Matthew Hurt, the 6-foot-9, 215-pound star forward for unbeaten Rochester (MN) John Marshall, tells ZAGSBLOG that seven schools are working the hardest in his recruitment right now.
During a phone interview Thursday night, Hurt listed Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, Minnesota and Indiana and broke down each school’s appeal.
“That seven,” he said. “It’s not my list, it’s just the schools working hard right now.”
Duke: “[Their message is] that I can fit in with their play style because they think it’s really tough to have a tall guy like me that can shoot from deep. [Coach K] said he can’t really compare me with anybody on their team right now. They’re great players, most of them are going to be lottery picks, so it just felt good when he said that.” North Carolina: “Kind of like the same thing, that I could fit in really well. I would have the freedom to play. Roy Williams compared me to Luke May on their team this year, who does a little bit of everything. They really want me to rebound and push it up the floor, so that’s good.” Kentucky: “Their message is, they say that they produce really good one-and-done players and that’s what I’m going to try to do. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time right now.” Minnesota: “Just like North Carolina, I would have the freedom to do a little bit of everything, so it feels good when a coach says that. They just want me to play loose and play free, so that’s good.” Kansas: “They had a really good 2018 recruiting class and they think I can fit in really well with their 2018 class, so a little bit of everything.” UCLA: “I have a friend committed there already, [2019 guard] Grant Sherfield, and he’s been texting me a little bit. And their message just in general is just come, make a legacy there and just try to win a national championship.”At @JMRocketsBBB, @KentuckyMBB head coach John Calipari and @UNC_Basketball HC Roy Williams were in #RochMn to watch Matthew Hurt play…I’m no expert, but IMO, Hurt did not disappoint both head coaches tonight… pic.twitter.com/oWGTJxopM7
— Sean Tehan TV (@SeanTehanABC6) December 13, 2017
Indiana: “They’re not trying to put any pressure on me but they would expect a lot from me first year. It’s pretty cool seeing these coaches on TV and seeing them in person, too. But just in general try to be a playmaker and a scorer at the same time.” Hurt, who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 5 player in the Class of 2019, took unofficial visits to Duke (Oct. 20) and North Carolina (Oct. 21) earlier this year. He has also taken unofficial visits to Kentucky (Sept. 28), Indiana (Sept. 29), Minnesota (Oct. 29), and Kansas (Nov. 17). He has no other visits planned at the moment, but said “I’m trying to cut my list by the end of the year.” “We have a tough schedule the rest of the year,” he added, “so I’m just trying to rest up and get ready for the games. Photo: kaaltv.com Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter And Like ZAGS on FacebookGrant Sherfield to Matthew Hurt ? @gsherfield5 @HurtMatthew pic.twitter.com/QKsfkrIEqQ
— Overtime (@overtime) June 17, 2017
