent my country"

When pressed about why he wouldn't play at the U19s, Ben Simmons said he's enrolling at LSU this summer and needs to focus on that.

[jbcarol]

Randy Rosetta @RandyRosetta  ·  1 hour ago

A story om Malik Newman from last Feb. | #LSU hanging around as a dark horse in recruitment of Newman | http://s.nola.com/cOwvrkS  via @nolanews

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  4h 4 hours ago
LSU is the latest school to offer College of Southern Idaho PF @RayKasongo32 , a onetime Oregon signee.

[jbcarol]

 Sheldon Mickles @MicklesAdvocate  ·  2h 2 hours ago

#LSU BKB signee Benny Simmons wins Gatorade national player of the year award http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/11928504-123/lsu-signee-benny-simmons-named ...

[jbcarol]

 Courtney Cronin @CourtneyRCronin  ·  35m 35 minutes ago

Day 2 of McDonald's All American practices about to start here on the west side. We'll have media days with players afterwards.

Malik Newman chats with Ben Simmons, Antonio Blakeney and Isaiah Briscoe before practice starts.

[jbcarol]

 Greg @GregNJ  ·  19h 19 hours ago

Ben Simmons says "Picking a school like LSU I knew there would be a lot of scrutiny and media" Does he know anything about LSU basketball?

[TexasRazorback]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/school?id=99&_slug_=lsu-tigers

Dang. Look$ like $omeone ha$ been recruiting well.

Simmons has a family memberon staff there

[jbcarol]

 LSU Tigers @Geaux247  ·  Apr 2

How did future Tigers Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney do in the McDonald's game? Answers: http://lsu.247sports.com/Bolt/Future-Tigers-impress-at-McDonalds-AA-Game-36559786 ...

Simmons, who is the No.1 prospect overall in the 247Sports Composite, scored seven points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished three assists and added a pair of steals as his East squad defeated the West, 111-91.

Blakeney, who is the No. 4 shooting guard in the country, knocked down 6-of-14 from the field for 14 points and grabbed four boards.

The Tigers hope to land the No. 1 combo guard in the country in Malik Newman, but he had a tough night for the West. He missed all seven shots from the floor and finished with just one point but handed out five assists.

LSU currently has the No. 14 recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports but could shoot up to No. 1 by adding Newman to the class.

[jbcarol]

Randy Rosetta @RandyRosetta  ·  6m 6 minutes ago
#LSU remains among Melvin Frazier's final four as he aims at a decision, report says http://s.nola.com/UkPYK1N  via @nolanews


Josh Preston, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

As he told Andrew Lopes of NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune recently, the 6-foot-6, 190-pound swingman said in an interview with MadeHoops.com this week that he has whittled his list of potential college suitors to LSU, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

"I will base my decision off of each team's style of play, how much playing time I will get and if it works for me academically," Frazier said.

Frazier still needs to add a few points to his ACT score to supplement a solid GPA.

A New Orleans All-Metro large-school selection the last two seasons, Frazier is rated as a 4-star recruit nationally by ESPN.com and 3-star by the three other major recruiting services.

"They are very tough on defense and have an up tempo style of play," Frazier said of the Tigers. "They are all very athletic so they can really get up and down on the floor."

The spring signing period begins April 15 and runs through May 15.

[jbcarol]

 Ben Simmons @BenSimmons25  ·  15h 15 hours ago

Just measured in at 6'10 just saying

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  2h 2 hours ago
LSU head coach Johnny Jones & asst David Patrick will be at CSI tomorrow for 2015 F @RayKasongo32 , sources tell @SNYtv

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  48m 48 minutes ago

Ben Simmons has 11 & 6 for the world, including that dunk. Scout told me he'd be a lottery pick this year http://zagsblog.com/articles/lsu-bound-ben-simmons-would-be-a-lottery-pick-in-2015-draft/ ...

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  1m 1 minute ago

6-10 LSU-bound @BenSimmons25 has withdrawn from Friday's @JordanClassic to focus on school and college. First reported by @JayJayUSATODAY

[jbcarol]

 #WhyNotMe @blakeney96  ·  7h 7 hours ago

I will be signing with @LSUbasketball after the Jordan brand classic is complete.

[jbcarol]

 LSU Tigers @Geaux247  ·  4h 4 hours ago

Antonio Blakeney will sign with #LSU tomorrow night. Could Malik Newman still come after that? http://lsu.247sports.com/Article/What-are-LSUs-chances-of-signing-three-5-stars-in-2015-36814601 ...

LSU signed five-star Ben Simmons during November's early period, giving head coach Johnny Jones and his staff the chance to focus their efforts on building around the nation's No. 1 overall prospect with the final pieces in the 2015 class.

Five-star shooting guard Antonio Blakeney, who committed to LSU on January 3, will make things official when he signs his scholarship papers on Friday night following the Jordan Brand Classic All-Star Game in New York City.

Blakeney is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 16 overall prospect in the country and the No. 3 shooting guard in the class.

