Cousins poised to play

It's been a roller coaster year for five-star 2009 prospect DeMarcus Cousins after being ruled ineligible at Clay-Chalkville High School and then being on again off again at LeFlore High School after moving to Mobile, Ala. It does look like it is on again, however, as Cousins, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward is expected to play Tuesday night for LeFlore.

"DeMarcus is supposed to start playing tomorrow," LeFlore head coach Otis Hughley told Rivals.com. "We are just waiting for the Alabama state association to tell us we are definitely in the clear. The city athletic director initially cleared DeMarcus to play, but then we sat him on our own just to make sure."

In his short stint on the court for LeFlore, Cousins made a significant impact. In LeFlore's second game of the year Cousins registered 19 points, 16 rebounds and four steals in just 18 minutes of play.

As for Cousins' recruitment, Cousins stated this summer that UAB was his leader. Coach Hughley confirmed that UAB is still at the top of his list.

"UAB is his leader," said Hughley. "He has a lot of loyalty to Mike Davis. Indiana and Missouri round out his top three."

Cousins, who has had trouble controlling his emotions, has been a model student at LeFlore as well as a potential top player in the country according to Hughley.

"DeMarcus has been here without incident. He's a great kid who loves the game and a really intelligent kid.

"The potential is there for him to be the number one pick in the draft. Is he there yet? No, but he has the potential."

Cousins is the No. 5 ranked prospect in the class of 2009.

DeMarcus Cousins scouting report:

An impressively physical presence, Cousins has the ability to dominate the interior. He can score in traffic and rebound in a crowd. Defensively, he is extremely difficult to score over. Not limited to being effective around the basket, Cousins can also operate on the perimeter. Perhaps his most underrated skill is his passing ability. Maturing emotionally is his biggest challenge in the development of his game.