Florida Recruiting, Kentucky Recruiting, Matt Whitfield, Oregon, Teams, UNLV Recruiting, Washington Recruiting

WITH HIGH SCHOOL CAREER COMPLETE, ANTHONY BENNETT WILL TURN ATTENTION TO RECRUITING

The trend of high-end prospects in college basketball recruiting is to make their college decisions later and later in recent years. The Class of 2012 is taking that trend to new heights, so to speak, with as many as four of the top 10 players n the country still undecided as we move into April. One such prospect is Findlay Prep’s Anthony Bennett, a 6-foot-8 power forward and native of Brampton, Ontario.

Bennett, who ran on the summer AAU circuit with CIA Bounce, is an imposing force on the basketball court. He violently attacks the rim with strong finishes and his athletic ability is impressive for a player his size and strength. He has also shown the ability to hit from three-point range and his potential almost seems limitless at the power forward position at the college level. He continues to improve his skill level making him an even more dangerous offensive player.

This past weekend Bennett helped his Findlay Prep Pilots win the National High School Invitational in Bethesda, Md. with a thrilling 86-83 overtime win against Montverde. The Pilots trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half before rallying. Bennett, the tournament’s MVP, chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds in the championship contest.

Now with his high school career complete, the question on everyone’s mind…when will Anthony Bennett make his college decision?

“I’ll probably take my visits after the Jordan Brand Classic and then probably make my decision…then,” Bennett told NBE’s Matt Whitfield Saturday following the championship victory. “I have Washington, Oregon, UNLV, Kentucky and Florida.”

Anthony Bennett Class of 2012

Bennett successfully forecasted the 2012 NCAA Championship game by telling NBE that he thought Kansas and Kentucky would both win later Saturday night when we spoke to him. He also put in his early prediction for the championship game.

“I’d say Kentucky [wins the final],” he said.

Bennett visited Kentucky earlier in the fall and was very impressed, so expect the Wildcats to be a definite contender right to the end for his services, which would come as no surprise.

“Real cool coaching staff and the players’ are real cool. I’ve visited the campus in November,” said Bennett of UK. “It’s a pretty nice campus. I went to the football stadium while they had a game and everyone showed me mad love.”

Early playing time will be important to Bennett and he will keep his eye on what happens with the UK roster as it is expected several players will leave for the NBA once their season comes to a close Monday night.

“Yea, [I think if I went to Kentucky I’d make an impact] since they’re losing a lot of players I’d be able to start as a freshman and get a lot of minutes and probably be a big impact.”

Still, the process is still to unfold for Anthony Bennett and when the final buzzer sounds Monday night in New Orleans the attention will quickly shift to the college decisions of players such as himself, Shabazz Muhammad, Amile Jefferson, Ton Parker and others. While Kentucky certainly sits in excellent shape for Bennett…Florida, UNLV, Oregon and Washington are also anxious to make their final pitches to the uber-talented forward.

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