Cassidy's Takeaways: Pangos tips off with star-studded roster

LAS VEGAS – The 2024 Pangos All-American Camp tipped off at Bishop Gorman High School on Sunday evening, and the event – as it does every year – drew a loaded roster of college-bound prospects to the desert. It also attracted Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy, who shares some news and notes from the first day of the star-studded event below.

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Xavion Staton’s rise over the past year has been swift. The 7-foot center has added numerous offers and has shot up the Rivals150, where he now sits on the No. 21 line despite taking up basketball roughly just four years ago. His recruitment is becoming more crowded by the month. But while the Las Vegas Sierra Vista High School star is yet to finalize an official visit schedule, one trip is close to being marked on the agenda..

“I’m still trying to finalize the details, but I’m going to take an official to Arizona,” Staton said on Sunday. “They’re pushing hard recruiting me, so I’m going to go check out for sure.

“They show me a lot of support. They think it could be a home away from home for me because I was born and raised in Vegas, but I’m open to going out of state for college. I have a good relationship with them and I'm looking forward to building it.”

Staton’s upcoming Arizona visit obviously looms large, but in-state UNLV remains a not just a serious threat but possibly one of the early frontrunners to land the Las Vegas-based center. Staton lives what he says is just a 12-minute drive away from UNLV’s campus and has been to numerous games in the last calendar year.

“They love me and I love them,” Staton said of the Rebels. “I could possibly be a hometown hero. We have a family kind of thing going.”

LSU, Kansas and others have also been in contact with Staton as of late.

Four-star forward Tylis Jordan isn’t dragging his feet when it comes to his recruitment. His offer list has been the same for some time now and he doesn’t expect to be part of a late-cycle surprise. In fact, he hopes to be committed by the time his birthday rolls around on Oct. 1.

“For guys in my class – in 2025, I feel like most of us got (the offers) we got,” Jordan said. “Now it’s just time to take visits and decide.”

Jordan has yet to set dates for official visits just yet but he seems relatively set on a number of destinations, saying he will almost definitely tour Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss and some others.

“Tennessee lets me know that I should go there if I want to be coached hard and get to the next level,” Jordan said. “They show me that they can do it, too. Rick Barnes has coached guys with my size, skill and position and got them to the league. Not only did they get to the league, but they stuck around. Same with Alabama and Nate Oats, He’s developed some studs and, obviously, the Final Four last year. They want me to help them get back there and help them get a championship.”

Jermaine O'Neal Jr.’s famous father skipped college and entered the NBA, but that doesn’t mean he’s unaware of what it’s like to be a high-level prospect with options. And these days, the six-time NBA All-Star is imparting that wisdom to his four-star son, who holds multiple high-major offers.

“He’s very in the loop with everything going on,” O’Neal Jr., said of his dad. “He gives great advice about what to look for and what to stay away from in the recruiting world. He tells me to listen closely to what coaches tell me about development and to go back and look at other kids in their past. He also tells me to pay attention to schools that get a kid, use him for a year and then get rid of him. He tells me to stay away from that.”

With that in mind O’Neal Jr., says he intends to schedule visits to Texas, Tennessee and a few other programs to be determined at a later date.

“I want to check out anyone that prides themselves on defense,” he said. “I also want a team that develops kids, not a school that just pays kids to go there.”