Louisiana forward cuts his list

One of the biggest storylines during the first part of the grassroots season has been the play of Jarell Martin.

The 6-foot-9 power forward from Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep has been outstanding at every stop and has positioned himself as a guy who will make a large move up from his current position of No. 62 in the 2013 Rivals150.

In preparation of the July live period, Martin has cut his list of schools down to 10. After July, he'll cut it down to five before taking visits and making a decision.

Martin's high school coach Jeff Jones checked in to discuss what his player likes about the remaining schools.

Alabama:"Coach Anthony Grant has done a great job recruiting him. He really likes that a lot of his dealings with Alabama have been with the head coach which is most important. He really feels that coach Grant is a class guy and they've made him feel like a priority."

Arizona:"He sees probably the best recruiting class coming in next to anybody but UCLA or Kentucky. With the two forwards graduating next year he has a chance to come in and play. He could maybe win a national title with who is already there."

Kansas: "They recruited him some early but have really picked it up here lately. He likes the success they have and the large amount of television time they get and of course their tradition and their player development."

Louisville: Coach Pitino and Coach Jones have spent a lot of time recruiting him. He feels like Coach Pitino is one of the best coaches in America and it shows with his results. They've been so consistent with him."

LSU: "They made themselves relevant with the coaching change. Coach Jones and Coach Kirby have been really persistent in recruiting him. They are definitely making him feel like a priority and keeping a Louisiana kid home is real important to them."

Oklahoma State: "Butch Pierre was probably one of the first guys to start recruiting him. He's done a good job and been persistent. Brian Williams is a kid that Jarell looks up to and him being there at Oklahoma State helps them."

St. John's: "Coach Lavin and Coach Childs have done a great job as well. They've been very consistent over the last year and a half. Coach Lavin has really taken the bull by the horns like Coach Grant and Coach Kennedy in terms of handling his recruitment. Jarell knows assistant coaches are cool and all, but they don't make decisions."

Texas A&M: "Coach Kennedy as well as coach Cyprien have done a good job. He hasn't seen them a lot so all he knows about A&M is the relationship he's built with them and it is a good one. Them being in the SEC now kind of makes them a little more relevant for him."

Tulane: "Them being on the list will be a surprise to a lot of people but Coach Ed Conroy and Ronnie Hamilton have been two of the most genuine people he's met. Coach Conroy was actually the first coach to offer him a scholarship."

UCLA: "They really came on strong after the Pangos All-American camp. He's been keeping up with everything and sees that great recruiting class. He also met Zach LaVine and saw that Zach committed to them and he sees it as another situation like Arizona where there's lots of talent there."

So what is it going to take to make Martin's final five? A high level of involvement from the head coach will definitely be important as will illustrating how Martin fits into the program.

"What's going to separate them is that we are going to take a real good look a their situations," said Jones. "We will look at the personnel there, where he fits in and the feeling that he gets from where he stands with the coaches.

"Most of these places are high level, play on television a lot and are similar in that way. So he wants to see where he fits in the best and who can show him that."

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