Seven Sweet Scoops is the newest and hottest column by Chad Lykins, the RTC recruiting analyst. He will discuss the seven top stories from the week in the wide world of recruiting, involving offers, which prospect visited where, recent updates regarding school lists, and more chatter from the recruiting scene. You can also check out more of his work at RTC with his weekly column “Who’s Got Next?”, as well as his work dedicated solely to Duke Basketball at Duke Hoop Blog. You can also follow Chad at his Twitter account @CLykinsBlog for up-to-date breaking news from the high school and college hoops scene.
Note: ESPN Recruiting used for all player rankings.
1. Trey Lyles Cuts List to Six
Arsenal Technical High School (Indiana) five-star power forward Trey Lyles has narrowed his list of schools down to six. Lyles, the No. 5 overall ranked prospect from the class of 2014, is down to Butler, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville and UCLA. “I’m just focused on those schools,” Lyles said in an interview with the Indianapolis Star. “I like the style they play, they have rich legacies, have good coaches and I feel like I could be comfortable at any of them.” The 6’9″ Lyles, a former Indiana commitment, recently took a visit to Lexington this past weekend for the Wildcats’ SEC clash against Auburn. He was also on the Kentucky campus for their Big Blue Madness festivities in October. He has also taken trips to in-state Butler and Louisville and will plan to take official visits to Duke, Florida and UCLA at the conclusion of his junior season. He is currently averaging 22 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists for Arsenal Tech this season.
2. Andrew Wiggins Sets Unconfirmed Visits
The nation’s No. 1 overall ranked player Andrew Wiggins is beginning to make progress with his recruitment. The 6’8″ small forward out of Huntington Prep (West Virginia) has only visited one school — Florida State — on his list of candidates. However, that will soon change. Also considering Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, Wiggins has now set tentative dates with each of those three schools. Kentucky will receive Wiggins’ second official visit on February 27 as the Wildcats will host Mississippi State. He was scheduled to be in attendance for Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness festivities in October but had to cancel. He will follow that up with a visit to the Kansas campus on March 4 for the Jayhawks’ final home game of the season against Texas Tech. To close it out, Wiggins will then travel to Chapel Hill on March 9 for the Tar Heels’ ACC showdown against Duke. North Carolina head coach Roy Williams has feverishly pursued Wiggins in the last few months and has really gained steam in this recruitment, however, Florida State and Kentucky are still considered the top two to land the potential No. 1 NBA draft pick in 2014. While those specific dates could change as they have yet to be confirmed, Wiggins timetable is seemingly geared towards the spring signing period which falls from April 17 to May 15.
3. Indiana in Favorable Position with Theo Pinson
Theo Pinson has grown up in the state of North Carolina for his entire life. He has also admittedly grew up a fan of the Duke Blue Devils. He holds offers from in-state schools such as the Blue Devils and North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest. However, all four of those schools could potentially be playing catch-up with B1G power Indiana. Pinson, the No. 7 overall ranked prospect from the class of 2014 out of Wesleyan Christian Academy (North Carolina), recently took an official visit up to Bloomington earlier this month for the Hoosiers’ 81-73 victory against then-No. 1 Michigan. It was his second visit to the Indiana campus, as the IU coaching staff has pursued Pinson relentlessly all winter. The 6’6″ wing forward’s next move will be a visit to Duke on Wednesday night for their rivalry showdown against North Carolina.
4. Four Remain for Gavin Schilling
One of the best remaining big men in the country, Gavin Schilling, is down to four schools. The 6’9″ center out of Findlay Prep (Nevada) lists Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA and Villanova as his finalists. Schilling, who was born in Germany and raised in France, played his junior season at Chicago’s De La Salle Institute before transferring to Findlay for his final high school year. While a resident in Illinois, B1G schools like Michigan State and Minnesota had already kept tabs on the No. 15 ranked center from the class of 2013. Schilling is expected to take a second trip to the Michigan State campus for an official visit after taking an unofficial visit this past December. Head coach Tom Izzo and his staff currently have zero commitments from the senior class and Schilling is their last hope from being shut out among the best recruits in the class. Schilling has also visited Minnesota and UCLA and is in the process of scheduling a visit to Villanova in the near future.
5. Georgia Tech Lands Former Missouri Decommit
Missouri native and a former Tigers commitment, Travis Jorgenson, ended his recruitment for a second time on Monday as he verbaled to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Jorgenson, the No. 44 ranked point guard from the class of 2013 out of New Hampton Prep (New Hampshire), picked the Yellow Jackets over schools such as Boston College, Creighton and Kansas State. “I think they have a lot of really good young players, and I think they’re great coaches and great people,” said Jorgenson. “I’m just really excited about being a part of the program.” The 6’0″ point guard took his official visit to Georgia Tech for its ACC opener against Miami. With his commitment, he will join a recruiting class that also includes Quinton Stephens, the No. 18 ranked small forward.
6. Jalen Lindsey Centering on 10 Schools
Five-star junior small forward Jalen Lindsey released his updated top 10 schools on Monday and they include Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Providence, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Lindsey, the No. 14 overall ranked prospect from the class of 2014 out of Christ Presbyterian Academy (Tennessee), is an explosive 6’7″ small forward with tremendous upside. Last month, Lindsey visited Louisville twice in two weeks. Head coach Rick Pitino returned the favor by visiting Lindsey and his family the following week. While he favors those 10 programs, Lindsey has stated that he will keep contact open with schools such as Kentucky and North Carolina in hopes of getting a scholarship offer at a later point.
7. Devin Booker Receiving Heavy High-Major Interest
The attention that Moss Point High School (Mississippi) shooting guard Devin Booker has received lately is from a who’s who in college basketball. Assistants from ACC staples Duke and North Carolina have recently made trips to watch the dead-eye scorer, as have coaching staffs from B1G rivals Michigan and Michigan State and SEC powers Florida and Missouri all within the last few weeks. Booker scored 35 points for Moss Point in its season finale on Tuesday night after being named the Division 7-5A Boys Basketball MVP. With his junior season completed, the No. 19 overall ranked prospect from the class of 2014 will turn his focus on taking a number of visits, beginning with Duke, Florida and North Carolina.