Goodin close to trimming list

In June and October, there was talk that Quentin Goodin, a 6-foot-4 guard out of Taylor County (Ky.) High School was close to trimming his list to 10 schools. But fans of the schools recruiting him continue to anxiously await that announcement.

"Not yet, it's coming up soon though," said the top class of 2016 prospect from Kentucky. "We're starting to create it right now."

While Goodin is making a list, one school appears to be in good shape to make the cut.

"I feel like Florida is recruiting me really hard, it's probably the school that is recruiting me the hardest," Goodin said. "They offered me back in football season when Florida played Kentucky (Sept. 13)."

"My tightest relationship at Florida is with Coach (Matt) McCall, I feel like I can talk about almost anything with him," continued Goodin. "We developed our relationship shortly after they offered me and I feel like I can come and talk to him about anything like a high school game if something happened what did he think or if there was a play that developed and I made a mistake what should I do. I feel I can go to him as a resource. He's real cool."

Goodin's mother also has positive feelings about Florida.

"She said the most comfortable place that she's been is Florida," said Goodin. "I feel like that's a big thing because she doesn't usually go on visits with me and my dad. For her to say she trusts the coaching staff and is comfortable that says a lot. Especially (for a school) 13 hours away."

Goodin said that other schools heavy in the mix with him include Ohio State, Tennessee, Xavier (which just offered last week), Minnesota and Wichita State.

We spoke to Goodin following a gusty 11-point, seven-rebound, four-assist performance in a loss to Pope John XXIII in The Villages, Florida at the Battle At The Villages Tournament. Goodin's speed and athleticism wasn't on display, but his toughness was as he played thru pain.

"We had a big tournament, the King Of The Bluegrass in Louisville and a whole lot of our guys are banged and bruised up. I'm playing on a swollen knee; (teammate) David Sloan is playing on a rolled ankle that's getting taped up so we have a whole lot of injuries we're just trying to play through them." Goodin averaged 28.3 points per game in the K.O.B. and was an All-Tournament Team selection.

Following the K.O.B., Goodin said he started to hear from one of Bluegrass state schools more: Louisville.

"After the trip at K.O.B. they picked up the recruitment like they were in the beginning," said Goodin. "Basically they said as we continue to develop a relationship the tighter the recruiting process is going to get. So I feel like as I get healthy and play my game I feel like I can potentially get offered."

No doubt the point guard's father would love for the Cardinals to extend an offer.

"He's a Louisville fan," Goodin said. "The Louisville-Kentucky game when they played we were in the lobby at the hotel it got pretty intense. They were like 'who you going for?' and I was like 'I'm just watching.' I mean, I just enjoy playing the game and I hope basketball can take me somewhere."

Like Louisville, the University of Kentucky has yet to offer Goodin either but the staff keeps in touch.

"They still text me."

Tennessee offered Goodin in 2013 but due to a coaching change, finds itself in the position of having to hit the rest button and begin the process all over again. Goodin had developed solid relationships with Cuonzo Martin's staff and took unofficial visits to Knoxville for basketball games and football games. Now Donnie Tyndall and staff are quickly trying to keep Goodin excited about Big Orange Country. Fortunately for Tennessee, one of the Vols assistants has something in common with Goodin that most coaches recruiting him do not.

"The coach that's recruiting me is Coach (Chris) Shumate, he is originally from Louisville," Goodin said. "So we have developed a real tight relationship because we can talk about some things that

have happened in Kentucky that I know about and that's how we have a little bit of a connection."

At 6-feet-4, 175 pounds Goodin has terrific size and length for the point guard position at the next level. He has good speed and athleticism, uses ball screens very effectively to draw attention and kick it out to teammates. He looks to get his teammates involved which helps open up his game which includes scoring in the lane or along the baseline with floaters or shooting out to 20-feet.

Goodin is a four-star prospect ranked No. 78 in the class of 2016.

Russ Wood is a basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com and Inside the Gators. You can click here to follow him on Twitter..

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