OBryant plans to trim list this summer
One of the things Johnny O'Bryant wants to do before the start of his senior season is narrow his expansive list to about five or six schools and the Cleveland (Miss.) East Side power forward plans to do that after the Peach Jam.
It's not going to be easy though since so many top programs are after O'Bryant, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound recruit who's a five-star prospect and rated No. 24 in the 2011 class by Rivals.com.
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"It's very hard," O'Bryant said. "There is a lot of research you have to put into it, it's almost like homework. You have to research, see who they have coming in, what's the playing style, the success of the program and all that kind of stuff. I have to sit down with my family.
"You have to go on the Internet and see what players each team has coming in, who they have coming up for visits and you have to watch games to see their playing style."
Right after the Peach Jam, O'Bryant will seriously start the process of narrowing down his list and then decide on official visits.
Kentucky, Ole Miss and Mississippi State will definitely make the cut, O'Bryant said, but he wasn't sure on the other two or three programs that would survive the elimination process.
"State has been on me since eighth or ninth grade," O'Bryant said. "They've been on me really hard, probably my hardest school coming at me. I like State a lot and it's a really good school."
Coach Andy Kennedy's rebuilding process at Ole Miss has not been lost on O'Bryant, who said he likes Kennedy and the direction of the program. The Rebels are expected to be on his short list.
"He's done a really good job to get players and then they develop them," O'Bryant said. "They're getting better each year. Pretty soon they're going to get in the NCAA Tournament and try to make a run."
And one main thing stands out about Kentucky.
"They get players to the league," O'Bryant said.
Lots of schools will be in the running to make O'Bryant's list since Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Southern Cal and many others have offered.