Advertisement
football Edit

Despite visit, Rose down to two

The recruitment of Derrick Rose, the No. 3 ranked prospect in the Rivals150, continues to twist and turn with a visit to Illinois scheduled this weekend. But actually things might be a lot simpler than they seem according to Rose's brother Reggie Rose.
"We just want to take a second look at Illinois," said Reggie Rose. "The main thing is that it is the state school."
Advertisement
According to Reggie Rose, who has handled Derrick's recruitment throughout the process, his brother is down to just two schools with Illinois having a shot to work back into the mix.
"It's down to Memphis and Indiana," said Reggie Rose. "DePaul is off the table now."
After the visit to Illinois this weekend, the Rose's will sit down come to a decision with a press conference being planned for the weekend in the middle of the early signing period which runs from November 8 through November 15.
"I'm not sure about what will be the key in Derrick's decision," said Reggie Rose. "That is something I don't really know. After this weekend we will talk and get it figured out."
Reggie Rose did downplay the significance of the opportunity for Derrick to play alongside Indiana commitment Eric Gordon. The backcourt duo was unstoppable together during the month of July.
"It's not a big factor for Derrick. We were winning without Eric on the team. When he got with us, it made things easier. The thing about Derrick is that he makes guys better. When we played Eric's team early in the summer, we won and he only scored 8 points. When he got with us, he averaged 30 points per game."
It is not, however, that playing with Gordon is unappealing to Rose. The chance to be a part of a dominant backcourt as a freshman could lure Rose to Indiana.
"Those two could dominate playing together at Indiana," said Reggie Rose. "They don't have the bodies of freshman. They would be ready to play against the best guards in the country.
"At Memphis Derrick has a chance to play in a wide open style that fits his game perfectly.
"There are positives either way, and right now, it is really even between the two schools."
In regards to Rose's body, he is up to 194-pounds and has only five percent body fat. Besides working on his conditioning, Rose has also been cultivating a floater to finish off his drives with.
"Sometimes when Derrick gets deep into the lane, he is thinking pass," said Reggie Rose. "One of the best things he does is kick the ball out. But for the next levels, he is going to have to think score more when he gets deep, so he is developing a floater."
Advertisement