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| Wednesday, July 16 |
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| Basketball Recruiting Buzz By Jon Reidel SchoolSports.com | ||||||
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One of the nation's top point guards, 6-footer Jonathan Hargett, committed to West Virginia late last week. The 180-pounder chose the Mountaineers over LSU, Tennessee and a handful of others. As a junior last year at Mount Zion Academy (N.C.), Hargett averaged 20 points and five assists per game. In a surprise turnaround, Duane Erwin of Lee High (Ala.) committed to Memphis late last week. He transferred to Emmanuel Academy in North Carolina for his senior year, but troubles at the school forced it to shut down. Hargett is now attending National Christian Academy in Maryland. First-year coach Trevor Brown said Hargett looked into two other high schools but decided to attend National Christian under Brown, who also coaches AAU power D.C. Assault.
Brown said he came in late in Hargett's recruiting process, but the coach noted that playing in the Big East and staying close to home (Hargett is originally from Richmond, Va.) were the deciding factors. "He's a Big East-type point guard," said Brown. "He has size and strength and shoots the ball better than most of the point guards in the Big East. Most of the top high school point guards went to the Big East. He'll do very well there. He's one of the best I've ever coached." Brown said another of his players, 6-foot-7 Glean Edey, is considering the University of Alabama-Birmingham, South Florida, UNC-Charlotte, Tennessee, George Washington and Austin Peay.
Two for One? Ohio State may have an edge in that OSU is willing to offer scholarships to both players. Tennessee and Georgia are also in the hunt. The Lady Bulldogs may also offer both players full rides. Allen lists Arkansas and Georgia, making Georgia and Ohio State the only common schools on both players' lists.
Tidbits A case in point happened last week when Memphis coach John Calipari convinced 6-foot-9 Duane Erwin of Lee High in Huntsville, Ala., to commit to the Tigers. This came as a surprise to many, as the University of Alabama-Birmingham appeared to be a lock just a few days before his announcement. Calipari has now iced one of the nation's best recruiting classes. Not bad considering he was hired less than five months ago. ... Another example of a last-minute turnaround occurred when 6-foot-5 guard/forward JaQuan Hart of Northern High (Flint, Mich.) chose the University of Michigan. There were more than a few recruiting experts who were ready to bet the farm that Hart would sign with Steve Alford at Iowa. The chance to play at home apparently won out for Hart, who averaged 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists per game last season. ... In somewhat less of a surprise, 6-foot-10 center Michael Southall of Hargrave Military Academy (Va.), committed to Georgia Tech over Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. Southall had committed to Kentucky as a senior at West Salem High in Wisconsin, but was later rejected by the Wildcats after he was arrested for marijuana possession and a later probation violation. He wound up at Hargrave for a prep year. ... Erik Bond, a 6-foot-7 forward from Seattle Prep (Seattle, Wash.), committed to California over Washington, Oregon and Gonzaga. Bond, who led Seattle Prep to a state title last year, averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per contest as a junior. ... Julius Hodge of St. Raymond's High (Bronx, N.Y.) chose North Carolina State on Friday over Syracuse, Maryland and Florida. Hodge, who led St. Raymond's to the New York City Catholic League title last year, averaged 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game. Following a tremendous summer of play, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard was ranked among the top 10 seniors in the country.
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
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