Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Chandler Visiting Oregon, Could Pull the Trigger This Weekend
Michael Chandler will take an official visit to Oregon beginning Friday and could pull the trigger on his visit.
If he does, it will be the fourth school the 6-foot-10, 245-pound center commits to. He has already committed and decommitted from Louisville, Xavier and UCF.
“We’re going to check them out and if he really, really likes them, he may pull the trigger,” Allan Chandler, Michael’s uncle, told SNY.tv. “It’s up to the big fella.
“I like them, his mom likes them, it’s up to him. From what I can tell, he does because we’re taking the visit.”
Arizona, Memphis, Gonzaga, Iowa State, and Seton Hall have also been involved to varying degrees with Chandler, a former Lawrence (Ind.) North star who was ranked the No. 5 center in the Class of 2011 by Rivals.
Oregon has two commits in the Class of 2014 in point guard Casey Benson and small forward Dwayne Benjamin. Canadian power forward Ray Kasongorecently committed to Oregon, only to change his mind after reconsidering UConn. Sources said Oregon is no longer recruiting Kasongo.
Meantime, Oregon assistant coach Tony Stubblefield has remained in contact with Chandler throughout.
“They’re actually one of the schools that’s been recruiting him all along through the whole process,” Allan Chandler said. “One of the things that we really like is they’re in the Pac-12 so they’re in a major conference. They’ve got some nice guards over there, they’ve got a real nice team. Coach [Dana] Altman is a real good coach. I’ve had a real good relationship with coach Stubblefield over the last few years. He’s kept in touch wiht me. He hasn’t lied to me about anything.
“They’re letting us know that they’ve got room for him and they’ve got the minutes for him as well making sure he gets everything that he needs. We really like the coaching staff over at Oregon.”
Northwest Florida coach Steve DeMeo previously told SNY.tv that Chandler was on pace to qualify out of junior college.
“Academically, I think he wants to focus on his work,” DeMeo told SNY.tv. “He’s been doing a great job this semester. He’s on course for a 2.5 but I think he wants to focus on that instead of going on his visits and missing school.
“He’s very focused on working with tutors and going to class. We believe he’s going to be at a 2.5 or better.”
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Michael Chandler will take an official visit to Oregon beginning Friday and could pull the trigger on his visit.
If he does, it will be the fourth school the 6-foot-10, 245-pound center commits to. He has already committed and decommitted from Louisville, Xavier and UCF.
“We’re going to check them out and if he really, really likes them, he may pull the trigger,” Allan Chandler, Michael’s uncle, told SNY.tv. “It’s up to the big fella.
“I like them, his mom likes them, it’s up to him. From what I can tell, he does because we’re taking the visit.”
Arizona, Memphis, Gonzaga, Iowa State, and Seton Hall have also been involved to varying degrees with Chandler, a former Lawrence (Ind.) North star who was ranked the No. 5 center in the Class of 2011 by Rivals.
Oregon has two commits in the Class of 2014 in point guard Casey Benson and small forward Dwayne Benjamin. Canadian power forward Ray Kasongo recently committed to Oregon, only to change his mind after reconsidering UConn. Sources said Oregon is no longer recruiting Kasongo.
Meantime, Oregon assistant coach Tony Stubblefield has remained in contact with Chandler throughout.
“They’re actually one of the schools that’s been recruiting him all along through the whole process,” Allan Chandler said. “One of the things that we really like is they’re in the Pac-12 so they’re in a major conference. They’ve got some nice guards over there, they’ve got a real nice team. Coach [Dana] Altman is a real good coach. I’ve had a real good relationship with coach Stubblefield over the last few years. He’s kept in touch wiht me. He hasn’t lied to me about anything.
“They’re letting us know that they’ve got room for him and they’ve got the minutes for him as well making sure he gets everything that he needs. We really like the coaching staff over at Oregon.”
Northwest Florida coach Steve DeMeo previously told SNY.tv that Chandler was on pace to qualify out of junior college.
“Academically, I think he wants to focus on his work,” DeMeo told SNY.tv. “He’s been doing a great job this semester. He’s on course for a 2.5 but I think he wants to focus on that instead of going on his visits and missing school.
“He’s very focused on working with tutors and going to class. We believe he’s going to be at a 2.5 or better.”
