Starting Five: Surprise visits for 5-star Briscoe
As each weekend goes by, more and more dominoes start to fall and that will continue until signing day. In this week's Starting Five we take a look at one major domino yet to fall -- five-star point guard Isaiah Briscoe -- and some who did during the past few days.
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Two officials set for Briscoe
So far, Isaiah Briscoe has said he is planning to wait until the spring to make his college choice. However, the five-star point guard from Roselle (N.J.) Catholic who ranks No. 9 in the 2015 Rivals150 has started to set some visit dates.
In fact, Briscoe has now scheduled his first two official visits. Per his father George, 6-foot-3 floor general will see Connecticut on the weekend of Sept. 26 and Missouri on the weekend of Oct. 10.
What is most interesting about these two visits is that both the Huskies and Tigers were absent from the five finalists that Briscoe listed in early August: Arizona, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Villanova and St. John's. Not only has he set those official visits to UConn and Mizzou, Briscoe has set an in-home visit with Kentucky for Thursday of this week and he will host Missouri on Sunday. So far, those are the only two in-home visits set -- Seton Hall did have one set a few weeks ago but it hasn't been rescheduled yet -- per Briscoe's father.
So what does this all mean? What it most likely means is that Briscoe looks to be on the path toward sticking with a spring decision. Arizona not looking to pursue another guard and Villanova landing Jalen Brunson has changed things, and that's why schools that weren't on his final five have been able to make their way into the picture. Briscoe's father didn't rule out an early decision, but the way this sets up it is pretty clear that Briscoe is looking real close at exactly who is landing where and then in the spring who will be leaving and returning to the programs recruiting him. Bottom line, a decision from Briscoe does not look to be imminent.
Williams needs time
On Saturday, Kansas State got a verbal commitment from Arlington (Texas) Bowie big man Dante Williams. This is a recruiting win that is much more of a potential long-term win than it is an immediate impact win.
So what exactly do we mean by that? What we mean is that Williams is currently a skinny and athletic yet mostly raw post player. He has great size at around 6-foot-10, has good hands and shows flashes of offensive potential with jump hooks and mid-range jumpers. However, he has been pushed around at times and has been an inconsistent performer. For that reason, he just missed the Rivals150 for the class of 2015 coming out of the summer.
But if you start to think long-term payoff with Williams, there is much to be excited about. Looking at where Williams could be two, three or four years down the road from now, he is one of those guys who has a chance to significantly out-play his high school reputation. If he can add weight and strength to his frame, if he can become a little more consistent offensively and be more of a shot blocking threat ... well, then Williams becomes a very intriguing prospect.
Looking at the Kansas State roster that should be returning in 2014-15 and their 2015 recruiting class that also includes combo guard Barry Brown, big man Eric Cobb and Rivals150 power forward Dean Wade, there doesn't seem to be a real need for Williams to have to make an instant impact. In fact, Williams looks like an almost ideal redshirt candidate for the Wildcats.
There is always the chance that Williams' improvement cycle speeds up during his senior season, and he is most definitely somebody that we will be watching closely for the final Rivals150. But, what should matter most to Kansas State fans is that Williams is certainly a Big 12-level prospect and capable of helping them out down the road. If things fall right with his development, a few years from now he has the tools to be one of those guys we all look back on as underrated.
Turner to Boston College
Another weekend pledge that caught our attention was Michigan native and New Hampton (N.H.) standout A.J. Turner popping for Boston College.
In Turner, BC has landed the first Rivals150 prospect of the Jim Christian era, and he is the best player in what is a perimeter-heavy 2015 recruiting class -- three-star shooting guard Matt Milon and three-star combo guard Jerome Robinson both committed in the last week as well -- up to this point.
Currently ranked No. 106 in the class of 2015, Turner is a lean wing scorer who has been hovering on either side of the three/four-star border for most of his high school career. He has good size at nearly 6-foot-5, can shoot with range and he also handles the bell well enough that many saw him as more of a point guard prospect earlier in his development.
Two areas where Turner is lacking the most are strength and consistency. Most likely, those two things go hand in hand. Right now, Turner can be pushed around a bit and he has somewhat disappeared when games have gotten rough and tumble. In a free flowing, up and down game he has thrived. So, the priority for Turner will be adding strength, and if that added strength allows him to be just as effective in games where he has to grind it out, then Turner emerges as a much bigger pickup than he already is. Because, to be clear, Turner is a very nice pickup for Christian and his staff and he should be able to earn minutes pretty early in his career.
Who is Jarvis Johnson?
Because of when he landed the Minnesota job, Rivals.com always felt it was unfair for anybody to expect Richard Pitino to land any of the in-state trio of 2014 studs (Tyus Battle, Rashad Vaughn or Reid Travis). However, there never should have been anything unreasonable about Gophers fans expecting him to land at least one of 2015's best players from the state such as Alex Illikainen or Jarvis Johnson.
Friday afternoon, Pitino secured Johnson's verbal commitment. A 6-foot point guard from Minneapolis (Minn.) De La Salle, Johnson joined a class that already included four-star point guard Kevin Dorsey, Rivals150 shooting guard Dupree McBrayer and three-star big man Jonathan Nwankwo.
Rated as a four-star prospect earlier in his career, Johnson was the single toughest omission from the post-summer Rivals150 for the class of 2015. His athletic gifts are there for the world to see. He is quite bouncy, he is quick and he can make things happen off of the dribble. However, Johnson had a poor summer playing on the grassroots circuit, and based on the times Rivals.com saw him play, we felt that there were others who were more deserving or who had passed him by.
Looking ahead, it wouldn't be a surprise if Johnson made Rivals either pay for or re-evaluate that decision by the time final rankings roll around in the spring of 2015. His toughness and drive certainly can't be questioned. Given that Johnson survived a heart attack that left him clinically dead for 12 minutes in 2010, getting confidence and swagger back on the basketball floor shouldn't be all that difficult.
What we like best about Johnson's potential to be a vital and productive player for Minnesota is that he is coming in with guys like Dorsey and McBrayer, so there won't be a ton of pressure on him as the highly recruited in-state player because they are highly recruited and well regarded themselves. Pitino would like to turn the tempo up and deploy several interchangeable guards who can be rotated between the point and off the ball. This would seem to fit Johnson very well because he is at his best in an up-and-down game and his athleticism and quickness should allow him to excel when the Gophers want to press.
Also working in Johnson's favor is that he will arrive having been well coached on the high school level. Dave Thorson runs one of the most highly successful programs in the Midwest at De La Salle and he should do a great job of preparing Johnson for Minnesota.
Silva announcement coming Friday
One recruitment of a Rivals150 player that we know will be coming to an end this week is that of athletic power forward Chris Silva.
A 6-foot-8 jumping jack from Roselle (N.J.) Catholic, Silva plays with a high running motor and currently ranks No. 132 in the class of 2015. He will announce his decision Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Over the weekend, Silva was at South Carolina for an official visit, and Frank Martin and his staff have prioritized Silva for quite some time. He has also seen Rhode Island and Seton Hall. Often times, the team with the most recent visit is looked at as the favorite, and the Gamecocks do appear to be in very good shape. However, URI's Danny Hurley certainly has strong ties to New Jersey, and Seton Hall is the local team, so all three appear to have good arguments.
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