But will the five-star news stop there?

The biggest name left on the board for the Tigers is five-star Malik Newman, who is eyeing a handful of options, from playing international ball to joining on with a college team - and Kentucky, Mississippi State and LSU are all teams that still seem to be in the thick of the case...

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  24h 24 hours ago
Antonio Blakeney might lead the NCAA in dunks next year at LSU

[Hog_One_Stop]

They have a great coach

[jbcarol]

 Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria  ·  23m 23 minutes ago

If LSU adds Brandon Sampson to Ben Simmons and Antonio Blakeney, look out. Also in the mix for @iammaliknewman

Brandon Sampson has cut his list to Oklahoma State, LSU and St. John's, his coach tells @SNYtv. "LSU has the inside track." Story coming.

Brandon Sampson Down to 3 Schools as Mullin Meets With Him, Diallo http://zagsblog.com/recruiting/st-johns-mullin-meets-with-diallo-sampson/ ... @joshua_newman @jacklegwin @tsnmike @tarik4turner

[hoglady]

Not sure how good a coach Johnny Jones is - but he went and got assistant coaches who can really recruit. We need at least one of those type coaches or we will be left behind by LSU and A&M in the West.

[WyomingTiger8888]

http://www.nola.com/recruiting/index.ssf/2015/04/lsu_the_choice_for_madison_pre.html

LSU adds Sampson.

[jbcarol]

Evan Daniels @EvanDaniels  ·  23h 23 hours ago

With the No. 3 class, @Bsnowscout says the pressure is on at LSU...

[jbcarol]

 Jeff Borzello @jeffborzello  ·  23h 23 hours ago

LSU is bringing in a big-time class next season: Ben Simmons, Antonio Blakeney, transfer Craig Victor and now Brandon Sampson.

[jbcarol]

5-star Malik Newman's announcement time is set - and his @247Sports Profile tells you when: http://lsu.247sports.com/Bolt/Malik-Newman-sets-announcement-date-36890910 ...



Courtney Cronin @CourtneyRCronin  ·  Apr 21

Malik Newman sets decision date for Friday. That's 12 p.m. Central time for those asking. This is a closed event and will be live streamed exclusively at www.clarionledger.com  http://www.clarionledger.com/story/recruitingreport/2015/04/21/malik-newman-sets-decision-date/26127571/ ...

[TrueBlue]

They are getting scary good. I keep saying that job and program is a sleeping giant. They have just never had the right coach.

[jbcarol]

 LSU Tigers @Geaux247  ·  10h 10 hours ago

Malik Newman is headed to Mississippi State. So what's next for #LSU? Here's the answer: http://lsu.247sports.com/Bolt/Newman-out-LSUs-next-move-36944332 ...

As the recruiting calendar winds down, LSU finds themselves in rare air - ranked by 247Sports as the No. 2 class in the country, sandwiched in between basketball blue bloods like Kentucky and Arizona.

The most popular name still circling around recruiting circles for the Tigers is College of Southern Idaho's Ray Kasongo (6-9, 235), who plans to visit Baton Rouge before making his final decision in the next month.

[jbcarol]

 Randy Rosetta @RandyRosetta  ·  51m 51 minutes ago

#LSU's search for a big man to fill final spot could include Jernard Jarreau http://s.nola.com/4ACub8R  via @nolanews

New Orleans native Jernard Jarreau was granted an official release on Monday by University of Washington coach Lorenzo Romar and is cleared to go back through the recruitment process.

What makes the former McDonough 35 standout unique and potentially appealing to the Tigers and several other programs is that he will graduate from UW on June 2, which makes him immediately eligible not just next season, but also potentially 2016-17 as well.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward will complete his fourth academic year in the next few weeks but he has played only two seasons for the Huskies. He sat out the first year he arrived in Seattle, in large part to bulk up from the 190 pounds he was packing when he headed to the Great Northwest...

[jbcarol]

LSU Tigers @Geaux247  ·  2h 2 hours ago
Ben Simmons won something that had not been done since @KingJames (FREE) http://bit.ly/1FynSAH  #LSU @

Simmons claimed the 2014-15 Grassroots Hoops Mr. Basketball USA Award , making him the first consensus National Player of the Year since James in 2003.

The 6-foot-10, 220-pounder averaged 27.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for his 31-1 Montverde Academy squad.

Simmons is set to report to LSU in June and is a big reason that LSU has the nation's No. 3 class with 247Sports.

[jbcarol]

Now that the season is over for Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers, he has a chance to play pick-up ball in his native Florida against some high-level incoming college freshman. Rivers, a former Duke guard, is a bit of a mixtape legend of his own in high school and he went against two talented future college players in LSU rising freshman Antonio Blakeney and Rutgers rising freshman Corey Sanders.

2:37 of hoops highlights

[jbcarol]

Nicole Auerbach ‏@NicoleAuerbach 2h2 hours ago

Ben Simmons didn't just want to do what's expected of a top hoops prospect. So he chose LSU: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/sec/2015/06/19/ben-simmons-lsu-basketball-nba-guard-forward-recruit/71257494/ ...

