Big men shine at day one of Tarkanian Classic

LAS VEGAS - Four-star center Bruno Fernando was one of the best players on the court during the first day of the Tarkanian Classic. The six-foot-10 senior is headed to Maryland next year and he’s improved since the summer. He was making passes out of the double team and also knocking down shots on the perimeter. Fernando was tough on defense and has put on some muscle mass since the summer.

“I’ve really just hit the weight room hard this year,” he said. “I want to play right away when I get to Maryland and I know I have to get stronger since I’ll be going up against older guys.”

On the recruiting front, Fernando is already building a strong relationship with the only other player in the class so far, four-star shooting guard Darryl Morsell. “We went on our official visit together. We’ve stayed in contact and are already becoming close teammates,” Bruno said.

As far as other players he’s looking to recruit, Bruno said he’s focused on one player who’s also at IMG Academy, 2018 five-star Silvio De Sousa. “I’m going after Silvio hard. We really want him there. I know he’s a year younger, but he would be a great addition to the team. So yeah, I talk to him all the time.”

Five-star forward Jarred Vanderbilt left the game early with an injury to his left foot. He was doing everything for his team Victory Prep early, which included playing the point and bringing the ball up. Vanderbilt missed the whole summer due to a foot injury and was finally looking like full strength at USA Basketball in October. His status is unknown. We’ll see if plays the rest of the tournament.

Vanderbilt has taken officials to Kentucky and North Carolina and unofficial visits to Houston and TCU. There is no timeframe on a decision from him.

With a limited number of recruits still left on the table for the 2017 class, small forward Justice Sueing is looking like he could be a good pickup. The six-foot-six wing from Mater Dei (Calif) did it all on the court Thursday and looked like a top 150 prospect. He was smooth finishing around the rim and made some big-time plays on defense. Mater Dei won by at least 50 points but that still didn’t take away from what Sueing showed coaches Thursday night. Every single media outlet wanted to talk to him after the game.

He’s taken official visits to Utah and Saint Mary’s, but is seeing recent interest from Cal and others. Rivals.com caught up with Sueing after the game and talked more on where he stands with his recruitment.

Six-foot-eight power forward Kenny Wooten sat out because his coach wanted him to rest. Wooten has seen his recruitment picked up recently and has had a dozen schools come through in the last month or so.

Wooten hasn’t taken any official visits but definitely plans on getting to Kansas, Arizona State and Oregon. He’s had high interest from Arizona, Cal and USC and Arkansas is the most recent school to offer. “I definitely plan on cutting my list down this month,” he said. “Probably to a top five or six and then I’ll take my visits from there.”

Class of 2018 power forward Souleymane Doumbia (Athlos Leadership, Tex.) came out of nowhere in his game against Liberty, Nev. Doumbia ran the floor well in a transition and already has a big frame he’s growing into as a junior. He faces up at the elbow and isn’t afraid to drive. Doumbia finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

The six-foot-eight prospect holds early offers from TCU and Memphis with interest from UCLA and LSU.