Alleyne Wants To Sign Early

Either things have slowed considerably with New York City's Rice big man Shagari Alleyne's recruitment, or the big man is keeping his recruiting situation under wraps. We think it's probably a bit of both.

Alleyne's stock dropped a little bit based on his summer performance on the AAU circuit with The New York Gauchos and the Nike Camp. Consequentially, Shagari's recruitment is still a bit foggy.

"I don't have a list of schools that I'm considering right now," Alleyne said. "I'm still in the process of figuring things out."

Alleyne had previously visited Louisville in the spring, but the school's low post commitments mean that they are no longer in the picture. Shagari recently took an unofficial trip to Pepperdine while he was on vacation in California, visiting family, but it remains to be seen how much of a player the West Coast Conference school will be in Alleyne's recruitment. Other names that we have heard connected with Alleyne include Kentucky, St. John's, and Rutgers. Kentucky in particular is purported to be a contender for the New York City native.

"I'm still planning some trips for before and during the season," Alleyne said. "I'm not sure where I'm going to visit yet."

While nothing is set in stone, Alleyne is leaning toward signing in November.

"It depends, but I'll probably sign early," said Alleyne.

Rice coach Mo Hicks has been known to encourage his players to wait until the late signing period, so don't be surprised if Shagari holds off until the spring.