FORT MYERS, Fla. – The lead guard on one of the top high school teams in the country, Ahmad Nowell has long been on the national recruiting radar. He’s currently ranked as the No. 32 prospect in the 2024 class but is yet to take his first official visit.
That may change soon, however, as Nowell is in the process of setting up a trip to Tennessee, which seems to be positioned well in the four-star’s recruitment.
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ON SCHOOLS IN THE MIX
"The schools that are real interested seem like Villanova, Arkansas, Auburn, Seton Hall and Tennessee."
ON HIS FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT
"I’m supposed to take an official visit to Tennessee in the next month or so."
ON TENNESSEE
"I know they have a great program and a good brotherhood. I have relationships with a couple coaches on the coaching staff, too, so that’s good."
ON WHICH COACH HE’S CLOSEST WITH
"Coach Rod [Clark]. I talk to him a lot. He’s pretty laid back and he’s genuinely intrigued with what I’ve been doing and how I’m developing."
ON ROD CLARK
"I like the way he talks to me because he’s definitely building a personal connection. The object is to win basketball games, obviously, but it starts with that connection."
ON OTHER POTENTIAL VISIT DESTINATIONS
"I’m open to visit anywhere that has my best interest in mind, so we’ll see where else I go."
ON WHAT PART OF HIS GAME HE WANTS TO DEVELOP NEXT
"I think I need to work on everything, but definitely my shooting ability. I think I have a great IQ and I have my ways of getting to the rim, but I want to work on my shooting ability even though it’s been going pretty good lately."
ON WHAT HE WANTS IN A COLLEGE
"The most important thing is obviously the culture, but also the coaches and tech training staff. I want to see how they develop their players. I want to see the history of the players they have developed and who they got into the NBA. I want a coach that has developed NBA point guards."
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RIVALS' REACTION
Tennessee seems to have some semblance of edge in the race to land Nowell, but it remains somewhat early in the process. The Vols could solidify their perceived lead should the official visit Nowell discussed take place quickly and go well.
If not, things could get a bit more wide open. Villanova, Arkansas and Seton Hall sound like the schools to watch if things with Tennessee begin to stall.