Favors Could Decide in the Spring
After visiting Georgia this past weekend, South
After visiting Georgia this past weekend, South
St. Benedict’s Prep senior guard Tamir Jackson has a top five now that he has decommitted from Alabama-Birmingham.
“Rice, Harvard, Penn, South Carolina and Virginia Tech,” Jackson wrote in a text message.
The 6-foot-2 Jackson visited Rice last week and said he enjoyed it.
“It was great. I liked it a lot,” he said.
He committed to UAB in April and then decommitted in July.
Abdul Gaddy began an official visit with his mother to UCLA Thursday morning and is down to the Bruins and Arizona, according to his travel team coach Garry Ward.
“His visit is just beginning this morning,” Ward said by phone. “He flew in last night and all he could do was have dinner. I’m going to talk to (UCLA assistant) Scott Duncan this morning.”
Asked if Gaddy, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard from Bellarmine (Wash.) Prep, might verbally commit during the visit, Ward said: “They’re going to have to impress him. I think it’s 55-45, Arizona. Two great schools. They kind of play similar styles. They play in the same conference. They’re both close to home. May the best man win.”
Keith “Tiny” Gallon, a 6-9, 290-pound forward from Humble, Texas, says he’s going back to Oak Hill Academy instead of joining John Wall at Word of God Academy.
“I just wanted to, I thought about it,” Gallon said in a text message.
Gallon had originally said he was going to transfer to Word of God in Raleigh, N.C after spending last season at Oak Hill Academy alongside Brandon Jennings. Oak Hill coach Steve Smith previously told me Gallon would not return there. Smith was not immediately available for comment, but Gallon said he had spoken with the coach about returning.
In case there was any doubt, Greg Echenique has been cleared by the NCAA to play at Rutgers.
“I didn’t think there was ever any question whether he’d be cleared,” RU coach Freddie Hill told Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com. “We’re really excited about Greg and the rest of our freshman class.”
Echenique, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound big man who starred at St. Benedict’s Prep, excelled this summer for the Venezuelan U18 National Team in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship. Echenique led the tournament in scoring (22.2 ppg) and blocks (3.6 per game) and was second in rebounding (13.6).
“I know college basketball is a different thing, especially in the Big East but I feel good where I am right now,” Echenique said in an interview this summer. “I know I (have) to get better, but the more I play I earn more experience so at least that will help me on the court. It also helps me to know what I do better and what I need to improve. It helps me to stay in shape, and I am looking forward to playing at Rutgers.”
Rutgers Head Men’s Basketball Coach Fred Hill announced the hiring of Danny Nee as Director of Player Development and Oliver Winterbone as Director of Basketball Operations. Hill also announced that Dennis Gregory, formerly the Director of Basketball Operations, will now serve as Senior Director of Basketball Operations and that Matt Bloom, previously a special assistant, will be Basketball Operations Coordinator.
Tiger Woods will once again watch Roger
