St. John’s, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina to Prioritize Rawle Alkins; Heron Visits Alabama, Marquette (UPDATED)

With the July live period set to begin next week around the nation, college coaches will soon be converging on the NY Rens AAU team featuring 2016 stars Rawle Alkins and Mustapha Heron.

Beginning next week and over the following three weeks, the Rens will attend the adidas Gauntlet Finale in Suwanee, Ga.; the adidas Uprising All-American Camp in Long Island; and then the adidas Summer Championships in Las Vegas (formerly the Super 64).

“I think [college coaches] are there more to let know Rawle and Mustapha know that they’re there,” Rens director Andy Borman told The 4 Quarters Podcast on Wednesday.

“For Rawle, obviously St. John’s is going to make him a priority. I haven’t spoken to any of the guys form Kentucky but I’ve spoken to Rawle and his family and Kentucky has said that they’ll be out there. [North] Carolina will be out there. I know Tom Crean and Indiana will be out there….From what I’ve heard, essentially everyone on Rawle’s list will be out there.”

St. John’s coach Chris Mullin and his staff have prioritized Alkins and Heron as two critical pieces in their focus on the Class of 2016, but they have competition from virtually everybody.

After excelling at the recent Adidas EuroCamp in Italy, the 6-foot-5 Alkins holds offers from virtually every major program in the nation, including Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, Villanova, Indiana, Louisville, Cincinnati, N.C. State, St. John’s and more. Duke and North Carolina have also expressed interest.

As previously reported, Alkins may end up attending a prep school next season because his high school clock in New York and at Christ the King has run out.

After decommitting from Pittsburgh, Heron’s recruitment has also soared.

He visited Alabama over the weekend and tripped to Marquette on Monday and Tuesday.

Heron was going to visit St. John’s on Thursday but can’t because no unofficial visits are allowed in July. He may visit St. John’s in August, but won’t take any officials until colleges are in session.

“I know that St. John’s is on him pretty hard,” Borman said on the Podcast. “I know Mississippi State is on him pretty hard….I hate naming lists because I know I’m going to forget somebody.”

As for the visit to Alabama, “I know that Mustapha’s dad Bryan was impressed with Avery Johnson down at Alabama. He said he’s a very real, genuine guy, thinks that that’s a program that’s on the rise.

“Obviously, they just got  a commitment from Kobie Eubanks. If you look at the programs that Mustapha is looking at, they’re all programs that are quickly becoming players.

“Mississippi State got the kid Malik Newman, Alabama got the kid Kobie Eubanks, Marquette got the kid Henry Ellenson along with four or five other Top 100 kids, and I think that those type of schools provide Mustafa with the opportunity to not only be an impact player asa freshman but also being a part of putting someone on the map and in that tournament-run kind of area, which is unique. You always want to be a part of making someone great.”

For more on other players from the Rens, including 2017 Christ the King point guard Jose Alvarado, who added offers from Indiana and Miami and has visited St. John’s, listen to the podcast.