FRISCO, Texas -- The second weekend of the July live period is off and running, and the Under Armour Association event outside of Dallas is one of the hot spots for college coaches to evaluate high-level high school talent. Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy is on hand at the event and shares some news and notes from the Friday that was in the Lone Star State.
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WALKER TAKING HIS TIME BUT REMAINS HIGH ON FOUR PROGRAMS
Auburn, Ohio State, Houston and Alabama received visits from five-star power forward Jarace Walker in June, and it seems as though those four programs lead the way as things stand.
“I definitely like Auburn a lot,” Walker said. “They have a really great head coach over there in Bruce Pearl. I vibe with him. I like how they run the offense through their tall players and get them up and down the floor for sure.”
The things Walker said about his trips to Ohio State, Ole Miss and Alabama didn’t differ much from his review of Auburn. And while it’s probably not with much as it relates to the bigger picture of his recruitment, the five-star seemed most excited when speaking about his time at Houston.
“With Houston I got a really big-time family atmosphere vibe from them. I’m really tight with that staff and I love what they’re doing over there. They play really hard-nosed and they rebound and defend. That’s what it takes to win.
Walker has set no timetable for a college decision.
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EWING WATCHES PRINCE ALIGBE
There’s been some speculation about how high 6-foot-6 forward Prince Aligbe sits on Georgetown's recruiting board since he grabbed an offer from the Hoyas some last year. So while the mystery certainly hasn’t been totally solved, the fact that head coach Patrck Ewing watched the entirety of Ailgbe’s Friday evening game suggests interest between the sides remains.
“I’ve had an offer from them for more than a year now and we are still building a stronger relationship,” said Aligbe, who plays for the Grassroots Sizzle program. “Time will tell on that. I haven’t visited yet, but I want to connect with the staff and see what happens in the fall.
Aligbe says Ohio State and Cal are also likely to get fall official visits. Xavier is in close contact as well and may be close to making things official with an offer.
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KANSAS COMMIT MAKES IMPRESSION
Gradey Dick didn’t have his best day from a scoring standpoint, but that didn’t keep onlookers from taking note.
Playing with his KC Run GMC grassroots program, the Kansas-bound wing was a bit inconsistent a Friday afternoon, but his athleticism still managed to wow one Div. I assistant, who flipped to find Dick’s name in his event program following an ealry spin and finish at the bucket only be told that the Wichita-based wing was already committed to the Jayhawks.
“I feared it was something like that,” he said, closing the book with a laugh.
One of the standouts of this summer’s Pangos All-American Camp, Dick still managed to impact Friday night’s contest despite not having his best shooting night. He rebounded the ball incredibly well and still managed to finish the contest with 11 points that included a trio of 3-pointers.
Following the game Dick spoke about what he expects to see from the Jayhawks in 2021. “Obviously they have one of the best chances to win it all,” Dick said, “I feel like they are stacked this year, so I feel like they should expect nothing less than a deep run."
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GUY-KING MULLING FALL OFFICIALS
Javion Guy-King had a solid day running with All Arkansas Red on Friday. Following the game, the 6-foot-6 wing discussed his recent surge in interest and named a few schools he plans to officially visit in the fall.
“I plan on taking an official visit to Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Ole Miss. a few others, but those three for sure.
“I’ve actually been on an unofficial to Arkansas a long time ago, and I liked it a lot. I liked the coaching staff and I like what I know about the program. I plan on getting back there. I’ve been to Ole Miss for a team camp, but I’m going to go back because I didn’t really get to see anything.”
Guy-King says that the Razorbacks, Cowboys and Rebels are the programs he views as most “in the mix” for the time being, but also points out that recent interest from Virginia Tech could change things down the road.
“I’ve been recently in contact with schools like Virginia Tech and Illinois Chicago. For right now, it’s just been a lot of contact.”
