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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: ROD ODOM, CARLTON BRUNDIDGE, CARSON DESROSIERS

When you are 6-foot-9 and have the ability to handle, pass and shoot the basketball, college coaches are going to find you. That has been the case for Middlesex (MA) School’s Rod Odom. Despite missing most of the spring AAU season because of Saturday classes at his rigorous academic prep school, Odom used a series of open gyms to boost his stock and then played well in July with his Nike Xpressions Elite AAU squad.

“When I got back with Nike Xpressions I really feel that my game took off and I was able to start playing very well,” said Odom about his summer. “And I was able to pick up several offers from UConn, Louisville, Michigan, Vanderbilt and Miami.”

Odom informed NBE over the weekend that he is currently considering Boston College, Arizona, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Connecticut, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Harvard and Miami. He has previously taken visits to Providence and Georgetown and also has unofficial visits to Louisville, Connecticut and West Virginia planned “this month” according to Odom and has two of his five official visits planned as well.

“I plan to take an official to Arizona and BC,” Odom told NBE. “Those are the only ones I have set so far.”

The visit to Arizona is scheduled for the weekend of September 18th with a plan to close out the month of September on a visit to Boston College. Georgia Tech, Arizona and Louisville have also scheduled in-home visits as well.

NBE will continue to monitor the recruitment of Rod Odom as he works through the process towards a college decision this fall.
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As we reported Friday night in our Busy Week at Marquette story, 6-foot-10 Lawrence (MA) Central Catholic PF Carson Desrosiers has narrowed his recruiting focus to three schools: Marquette, Arizona State and Wake Forest.

“No new schools have contacted me since July, but I have been pretty open throughout my whole recruitment process,” Desrosiers stated to NBE late last week. “Although, I have recently trimmed down my list.”

Desrosiers is a big man that can play inside and out and is also a force in the paint with his shot-blocking ability. His play with the Mass Rivals this spring opened many eyes and he continued the fine efforts through the summer. Now, it looks like he has narrowed his focus to three schools and will go see what each has to offer this fall.

“I am currently in the process of setting up three official visits to ASU, Marquette and Wake Forest,” said Desrosiers.

One lucky school will get a very versatile big man who will make an impact in a variety of ways in his college career.
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One of the more impressive offensive talents in the class of 2011 that NBE saw this summer was Southfield (MI) High School guard Carlton Brundidge. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound guard is a well-built, strong-bodied guard that can overpower peers going to the basket and also connect consistently from long-range, making him a very dangerous offensive threat.

That offensive game was on display in July at the Nike Peach Jam where Brundidge led The Family U-16 squad to the championship, beating the All-Ohio Red 16’s in the finale. Brundidge was nearly unstoppable in a semifinal win over Boo Williams with 36 points and he added 25 more in the finale.

“My highlight of the summer was winning the Nike Peach Jam,” Brundidge told NBE this weekend.

That performance in front of a virtual who’s who of college basketball coaches in North Augusta (SC) also led to additional recruiting interest from top schools around the country.

“Since July, new colleges such as Wake Forest, Oklahoma, Providence [and] Syracuse [are interested]”

Brundidge is planning to visit Michigan and Miami as those two, along with Wake Forest and Michigan State, are the schools he is hearing from the most. Those in need of a player that can score by taking it to the rim and on the break, there are not many, if any, better from the guard position in the class of 2011 than Carlton Brundidge.