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Ben Middlebrooks' recruitment has SEC and ACC flavor

MIAMI, Fla. -- Class-of-2022 power forward Ben Middlebrooks has long held a handful of high-major offers and feels a few more could trickle in in the coming months. Rivals.com recently caught up with the Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Westminster Academy star to discuss his recruitment and which schools remain in the hunt.


ON SCHOOLS AT THE FOREFRONT OF HIS RECRUITMENT

“Right now I’m talking a lot to Georgia, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Clemson and Virginia Tech. Those are the ones I’m talking to, like, a lot right now … mostly.”


ON IF HE WANTS TO STAY SOMEWHAT CLOSE TO HOME FOR COLLEGE

“I seriously have no preference. I like the Southeast. Florida is awesome. I’ve been here my whole life, but at the same time I’d like to go anywhere in the country if it’s a good situation for me.”


ON THE TYPE OF SYSTEM HE’D LIKE TO PLAY IN WHEN HE HITS COLLEGE

“I want to play somewhere where bigs are able to spread the floor, shoot, set screens and handle the ball. I like the versatility and I want to be a part of the offense, not just staying down low.”


ON OLE MISS

“I really love the coaching staff there. Coach [Ronnie] Hamilton is a great guy. They’re playing really well right now and have some big wins over the past couple months. They like the way I play, and we’re on the same page as far as how they see me in the offense. I like that a lot. They like that I can spread the floor and shoot.”


ON GEORGIA

“I like Georgia for similar reasons because of how I fit the offense and all that. So it’s similar to Ole Miss from that side of things. I have Georgia, too, which is nice. One of my cousins went to Georgia (as a non-athlete), so I’ve heard a lot about it. It would be comfortable.”


ON VIRGINIA TECH

“I talk a lot to Coach [Chester] Frazier over there. Obviously them being an ACC school is awesome. I like that. Then, the same thing as the others, I fit with the offense so that makes them attractive.”


ON A COMMITMENT TIMETABLE

“I’d like to get some visits in, obviously. It’s hard to make any sort of decision when you can’t see the school. But, no matter what, I want to make a decision kind of soon. I want to have it done at the end of this travel season or something like that -- before my senior year.”


RIVALS REACTION: Auburn was once seen as a major player for Middlebrooks and is still involved, but the contact between the two parties seems to have trailed off at least a bit in recent weeks, which could simply be due to the grind of the SEC season. Georgia seems to be in the thick of things now with Ole Miss laying in the weeds. The Rebels could become a team to watch should they make things official with an offer. It’s hard to guess where the 6-foot-10 forward may land at this juncture.

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