Sweet Seven Scoops: Bright Lights LoVett, Fultz Rising Up, & More…
Posted by Sean Moran on January 24th, 2015
Seven Sweet Scoops is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you seven notes from the high-stakes world of college basketball recruiting. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul, dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.
Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.
1. Bright Lights Hits Chicago
Chicago basketball fans have been spoiled over the last few years from watching Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, Cliff Alexander, and Tyler Ulis play in the area. While there aren’t any future top five NBA Draft picks currently in the Windy City, senior guard Marcus LoVett has seized the opening and is becoming the big city’s hottest act. The 5’11” four-star guard has bounced around the past few years in both high school and AAU, averaging around 30 points per game as a freshman for Providence of Burbanks (CA) and becoming a YouTube sensation. Now a senior, LoVett is the point guard at Morgan Park, the back-to-back 3A state champion. He’s hit buzzer-beaters and scored 20+ points numerous times. Kansas offered him a scholarship in the fall when the buzz around him was starting to build, but other schools are showing interest as well. On Tuesday night, LoVett hit a game-winning jump shot in front of assistants from Florida State, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh. He also took in an Illinois game over the weekend. Right now LoVett is ranked at just No. 91 overall, but with the buzz that is slowly building around him, it would not be a surprise to see him catapult up the rankings after his senior year.
2. Stock Riser: Markelle Fultz
Dematha Catholic (MD) High School sports one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country, so it’s no surprise that the junior varsity team has a bunch of talented players. Last year, 6’4” guard Markelle Fultz was a sophomore playing on the JV team; one year later he is the star for the No. 1 team in the Washington D.C. area. The previously unranked Fultz jumped into ESPN’s top 60 for the junior class (No. 55 overall) and is now considered a four-star prospect who college coaches are extremely interested in. He scored a total of 53 points in two games at the famed Hoop Hall classic last weekend and has received scholarships from schools such as Arizona, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Maryland, and Washington, among others. It didn’t take long for Fultz to make a name for himself, but he has shown how quickly things can change.
3. April Live Periods: Full Steam Ahead
Last year NCAA coaches only had one “live” weekend in the spring to evaluate potential prospects in an AAU setting. This year, the NCAA has allotted two April weekends for coaches to scour the country bouncing from tournament to tournament. As college coaches hit the road, the prominent shoe companies will be front and center in hosting top-notch talent. Nike, UnderArmour, and Adidas are in constant battles to sponsor the top AAU teams, and Scout.com’s Evan Daniels detailed the shoe wars earlier this week. Nike will host its Elite Youth Basketball League in Hampton (VA) and Lexington (KY) this year; Adidas will have tournaments in Dallas and Indianapolis; and UnderArmour will be in New Orleans and Louisville. College coaches only have three days during each of the two periods to catch some games, so there is often little sleep for those weary travelers as they fly around the country.
4. Arizona Shooting Star
Arizona has dominated rival Arizona State on the recruiting trail over the past few years, but Herb Sendek locked up one of the top players in his state early on when Markus Howard, a sophomore guard, committed to the Sun Devils last August After a freshman season in which he averaged 26.5 points per game, he has not slowed down as a sophomore, recently scoring 43 points against rival Chandler (AZ). Howard took part in the USA Developmental Camp in Colorado Springs last October, showing off his ball-handling skills and a sweet shooting stroke. While the immediate future might not be bright for Sendek’s crew in Tempe, Arizona State fans can at least read about the high scoring act going on 22 miles down the road.
5. Florida State’s Offense Will Improve
Florida State sits at just 10-9 with an offense that is ranked 184th in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency. But don’t worry Seminoles fans, help is on the way. With the No. 10 ranked recruiting class headed to Tallahassee, next year’s class features a few prospects with excellent offensive skills. Small forward Dwayne Bacon jumped in the ESPN rankings after a strong senior season for the third-ranked team in the country in Oak Hill Academy. The 6’6” small forward sits at No. 20 in the updated rankings and has a complete offensive game that allows him to score from all over the court. He scored 33 points in the Hoop Hall tournament last weekend just a few days after leading Oak Hill to the Bass Pro tournament championship in Missouri. Along with Bacon, 6’4” guard Malik Beasley is one of the best leapers in the high school game and is sure to land on Sportscenter a few times during his collegiate career. Florida State is suffering a down year right now, but offensive help is on the way.
6. McDonald’s All-American Rosters Will be Announced on Wednesday
It will be hard to replicate the talent in place at the 2014 McDonald’s All-American game, but in less than a week the 2015 game’s rosters will be announced, which will take place on April 1 at the United Center. Twenty-four of the top high school basketball players in the country will be selected to the most prestigious high school All-American game. Players such as Jaylen Brown (No. 1) and Ben Simmons (No. 2) are locks to make the rosters, but who will be the surprises? Two years ago, UNC big man Kennedy Meeks made the team despite not being a top 50 player and plenty of criticism ensued. Now Meeks is the one laughing. It’s always fun to see who gets the call (and who doesn’t).
7. Unknown Power Forward Picking Up Interest
During the same week the Duke coaching staff watched five-star Harry Giles — the No. 2 player in the junior class — assistant coach Nate James also watched an unranked power forward in Javin Montgomery-DeLaurier from St. Anne’s in Charlottesville, Virginia. Who is Javin? He is a 6’9” junior who has been drawing a lot of high-major interest lately. One day after Duke watched him, Georgia Tech stopped by. Other schools interested in Montgomery-DeLaurier include Princeton, George Washington, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech. With the 2015 spring AAU circuit just a few months away, Javin’s name is most likely one that will continue to pop up on everyone’s radar.
