Cassidy's Takeaways: Duel in DFW

CARROLLTON, Texas – Many of the top grassroots teams in Texas and beyond descended on the Dallas suburbs this weekend for The Circuit’s Duel in DFW event. The three-day event has already featured some memorable performances and noteworthy recruiting news, and Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy is on hand to soak it all in. Below, he shares the most pressing news that came out of Saturday's action.

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2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

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One of the weekend event’s headliners, Ja'Kobe Walter turned in a memorable, 24-point performance in his Team Trae Young’s early afternoon game against Team Thad. Following the contest, the 6-foot-5 guard said that he intends to make a decision before the end of the summer

“I don’t know the date yet, but I’m going to take the official visit to Baylor,” Walter said. “They were my first offer and we have a great relationship.”

Walter says he plans to announce his decision before the end of the summer and may not take a single visit after he wraps things up in Waco. This, of course, reinforces the common belief that the Bears lead the four-star guard’s recruitment as we head down the stretch. Head coach Scott Drew and assistant coach Alvin Brooks III have done an outstanding job forging a bond with Walter, and the work seems close to possibly paying off unless something changes in the final few months of the race.

“I’ve been watching Baylor really [closely] for the last two seasons, especially after that championship,” Walter said. “I can really see how they develop guards and like how I could fit in.”

Rivals150 forward Justin McBride looked as improved as any prospect in attendance on Saturday. The versatile big man seems to have leaned out a bit and become a little quicker and more effective offensive because of it. Following a contest that saw him show of an improved shooting stroke on his way to 16 points including a pull-up 3 from the top of the arc, McBride said that he is in closest contact with three programs

“I talked to Marquette, and Arizona State and Arkansas the most, but there are a lot of schools,” McBride said. “It’s mostly the same ones that have been talking to me. I’m thinking about visiting Arkansas, Arizona State and Marquette but I don’t have dates or anything.”

ASU seems to be pursuing McBride the hardest as of late, as the Sun Devils staff actually initiated a phone call just prior to McBride’s Saturday evening game. More schools could get involved this summer, however, so it’s difficult to project where Drive Nation forward may land when it comes time to make a college choice.

One of the top prospects on a scrappy Houston Defenders squad, Jamari McDowell has seen his stock soar this spring and he’s starting to receive the offers to Match his skill set. Schools such as Minnesota, TCU, Xavier, Drake and Wake Forest have offered the long, athletic guard in the last two months, and McDowell’s profile may continue to rise as spring gives way to summer.

“I’m thinking of maybe doing visits in late June,” McDowell said. “I’ll for sure be going to Xavier and try to make it to Wake Forest and Minnesota, too, but I already have my flight all booked for Xavier.”

McDowell says Xavier is the program currently recruiting him the hardest and is looking forward to seeing the school’s campus. That said, he’s not going into the visit blind by any means.

“I know coach [Sean] Miller coached at ,” he said. “He seems like a good dude and a good coach. The big thing is that he put a lot of people where I want to be – in the NBA. I like what I know so far. I just want to go see what it looks like.”