Weekend brings commitment frenzy
Another weekend, and another frenzy of commitments.
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It started off early Friday with No. 140 in the country Brandon Parrish picking TCU, and by the end of the weekend seven members of the Rivals150 had made their decisions. Here's a look back at some of the weekend's news and notes.
Bit of everything for Oregon
It was certainly an interesting weekend up in Eugene. The Ducks got commitments from a pair of dual-sport twins, landed a transfer and hosted a top five player in the country.
Let's start with the commitments. Twin brothers Tyree Robinson and Tyrell Robinson were actually in town for a football visit. Considered two of the top athletes in the country, the 6-foot-4 twins are both four-star prospects who rank No. 134 and No. 166, respectively, on the gridiron.
In hoops, Tyree is a three-star shooting guard who ranks No. 120 nationally while Tyrell is also a three-star wing and landed just outside of the national rankings. They say they will play both sports and that Dana Altman and his staff are open to it, but they are clearly heading to Oregon as football recruits.
Heading to Oregon for sure as a basketball recruit is Rice transfer Arsalan Kazemi, who averaged 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds as a junior. An impact transfer, Kazemi will petition for immediate eligibility and could be a major boost to the Ducks' lineup if he's allowed to play without sitting for a year.
Another who could be a major boost to the Ducks is the No. 5 player in the land, Aaron Gordon. The 6-foot-8 senior from San Jose (Calif.) Archbishop Mitty didn't commit, but he did report having a good time and the facilities caught his eye.
"Amazing facilities and a great coaching staff," Gordon told Rivals.com when asked to sum up his visit. "If I would go there, I feel I would be successful."
But, don't expect a decision in the near future for the high-flying Californian. In addition to Oregon, he's seen California and has already hosted Arizona, Washington and Kentucky for in home visits. Next up is an home from Kansas and a trip to Washington on the weekend.
After that he'll visit the Jayhawks for Late Night before seeing Arizona and Kentucky over the next two weekends.
Decision for Jackson?
One guy who didn't make a decision this weekend is the No. 27 player in the country Demetrius Jackson.
However, the 6-foot-1 point guard has now visited the two schools leading for his services in Illinois and Notre Dame after seeing the Irish over the weekend. Kansas is hoping to get a visit this coming weekend but that visit isn't yet a certainty.
If Jackson decides not to visit the Jayhawks this weekend, then it's a good bet that he'll have a decision before the week is over. If he visits Kansas, then things get very interesting. For now, though, it looks to be a dead heat between the Irish and Illini.
Down to two
Despite his status as the No. 40 prospect in the country, the recruitment of wing Sindarius Thornwell has been a little under the radar. But, the South Carolina native, who is spending his senior year at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill, is inching closer to a decision.
On Saturday, Thornwell stopped by South Carolina for a visit and then on Sunday he hosted Frank Martin for an in-home visit. Throughout the commitment, it's been thought that Thornwell would end up staying close to home. Martin and his staff have worked hard to build a bond with the slashing wing since taking over the South Carolina job in the spring. So far, it looks to be paying off as the Gamecocks hold a slight edge over Thornwell's other finalist N.C. State.
However, Mark Gottfried's squad isn't out of it yet and there's no question that USC would like to get Thornwell to make a decision before he visits Raleigh officially a few weekends from now.
Commitment talk
What a weekend for Danny Hurley and the staff at Rhode Island. The Rams were able to haul in two Rivals150 prospects when four-star combo guard E.C. Matthews and three-star combo forward Hassan Martin pulled the trigger. Matthews has great size and is a strong driver who could be an instant impact player in the A-10. Martin is a long-limbed athlete who is going to sneak up on people who don't realize just how good he is.
N.C. State just continues to roll along. In four-star big man Kyle Washington they are getting an important recruit with some good things going for him. One, Washington is a bit of a late bloomer who has come on strong over the last six months or so. He's 6-foot-9, has good length, good shoulders to build on, runs the floor and plays smart basketball. A good rebounder, Washington is developing into a very reliable low-post scorer. Most importantly, he has the skill to play the four but once he bulks up a little more, he also has the size to play as a five-man with skill and scoring ability in the pivot.
Three other ACC programs combined to land a pair of four-stars and a just-outside-the-Rivals150 three-star over the weekend. Miami got it started on Friday night when 6-foot-6, four-star wing Davon Reed made the call. He is a big wing with a good mid-range game and the potential to be a high-level defender. At Virginia Tech, four-star off-guard Donte Clark could be a very good fit. The Hokies will really need off-the-dribble scorers next year and the 6-foot-4 Clark falls into that category. At Wake Forest, Miles Overton fits the profile of guys that the Deacons seem to like. A three-star shooting guard, Overton's strength is his overall skill level and his feel for the game. How he adjusts to the athleticism of the ACC will be huge in determining his impact.
Other high majors receiving commitments were Texas A&M and Iowa. They both landed wing shooters. A&M went into the state of Georgia and plucked out three-star wing Davante Fitzgerald. Over the past few weeks, Rivals.com has received as many phone calls, texts and inquiries from college coaches about Fitzgerald as any other player in the country. The Aggies fell in love with his near 6-foot-7 size and shooting ability and moved quickly to get him done. In Iowa City, Peter Jok found a home. Heavily hyped as a younger player, the 6-foot-5'ish wing has battled injuries for much of his career. He is a good spot up shooter, but the senior will have to adjust to the athleticism of the Big Ten and has to be able to play faster.
Three-star small forward Tevon Saddler could end up being one heck of a pickup for UNC Greensboro. The Baltimore native is a tough kid, slashes to the basket and does a lot of the things that don't show up in the boxscore. He could wind up a major steal for the Spartans. Another potential steal is Josh James, who committed to Monmouth over the weekend. James is a tough little point guard who can score the ball and he looked like a strong mid-major prospect over the summer.
Finally, Xavier Rathan-Mayes completed an official visit to Illinois over the weekend. The visit went well, but the question is whether it went well enough to get the job done with the top-25 player. Well, that answer will come soon enough. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Huntington (W.V.) Prep will be announcing his decision on Oct. 13. The other finalists are Florida State and Connecticut and right now the 'Noles appear to be in the lead. Speaking of Florida State, the Seminoles hosted 2013 four-star shooting guard Jajuan Johnson over the weekend while 2014 four-star point guard Joel Berry also made a trip to Tallahassee.
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