NEW YORK — C.J. Leslie is getting close. The 6-foot-8 power forward from Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Academy is considering Kentucky, N.C. State, Florida and UConn and will decide sometime after Saturday’s Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m., ESPN2. Leslie is good friends with Brandon Knight, the 6-3 point guard who announced for Kentucky on Wednesday. Is Leslie considering following Knight to Bluegrass country? “I will and I am,” Leslie said Thursday at the Jordan Brand Classic practice at Sports Club/LA in Manhattan. “We’re pretty tight. We text probably pretty much every other day, if not every day.” Leslie also played last year with John Wall, the Kentucky star who will likely be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. Will that be a factor in his decision? “He said he had a great time there, he liked it,” Leslie said of Wall. “We don’t really talk about school like that…We just talk about stuff off the court.” Leslie said he plans to visit Florida on Sunday “right after” the Jordan Game and will then decide. “I’m waiting to see what this last visit is going to be like,” Leslie said. “I’m looking forward to going to Florida, having a great time, enjoying myself and getting to know something that I didn’t about that program. “After that, I’ll be shortly making my decision.” Will Leslie visit UConn, too? “I’m not really sure about it. If I can squeeze a visit in there, that’s what I’m going to do, but I’m not real sure as of right now,” he said. ROSARIO IS MULLING TENNESSEE, OTHER SCHOOLS
As first reported at SNY.tv Wednesday night, Florida will also host former Rutgers shooting guard Mike Rosario beginning Friday. Rosario received a conditional release from the Big East school Wednesday.
Several other schools have also begun calling about the 6-2 Rosario, including Tennessee, Kansas State, Maryland, Kentucky and Oklahoma, according to Jorge Fontan, Rosario’s mentor and the father of USC point guard Jio Fontan.
“When we get back from Florida we’re going to talk to Tennessee to try to set up a visit with them,” Fontan said Thursday.
No date has yet been set.
“It would have to be on a weekend,” Fontan said.
Fontan said he also likes what Kansas State coach Frank Martin had to say.
“We’re interested in Kansas State. I like him a lot,” Fontan said.
Fontan said Maryland, Oklahoma and Kentucky also called but nothing has been set yet.
“I don’t know yet,” he said.
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