Fastbreak Friday: Final officials
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Midnight Madness was last week, but a handful of programs are playing host to big recruits this weekend.
A couple of the top prospects still left on the board in 2008 are getting ready to make their choices.
We'll go across the country in this week's version of Fastbreak Friday.
The three class of 2008 commitments for Clemson will all be in Death Valley for the weekend. Tanner Smith, Andre Young and Catalin Baciu will be on campus. Class of 2009 commitment Devin Booker is also making a trip to Clemson.
The aforementioned prospects will have company. Oliver Purnell has a strong list of local players coming in for unofficial visits. In-state big man Lucas Troutman, North Carolina guard Dee Giger, class of 2010 in-state prospect DaMarcus Harrison and class of 2010 big man Jervon Pressley will also be in town.
Mystery man Olivier Mbai, a power player from Bethel High School in Hampton, Va., is scheduled to be on campus as well.
• Alabama big man Xavier Gibson is making the quick trip south to Florida State for an official visit. The 6-foot-10 prospect has already been to Alabama and West Virginia this fall. FSU commitment Luke Loucks will also be in Tallahassee for the weekend football game against the Miami Hurricanes.
All eyes were on Rutgers on Thursday night as the Scarlet Knights hosted South Florida on the gridiron. There taking in the game were forwards Dwight Miller out of Houston and Quintrell Thomas from nearby St. Patrick's High School in New Jersey.
• Bob Huggins and staff are gearing up for the biggest recruiting weekend of the year since taking over the Mountaineer program. New Yorker Kevin Jones is the top dog on campus this weekend. The four-star forward will be joined by Hargrave Military Academy big man Roscoe Davis, who could be either a 2008 or 2009 prospect depending on how well he does in the classroom this year. Juniors Brian Oliver and Dalton Pepper, both ranked in the top 100, will be joined by Ohio big man Bobby Capobianco in Morgantown.
• Notre Dame is pulling out all of the stops this weekend as a number of underclassmen make their way to South Bend. The junior class will be well represented. Michigan forward Jordan Morgan, Philadelphia wing Rahlir Jefferson, Illinois big man Jordan Prosser, Chicago guard Diamond Taylor, Windy City point man Chris Colvin and Texas sharp-shooter Marshall Henderson will all be in town for an unofficial visit. Class of 2010 guards Anthony Johnson, Ahmad Starks and Brandon Spearman, all out of Chicago, will also unofficially visit Notre Dame.
• Seton Hall has a handful of prospects on campus, too. Commitment Jordan Theodore will be on hand for the team's Midnight Madness event. Theodore won't be alone. Class of 2008 guard Chris Turner is also penciled in as a visitor. According to NYCHoops.net's Adam Zagoria, the list of unofficial visitors is healthy. Underclassmen Greg Echenique, Tristan Thompson, Fuquan Edwin, Jayon James, Trevor Clemmings, Shaquille Thomas, Myles Mack, Isaiah Epps and Omari Lawrence could all be on campus.
• Assane Sene, a 7-footer from South Kent (Conn.) School, will visit Syracuse officially. The visit could very well be his last. He has already visited Virginia and Connecticut.
• It is looking more and more like a Big East race for IMG (Fla.) wing Jared Swopshire. The St. Louis native will head to Louisville for his second official visit of the year. He tripped to Marquette last weekend.
• Baltimore area junior big man Andrew Fitzgerald is slated for an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh.
Tyler Zeller, one of the few elite players in the class of 2008 still on the board, will make his final official visit of the year. The 7-footer from Indiana will visit Purdue. He has already visited Indiana, North Carolina and Notre Dame, and is expected to make a decision before the early signing period.
• Ohio State is looking to the future this weekend as a number of top class of 2010 prospects will be in Columbus. Five-star prospects DeShaun Thomas out of Indiana, Jared Sullinger, a Columbus product, and Georgia prospect Trae Golden headline the group of visitors on campus. Fellow sophomores Adreian Payne and Cameron Wright, both Ohio natives, and D.C. area big man Joshua Hairston will all be in town unofficially. Also on campus is five-star center and 2008 commitment B.J. Mullens, giving the Buckeyes four five-star players on campus this weekend.
• Illinois continues to work hard on the in-state young players. Class of 2010 prospects Lavonte Dority and Mike McCall will be in Champaign.
The Oklahoma State basketball program is hosting "Homecoming and Hoops" this weekend in Stillwater, and a number of top prospects will be on hand for the festivities similar to that of midnight madness.
Class of 2008 commitment Keiton Page will certainly be working on fellow in-state super scorer Rotnei Clarke, who could be making his final visit of the fall.
Also in town are in-state prospects Daniel Orton and Terrence Boyd, both strong juniors that do a fine job of playing the enforcer role.
Junior college forward Dee Proby, a hot prospect amongst the high-majors, will also be in town along with Duncanville (Texas) juniors Shawn Williams and Roger Franklin.
Cal has had success in the past with foreign-born guards. This weekend, the Bears are hosting Deividas Dulkys.
• California point guard Jared Cunningham has been making the rounds lately. This weekend he's slated for a trip to Arizona State this weekend.
Alabama has a strong Tennessee contingency in Tuscaloosa, and not because the Vols are coming to town for a football game. Mark Gottfried and staff will entertain a trio of Volunteer State prospects.
Shooter John Jenkins, power forward Drew Kelly and class of 2010 athlete Casey Prather will be in town to see the Tide up close and personal.
• South Carolina is hosting North Carolina guard Tyree Graham this week, not last week as previously reported.
• Georgia athlete Teondre Williams will make a cross-country trek to Colorado State for his first official visit of the season.
• Seven-foot-four center Jakub Kusmieruk will make an official visit to Central Florida.
• Wichita State is bringing in Texas guard David Kyles for a visit.
• Class of 2010 prospects Frantz Massenat, Dondre Whitmore and Wayne Newsome will all be on St. Joe's campus.
• Highly coveted big man Garrett Stutz is on the road again. This weekend he is making a trip down to Dallas to see SMU.
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