Rowan leads host of commits

Now that the summer has ended and visits are being set, it is commitment season. Things got started off with a bang on Saturday as four-star shooting guard Maverick Rowan led a commitment frenzy that saw five players commit to high major programs.

Formerly ranked No. 43 in the class of 2016, the 6-foot-5 Rowan decided in June that he would move up to the class of 2015. After briefly flirting with going back to the class of 2016 the product of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons announced via his twitter account that he is headed to N.C. State.

A former pledge to Pittsburgh, Rowan will arrive in Raleigh as a very accomplished and accurate jump shooter with deep range. How quickly he adds strength and adjusts to defending quick and athletic ACC wings. Offensively, he should be ready to go and his ability to stretch defenses should enhance what is a nice looking stable of wings that will be at Mark Gottfried's disposal.

Heading out of the summer, Xavier had emerged as the favorite to land four-star combo guard Quentin Goodin. Sure enough, the 6-foot-3 rising senior from Campbellsville (Kent.) Taylor County who currently ranks No. 71 in the 2016 popped for Xavier while on his official visit. Goodin is a big time athlete who attacks in transition and can rotate between the point and shooting guard positions.

With Goodin in the fold, Chris Mack and his staff are off to an excellent start in 2016. Goodin joins powerful and athletic power forward Tyrique Jones who is also a member of the 2016 Rivals150.

Dipping down into the class of 2018, 6-foot-8 power forward Jontay Porter of Columbia (Mo.) Father Tolton made a verbal commitment to Washington. A talented young four man who has good size and a sturdy frame to go along with touch to 17 feet, his commitment is interesting on several levels.

The Huskies have obviously gone out of region to land him but there are some ties. Lorenzo Romar is close friends with Porter's father Michael and Porter's older brother Michael Porter Jr. is currently the No. 2 ranked player in the class of 2017. The younger Porter picking the Huskies doesn't mean that his brother will be headed there, but it certainly doesn't hurt their chances and Michael Jr. is also Romar's God son.

Wrapping things up, a pair of programs in the state of Texas added nice pieces to their 2015 classes.

During an official visit to Texas A&M, three-star guard Raquan Mitchell committed while UTEP locked up 2015's No. 102 player Brodricks Jones.

A late bloomer, Mitchell is an athletic and powerful 6-foot-2 guard who saw his stock rise greatly on the summer circuit with the Showtime Ballers. A product of Miami (Fla.) Southridge, Mitchell loves to attack the basket, is a very good on the ball defender and makes just enough jump shots to keep defenders honest. He's icing on the cake to the Aggies top ten 2015 class.

Ranked No. 102 in the final 2015 Rivals150, Jones is a potentially huge pickup for UTEP. After originally signing with San Diego State, Jones opened things back up and picked the Miners. A four-star prospect with ample athleticism, Jones is a fluid 6-foot-9 big man. He needs to add strength and he has to be more consistent in his performance but if it all comes together he could end up a big time player in El Paso.