Ben Simmons — the No. 1 basketball player in the high school class of 2015 —

Simmons, now 18, will be the most scrutinized freshman in the country when he takes the court this fall, and by far the biggest star the LSU men's basketball program has seen since Shaq.

But Simmons appears uniquely positioned to handle all of it, and handle it well — the pressure that comes along with carrying a program, the bull's eye on his back, the lead-up to potentially being the top pick in next year's NBA draft. His Aussie roots and his American basketball experiences have blended to create a 6-foot-10 selfless, yet utterly dominant basketball player. And his deep family ties have grounded him throughout all of it.

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 44s45 seconds ago

LSU's Ben Simmons Would Love to 'Go Into Kentucky and Beat Them' http://zagsblog.com/recruiting/lsus-ben-simmons-would-love-to-go-into-kentucky-and-beat-them/ ... @joshua_newman

"Ben's a little crazy in that Ben doesn't want to play with the quote-unquote top five players in the country and win a championship," said Liam Simmons, Ben's brother. "He wants to play with good players, in their right great players, and go out and beat the Kentuckys and the Dukes, the North Carolinas of the world. He'd love nothing more than to go into Kentucky and beat them ... rather than go to Kentucky and win a championship because that's expected."

Simmons chose LSU in part because his Godfather, David Patrick, is an assistant under head coach Johnny Jones and he also felt comfortable with the program as a whole.

Along with fellow incoming freshman Brandon Sampson and Antonio Blakeney, LSU now has a loaded freshmen class that may challenge Kentucky's incoming freshmen group of Skal Labissiere, Isaiah Briscoe and Charles Matthews (as well as JUCO guard Mychal Mulder) for victories, headlines and attention from NBA scouts.

"I don't see why we can't be the best team in the SEC," he says. "Kentucky has good players but we have good players, too. It depends what leaders you have, who can lead. Me going to LSU is huge because I have to be a freshman and lead. I could have gone to Kentucky and been one of the other guys just playing there and trying to leave.

"For me, though, I want to leave a legacy — and that's at LSU."

ESPN's Fran Fraschilla said he expects Simmons to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. DraftExpress.com currently has Simmons at No. 3 behind the 7-foot Labissiere and 6-7 Jaylen Brown, who committed to Cal.

[jbcarol]

Randy Rosetta ‏@RandyRosetta 43m43 minutes ago

#LSU basketball finishes as high as No. 3 in the national team recruiting rankings http://s.nola.com/YmLBuEc  via @nolanews

[jbcarol]

LSU has landed another in-state talent, as three-star junior and reigning Louisiana State Player of the Year, Wayde Sims, committed to the Tigers on Sunday.

Sims is not ranked in Rivals top 150, but he's a tough, athletic 6-foot-5 wing that can score. He's a program guy, but given that he is an in-state star, a relative of head coach Johnny Jones and the son of a former LSU player

Class o' '16

[jbcarol]

Jeff Borzello ‏@jeffborzello 24m24 minutes ago

6-foot-11 2018 center Kenneth Nwuba recently picked up offers from Maryland, Georgia Tech and LSU.

[jbcarol]

Ron Higgins ‏@RonHigg 4h4 hours ago

LSU freshman basketball guard Antonio Blakeney talks about his NBA role model @TigerDroppings  http://videos.nola.com/times-picayune/2015/07/lsu_freshman_basketball_guard.html ...



LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons talks about his first few weeks on campus @TigerDroppings http://videos.nola.com/times-picayune/2015/07/lsu_freshman_forward_ben_simmo.html ...



Ron Higgins ‏@RonHigg 4h4 hours ago

LSU freshman basketball guard Brandon Sampson talks about Tim Quarterman's influence  http://videos.nola.com/times-picayune/2015/07/lsu_freshman_basketball_guard_1.html ...

[jbcarol]

Sheldon Mickles ‏@MicklesAdvocate Jul 2

#LSU basketball team stands to benefit from trip to Australia http://theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/12805098-64/lsu-basketball-team-stands-to ... via @theadvocatebr @Sportsmanias

Johnny Jones admitted Wednesday it was easier to take a trip to Australia next month considering he has assistant head coach David Patrick and freshman Ben Simmons on his team.

Patrick lived in Australia before playing professionally there, while Simmons grew up there before moving with his parents to Florida 2½ years ago.

It also didn't hurt, Jones said, that Kentucky was able to take a similar trip to The Bahamas last August that helped the Wildcats bond and build chemistry before preseason practice began in October.

Jones' team will be able to get 10 practices in starting Aug. 1 before leaving Baton Rouge and will have unlimited opportunities to work out there from Aug. 13-23 in addition to playing five games against pro teams.

"To be able to practice and prepare for those games is exciting," Jones said Wednesday after his heralded freshmen class of Simmons, Antonio Blakeney and Brandon Sampson met with local media for the first time...