Tinsley drawing overwhelming interest

When four-star prospect Brad Tinsley was released from his Letter of Intent with Pepperdine after the resignation of Vance Walberg, the Tinsley's expected to hear from a lot of the schools who recruited Tinsley the first go around. They had no idea, however, that Tinsley would draw such overwhelming interest.

"It's a good thing we kept Brad out of this," said Tinsley's father Carl Tinsley. "This has been overwhelming. I'm buffering everything and taking all the calls, so Brad can concentrate on his season. His team is ranked No. 1 in the state, and Brad has been having a great year.

"Since he was released my phone has been ringing non-stop. Besides talking to the coaches, I'm also checking the commitments of the schools contacting us and figuring out who is coming in and at what positions. I'm also watching a lot of game to look at style of play and to see how Brad would fit in. Basically, I'm trying to accumulate as much information as possible and be a database for Brad."

Carl Tinsley is taking on a daunting task.

Arizona State, Colorado, Fresno State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Vanderbilt and Washington have all watched Tinsley, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound combo guard from Oregon City (Ore.) High School play since his release. Butler, Iowa and Wake Forest are expected to watch Tinsley this week, and North Carolina head coach Roy Williams should be in Oregon City in two weeks.

"The big question for Brad right now is whether he wants to leave the west coast," said Tinsley. "When you hear from a school like North Carolina, it catches your attention. They are still evaluating Brad and haven't offered a scholarship yet. Coach Holladay must have liked what he saw because we got a call from Roy Williams two days later. Coach Williams wants to see him and is supposed to come out here in two weeks."

With Tinsley receiving varied levels of interest from such a large number of schools, Carl Tinsley did list the schools that seem the most serious about his son. Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Oklahoma, Colorado, Butler, Iowa, Oregon and Arizona State are coming on the hardest according to Tinsley. Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon, Vanderbilt and Virginia all offered Tinsley before he signed with Pepperdine.

This past weekend Tinsley spent some time on the Oregon campus on an unofficial visit, and will likely take some official visits after the season.

"Prior to the state tournament, we'd like to try to narrow down the list," said Tinsley. "Brad has four official visits left, so he needs to figure out what schools he thinks are worth visiting. Then we need to work it out around his baseball season."

A combo guard with a strong feel for the game, Tinsley is looking for a situation where he can utilize his variety of skills.

"Brad is a true combo guard," said Tinsley. "Some schools like his ability to score off the ball, and others are impressed with his ability to run a team. Brad has a great feel for the game and likes to distribute the ball, I don't think he would be happy if he were relegated to just being a shooter. He would prefer to have the ball in his hands at least some of the time."

Tinsley, the No. 93 ranked prospect in the Rivals150, is averaging 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds per game for his 21-1 squad.