LoVett not sure on timetable
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DUNCANVILLE, Texas -- Day two of the adidas Gauntlet featured more
entertaining performances from recruits with college coaches from all over the
country in attendance. Two newly-named head coaches made their first appearances
at the Gauntlet in their new teams' gear to watch some members of the Rivals150.
LoVett not sure on timetable
Dream Vision standout Marcus LoVett was quite impressive on Saturday. The
senior four-star point guard is capable on defense, positioning himself between
the ball and his man to prevent a pass, but where he really shined was on
offense.
The Chicago (Ill.) Morgan Park product is explosive but he did not force the
issue if the opportunity was not there. If he could not drive, LoVett would back
up a couple of steps and either probe the paint again or send the ball to a
teammate. If he did get a good look at the rim, however, he flew to the rim with
near reckless abandon. When the opposing defense adjusted and brought an extra
defender to stop him, LoVett found the open man, sometimes with a little flare
added onto the pass; his high-speed passes sometimes surprised even his
teammates.
The senior LoVett reported that there was no new interest or offers in his
recruitment. He currently holds offers from DePaul, San Diego State, Illinois,
UCLA and UC Irvine. He does not have any plans for official visits. He said
that a commitment could come at any time but the point guard was unsure if he
would announce before the end of the upcoming spring signing period.
"I'm not really sure, to be honest. It's really in the air," LoVett said. "It
could be tomorrow or any other day or it could be like in a month or so. There's
really no due day on when I'll be signed to a school."
Smart watches five-star center
Five-star center Jarrett Allen was easy to spot when Texas PRO played Mass
Rivals on Saturday night: He was the big man that Mass Rivals had to hold by the
jersey to prevent him from scoring in the paint.
At 6-foot-10 and 210 pounds, Allen is bigger and stronger than most kids his
age; when he packs on some serious muscle he will be a load in the paint. He
used his size against Mass Rivals to position himself down low either on box
outs or on offense. Despite his size Allen showed a soft touch in the paint but
when he needed to he asserted himself with his strength. He also was extremely
reliable from the free throw line for a big man.
Allen, the No. 17 player in the 2016 class, attracted a throng of coaches,
including new Texas head coach Shaka Smart, decked out in a burnt orange
polo and a new Longhorn backpack.
Along with Texas, Allen told Rivals.com that Baylor and Kansas State are the
schools recruiting him the hardest and both programs sent representatives to
watch the rising-senior. Allen reported no new offers in addition to those three
watching Allen Saturday.
Former Sun Devil commit plays in front of Hurley
Arizona State's Bobby Hurley was another coach debuting his new colors in
Duncanville. The Sun Devils' new coach watched former Arizona State commit
Brendan Bailey, whose Dream Vision squad took on Basketball University
Saturday afternoon.
Bailey, a four-star forward, decommitted from ASU on March 25 after head coach
Herb Sendek was fired. Bailey plans on taking his time in recruitment but he
told Rivals.com that he was open to returning to Arizona State after the Hurley
hire.
"I don't know much about him," Bailey said. "I know that he's a great guy, I
know that he knows a lot about the game so I guess I'll just have to get to know
him a little bit more and see where it goes from there."
The Highland (Utah) American Fork product told Rivals.com that San Diego State
offered him during an unofficial visit in March. That is the only offer Bailey
received after he reopened his recruitment but he reported that "the whole
Pac-12 and a couple other schools back east" had made contact with him.
Before the Rivals150 forward's original commitment to ASU, Bailey held offers
Saturday in a win over Florida Sons.
In that game Bailey showed explosiveness that made him dangerous when off the
ball and cutting to the rim. He made his shots from midrange and ran hard up and
down the court, providing the motor in Dream Vision's attack and defense.
More Saturday notes from the Gauntlet
Three-star Game
Elite power forward Robert Baker put on a good performance against Hoop
Dreams and Rivals150 center Aric Holman. The Marietta (Ga.) Walker School product's
three-point shot kept Holman out of the paint to open things up for his
teammates. Baker reported new offers from Rice, Georgia Tech and Davidson
and new interest from Northwestern, Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
Rivals150 small
forward Wenyen Gabriel is a confident shooter at 6-foot-9 but can slam home a
dunk when the opportunity arises. Gabriel reported offers from Boston College,
Massachusetts, Providence and New Hampshire and interest from Maryland, Xavier
and Vanderbilt among others. Gabriel told Rivals.com that most schools are
recruiting him as a stretch four based off his play but Providence is looking at
him as a small forward.
Gabriel's Mass
Rivals teammate, Makai Ashton-Langford was a 2017
prospect who impressed on Saturday. The Ashburnham (Mass.) Cushing Academy point
guard was quick and showed a nifty little floater in the paint to make buckets
over the outstretched arm of Allen.
Another 2017
point guard that played well was Texas Select's Chris Giles. The Plano (Texas)
Plano West guard has quick hands and used them to force turnovers. On offense
Giles scored and distributed. He reported new interest from Notre Dame,
Vanderbilt and Texas. Smart watched Giles first thing Saturday morning. Giles
said of the new Texas coach, "He doesn't always have the most talented team but
he knows how to coach them up and win. He recruits athletes and that's what I
am."
Rivals150
the Compton Magic now that Sedrick Barefield is off to SMU. Leaf shot from all ranges and
he drove the ball aggressively. He showed good awareness when he threw outlet
passes. Leaf worked hard on defense, closing out hard even when it was clear he
could not reach an open shooter.
Leaf's Magic
teammate, Johnny McWilliams has been fearless all weekend. On Friday,
McWilliams quickly returned to action after sustaining a cut on his eyelid. The
cut would later need stitches but that did not stop McWilliams from flying
toward the rim or getting physical with his man on defense. The 2016 San Marco
(Calif.) small forward reports offers from Washington State, Fresno State,
Pepperdine, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly and interest from Arizona State and
New Mexico.
Class of 2017
five-star small forward Brian Bowen reported that Duke is starting show more
interest as of late. The 6-foot-6 Saginaw (Mich.) Arthur Hill forward has a
definite bounce in his step but said he wanted to improve his strength this
summer to better compete with the older players.
Class of 2017
Rivals top-75 power forward Tomas Murphy reported offers from Florida, Rhode
Island, Providence, Maryland and Iowa and interest from Notre Dame, Villanova,
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