Who’s Got Next? is a weekly column by Josh Paunil, the RTC recruiting guru. We encourage you to check out his website dedicated solely to college basketball recruiting, National Recruiting Spotlight, for more detailed recruiting information. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what’s going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to who the hot prospects are at the lower levels of the sport. If you have any suggestions as to areas we’re missing or different things you’d like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.
Lead Story: Proposed Rule Changes Will Open Up Contact Between Recruits and Coaches
College Coaches Would Be Able To Contact And Evaluate Prospects More Under the Proposed Rules Change.
NCAA To Vote On Potential Changes Today. The NCAA Leadership Council will vote on a number of proposals today that could change the recruiting model and deregulate much of the communication between prospects and coaches. One of the biggest proposals is a change in policy that will make texts, calls, e-mails and the like unlimited beginning on June 15 of a recruit’s sophomore year. Currently, texts aren’t allowed, phone calls are limited, and e-mails unlimited. Two other proposed changes that involve communication between players and coaches include allowing contact with juniors at the prospect’s school in months other than April. During April, college programs could do in-home visits with prospects. Another potential change worth noting is the rule that would let prospects take official visits beginning January 1 of their junior year, including paid travel expenses for the recruit and his two parents or legal guardians. Although the most significant changes would be with respect to the contact period, the evaluation period would be significantly affected as well. Coaches would be allowed to go to sanctioned events in April, although the dates have not been determined. The thought is that the April evaluation periods will constitute two weekends beginning on a Friday evening and running through Sunday afternoon. Also, the July evaluation period will be narrowed into three four-day periods. The periods will run from Wednesday at 5 PM to Sunday at 5 PM. However, the dates have not yet been specified.
What They’re Saying
- Senior stud Alex Poythress on his Memphis visit: “It was really good; I enjoyed it. We got here and watched practice. I hung out with the players. I got to watch [strength and conditioning coach] Frank [Matrisciano] work out Z-Bo (Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph) and another NBA player. I went to [head] coach [Josh] Pastner‘s house. I enjoyed it overall.”
Alex Poythress Enjoyed His Memphis Visit. Daryl Paunil/National Recruiting Spotlight
- Senior star DaJuan Coleman on committing to Syracuse: “It’s close to home. Hanging out with the players, they made me feel like I was home.”
- Senior standout Robert Carter on his Georgia Tech visit: “I had a good time at Georgia Tech. I enjoyed spending time with the coaches and players, and I like the direction that [head] coach [Brian Gregory] is taking the program. I don’t know if I could really rate it, though. [Actually], I’d probably give it a nine.”
- Willie Cauley‘s AAU coach, Rodney Perry, on Cauley’s decision next week: “I don’t think he’s favoring anyone right now, he just finished up his visits and right now he’s weighing the pros and cons of each one of the schools. He had good visits from each program he went to. There were things that he liked about each place and there were some things that he didn’t like. So it’s just a matter of what’s the best situation, the fit and the best system for him.”
- Gary Harris, Sr. on his son’s Kentucky visit and timetable: “It was a great visit. After the Kentucky visit, he has one visit left to Michigan State. We have already visited Indiana and Purdue. We will head to Michigan State the first weekend in November. After that, we plan for Gary to make an early decision. He wants to go into his senior season and enjoy everything. There is no exact date or anything like that, but we fully expect him to make a decision in November. That is the goal. It will ultimately happen when he is ready, though.”
- Amile Jefferson‘s high school coach, Jason Polykoff, on Jefferson’s Connecticut visit: “He said he enjoyed it, he had a good time. It’s great facilities. He got a chance to meet the guys and he said he had a good time.”
- Junior Chris Walker on backing off his November 15 commitment date: “I thought that I was ready and knew where I wanted to go. Then, I really talked to my mom and she told me to chill. I also thought about things and didn’t have an offer from Kentucky, so I then decided that I want to have an offer from Kentucky on the table before I commit.”
What We Learned
Coleman Chooses Hometown Orange. Class of 2012 center DaJuan Coleman (#7) committed to Syracuse yesterday giving the Orange their second verbal in the senior class (the other being small forward Jerami Grant [#60]). Coleman is a homegrown Syracuse product who has been around the program for a large part of his life whether it has been attending Syracuse basketball games, participating in basketball camps on campus, or visiting the school multiple times. This pair of commits gives the Orange a top ten recruiting class in the country and has other elite prospects such as Class of 2012 star Amile Jefferson (#21) considering them. Coleman is a very strong big man who is a space-eater and a monster rebounder. He has good hands and footwork and has been consistently improving his conditioning and ability to run the floor. He is also a solid shot-blocker who can score in the post, but he needs to develop a better mid-range game to add to his offensive arsenal.
DaJuan Coleman Is A Space-eater Who Was A Huge Get For the Orange.
Wayne Blackshear Cleared To Play In 2011-12 Season. Class of 2011 shooting guard Wayne Blackshear (#22 — Louisville) was ruled eligible for the 2011-12 basketball season shortly after Cardinal head coach Rick Pitino said he was “optimistic” that Blackshear would be cleared. However, Class of 2011 shooting guard Kevin Ware has yet to be cleared after being ruled ineligible for the year due to non-qualifying SAT scores. This top ten Louisville class also includes small forward Angel Nunez, power forward Chane Behanan (#35) and center Zach Price. Nunez is a long and athletic wing who can shoot, Behanan is a strong and athletic finisher and Price has the ability to consistently block shots and score in the low post. Blackshear is such a valuable piece to his Cardinal class because of his big-time scoring ability and three-point range. He can also get to the basket well and defend his position. Ware will bring supreme slashing skills along with tremendous athleticism and finishing ability. Ware’s play above the rim is largely unmatched in his class.
What You Missed
Top Recruits Lead Playaz To IS8 Title. Two of the top prospects in the Class of 2012, point guard Kyle Anderson (UCLA) and power forward Tony Parker, led the New Jersey Playaz to an IS8 Championship Sunday as Anderson became the only two-time league MVP other than Metta World Peace (a.k.a. Ron Artest). The future Bruin recorded a triple-double as he put up 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. Parker also had 20 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two assists after skipping his scheduled visit to Georgetown over the weekend. Class of 2012 shooting guard Myles Davis (Xavier) had 17 points as well. According to ZagsBlog, the Playaz have now won two of the last three IS8 titles and five of the last eight. As for what this means for Parker’s recruitment, he says he simply postponed his Georgetown visit and will still take one in the future. Parker is scheduled to visit Duke this weekend and is still considering the Blue Devils, Georgetown, Memphis, Ohio State and UCLA, meaning he could potentially reunite with Anderson under Bruins head coach Ben Howland.
Kyle Anderson, Alongside Tony Parker, Lead NJ Playaz To An IS8 Championship.
Cauley To Commit Next Week. Class of 2012 center Willie Cauley has set his commitment date as next week according to his AAU coach, Rodney Perry, when he will choose between Alabama, Florida, Kansas State and Kentucky. Cauley took his final visit this past weekend to Manhattan, Kansas, to take a closer look at Kansas State, rounding out his four visits to his final schools. Prior to his visit with the Wildcats, he took a look at Kentucky during Big Blue Madness. Kentucky and Kansas State look to be the top two schools that have the best shot at landing Cauley, a player who has great length and athleticism for a big man. He is an excellent shot-blocker, rebounds well and can run the floor. He is a game-changer on the defensive end but needs to work on developing his offensive game in terms of scoring ability.
Video of the Week
Get to know the best player in the Class of 2012, small forward Shabazz Muhammad.