Alleyne Talks About His Visit

Shagari Alleyne, a 7-3, 250-pound junior center from Rice H.S. in New York, N.Y., told us tonight he had a great time on the campus of Louisville this past weekend. "I just got back," Alleyne said. "I learned a lot of the school's tradition. I met the coaches and some of the players. I gained a lot of information about the program."

Alleyne said he took the visit because of the depth of interest shown by head coach Rick Pitino and his assistants. "They really showed me they were very interested in me," Alleyne said. "So I said to myself if they are that interested I should take a visit and get to know them better."

Alleyne is one of the more coveted big men targets in the Class of 2003. Alleyne had a tremendous finish to his junior year for Rice High School. He captured the MVP of the Catholic League playoffs, leading Rice to the State playoffs.

Alleyne has kept his options open. "I am not narrowing my list down right now," Alleyne said. "I like the SEC, ACC, Big East and Conference USA."

But many schools like Temple, North Carolina, UConn, Miami, Rutgers, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Louisville, Kentucky, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova are among the programs that have recruited Shagari seriously.

Shagari will be attending the Nike camp once again and will participate in the Vegas Big Time Tournament with the Gauchos. Alleyne plans on attending this weekend's Rumble in the Bronx. RivalsHoops.com will have complete coverage of this event this weekend.

Thus far, Alleyne has taken unofficial visits to Miami, St. John's and Seton Hall. He had a chance to visit Miami when Rice played at an event there in January, and he has been to several games at St. John's and Seton Hall in the past year.

"I don't know when I will make a decision," Alleyne said. "I liked what I saw of Louisville. I learned a lot about the program and academics and athletics. I also want to visit some other schools too to have a comparison."