BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (5/29/2008)
Some news and notes as recruiting updates are available on Tristan Spurlock, Sherrod Wright, Sean Kilpatrick and a 2010 guard duo from Illinois that are picking up some local attention, as well as some expanding attention nationally.
Joe Alexander looks to be more and more ‘in’ the NBA draft. Will West Virginia try to add a late prospect to their 2008 class? One player that might get a look and has a connection to South Florida and WVU is at the pre-draft camp as well.
Bob Huggins might have performed some due diligence that the NCAA was unable to do in the Mayo case. It might have saved himself and Kansas State from a headache this spring.
Playing for Montrose Christian alongside Isaiah Armwood and Terrell Vinson, Tristan Spurlock has been on the recruiting radar for college teams and recruitniks alike for some time. Playing last weekend with the Boo Williams AAU program at the Memorial Day Classic in Nashville (TN), Spurlock Continued Versatile Display Heading into the Summer as Ivan McDowell, Southeast/Mid-South editor of i95ballerz.com, takes a look at the tools that make Spurlock an intriguing 2009 prospect.
Standing 6’7 and weighing in around 220 pounds, Spurlock has the build to play power forward now and in the future. His length and strength are suitable to the ‘4’ position, but he also has the ability to play the wing position offensively and, more importantly, defensively. Schools have taken notice of his game, which Spurlock describes is “…predicated on versatility,” and his current list of favorites include Georgetown, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest and Clemson.
Sean Kilpatrick of White Plains had internet message boards and blogs buzzing yesterday with the news of a possible commitment coming from the high school senior. Kilpatrick to St. John’s (zagsblog)? That was the question yesterday, but the news of a commitment to St. John’s seems to be a little bit premature. Kevin Devaney explains the situation in his post, This and That on the Varsity Insider blog for LoHud.com and the Journal News. Kilpatrick, still trying to figure out exactly if he will be a 2008 recruit or if he will be at a prep school next year and part of the 2009 class. St. John’s is still a strong contender to land him, but everyone needs to be on board and everything worked out first.
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Devaney also provided a Gym Rat Update, one of the premier local AAU events in the eastern half of upstate New York. In the post, there is an update courtesy of Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino on star 2009 prospect Sherrod Wright. Wright is nowhere near a decision, but there is growing list of schools: Georgia Tech, Xavier, Rutgers, Connecticut, Kansas, Temple, Virginia and Florida are among them, according to coach Cimmino.
Cimmino also checked in with zagsblog recently to give the lowdown that Wright Has Offers and admits that some of the local schools are not making a big push to land his star player. Providence is one school showing more recent interest, but has yet to offer. Xavier, Georgia Tech and Virginia have offered and are working him the hardest right now.
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Apparently Bob Huggins did the ‘due diligence’ on OJ Mayo that the NCAA was unable to do and Mayo’s USC Decision Was Good for Huggins (Times West Virginian) and Kansas State. Huggins’ director of basketball operations at Kansas State, Brad Underwood, told the Konza Rotary Club in Manhattan (KS) in a recent speech that the former Kansas State coach resisted Mayo’s pleas to join the Kansas State program because Huggins believed Mayo was given money while in high school and “…would never pass.”
Kansas State spokesman Tom Gilbert quickly denied that anyone at Kansas State had any knowledge of such improprieties and coach Huggins has not commented on the story.
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With Joe Alexander being one of 15 prospective NBA draft hopefuls invited to the Pre-draft camp in Orlando as a ‘physical-only’ participant, the odds grow longer and longer that he will return to West Virginia. Alexander’s Draft Status May Be Too ‘Physical’ for WVU (Daily Mail) and open up a scholarship late in the process. The Mountaineers could definitely use some size, but as assistant Larry Harrison noted, the pickings are pretty slim at this point, especially for the coveted trait of size.
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One player who could possibly be available late in the game is John Riek, who is limping along in the Pre-draft camp in Orlando. Riek is Less than 100% (FoxSports.com) at the camp and Jeff Goodman believes it is a wise move for the prep-schooler to head to college, at a place like South Florida, where he can play sooner rather than later. Is the 7’2 Center Riek Still in Play for the Bulls (St. Pete Times)? Well, he would have to withdraw from the draft AND qualify for college in order to be in play for anyone. The Bulls are an attractive possibility with friend Teeng Akol already committed to the Bulls. Akol picked USF over another finalist, West Virginia.
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DePaul is keeping an eye on the 2010 backcourt duo of Mike McCall and Lavonte Dority of Foreman (IL) High school. The Chicago Elite AAU duo of McCall and Dority Picked up an Offer from UNLV (IllinoisHSbasketball.com) recently and DePaul has offered Dority and is keeping tabs on McCall.
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