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.
Here’s a Recruiting Rundown following a busy weekend that included the PrimeTime Shootout in New Jersey:
**Thon Maker is expected to announce this week whether or not he will reclass to 2015 from 2016. Read this story for the latest and check back later this week for updates.
**UConn is the latest school to offer uncommitted 2015 point guard Traci Carter of Burlington (N.J.) Life Center, who told SNY.tv the offer felt “wonderful” and he planned to visit. Pervis Ellison, Carter’s coach, previously said he was under impression that UConn “needs a point guard bad” even though they have Jalen Adams of Brewster (N.H.) Academy coming in. Carter, who also recently picked up offers from N.C. State, Xavier and Marquette, also attended Sunday’s Ohio State-Rutgers game.
**Tyus Battle, the 2016 guard from Gladstone (N.J.) Gill St. Bernard’s who recently returned from a stress fracture, was also at the Ohio State-Rutgers game. The 6-6 Battle is considering Ohio State along with others, including Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse and Michigan. He has a list of 11 schools but plans to cut it again soon.
**Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon and Iowa State assistant Matt Abdelmassih both watched 6-9 2015 forward Cheick Diallo of Our Savior New American on Sunday at the PrimeTime Shootout. Diallo went for 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 64-61 loss to Syracuse-bound forward Moustapha Diagne (9 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Pope John 23. Iowa State saw Diallo twice this weekend. He is considering ISU along with Pitt, Kentucky, Kansas and St. John’s and will commit late. Pitt-bound guard Damon Wilson went for 24 points in the loss.
“It’s a great event,” Dixon said of the PrimeTime Shootout. “Fit well in our schedule after playing Syracuse yesterday. Lots of good players. We got a lot of Pitt presence in the Jersey area. I was at church today and saw someone wearing a Pitt shirt. High level games all the way through [on Sunday].”
**Davon Dillard, a 6-5 wing from Our Savior, had 19 points in the loss. He recently cut his list to five schools, Indiana, Purdue, Creighton, Cal and Pitt. In addition to Pitt’s Dixon, Creighton assistant Pat Sellers was on hand at the PrimeTime.
**DePaul assistant Billy Garrett watched 2015 St. Benedict’s guard Eli Cain, who went for 8 points in a 95-70 beatdown of Newark Tech. Cain decommitted from Delaware.
**Creighton offered 2017 St. Benedict’s point guard Nate Pierre-Louis, sources confirmed. Georgetown has not yet offered.
**Providence offered 6-11 2017 big man Samuel Japhet-Mathias of Vermont Academy.
**South Carolina-bound forward Chris Silva went for 13 points as Roselle (N.J.) Catholic beat Paterson Eastside, 70-51. Monmouth-bound forward Pierre Sarr added 8 points.
**St. Joe’s-Metuchen 2016 guard Breein Tyree went off for this dunk below and told Slater USC, Creighton, UMass, St. Joe’s, Rutgers, Temple, BU and Virginia Tech are recruiting him.
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.
Here’s a Recruiting Rundown following a busy weekend that included the PrimeTime Shootout in New Jersey:
**Thon Maker is expected to announce this week whether or not he will reclass to 2015 from 2016. Read this story for the latest and check back later this week for updates.
**UConn is the latest school to offer uncommitted 2015 point guard Traci Carter of Burlington (N.J.) Life Center, who told SNY.tv the offer felt “wonderful” and he planned to visit. Pervis Ellison, Carter’s coach, previously said he was under impression that UConn “needs a point guard bad” even though they have Jalen Adams of Brewster (N.H.) Academy coming in. Carter, who also recently picked up offers from N.C. State, Xavier and Marquette, also attended Sunday’s Ohio State-Rutgers game.
**Tyus Battle, the 2016 guard from Gladstone (N.J.) Gill St. Bernard’s who recently returned from a stress fracture, was also at the Ohio State-Rutgers game. The 6-6 Battle is considering Ohio State along with others, including Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse and Michigan. He has a list of 11 schools but plans to cut it again soon.
**Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon and Iowa State assistant Matt Abdelmassih both watched 6-9 2015 forward Cheick Diallo of Our Savior New American on Sunday at the PrimeTime Shootout. Diallo went for 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in a 64-61 loss to Syracuse-bound forward Moustapha Diagne (9 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Pope John 23. Iowa State saw Diallo twice this weekend. He is considering ISU along with Pitt, Kentucky, Kansas and St. John’s and will commit late. Pitt-bound guard Damon Wilson went for 24 points in the loss.
“It’s a great event,” Dixon said of the PrimeTime Shootout. “Fit well in our schedule after playing Syracuse yesterday. Lots of good players. We got a lot of Pitt presence in the Jersey area. I was at church today and saw someone wearing a Pitt shirt. High level games all the way through [on Sunday].”
**Davon Dillard, a 6-5 wing from Our Savior, had 19 points in the loss. He recently cut his list to five schools, Indiana, Purdue, Creighton, Cal and Pitt. In addition to Pitt’s Dixon, Creighton assistant Pat Sellers was on hand at the PrimeTime.
**DePaul assistant Billy Garrett watched 2015 St. Benedict’s guard Eli Cain, who went for 8 points in a 95-70 beatdown of Newark Tech. Cain decommitted from Delaware.
**Creighton offered 2017 St. Benedict’s point guard Nate Pierre-Louis, sources confirmed. Georgetown has not yet offered.
**Providence offered 6-11 2017 big man Samuel Japhet-Mathias of Vermont Academy.
**South Carolina-bound forward Chris Silva went for 13 points as Roselle (N.J.) Catholic beat Paterson Eastside, 70-51. Monmouth-bound forward Pierre Sarr added 8 points.
**St. Joe’s-Metuchen 2016 guard Breein Tyree went off for this dunk below and told Slater USC, Creighton, UMass, St. Joe’s, Rutgers, Temple, BU and Virginia Tech are recruiting him.
