re: Tide Hoops | Recruiting

quote:

---

2022 4 star Malique Ewin (@MaliqueEwin) has picked up a crystal ball prediction for @OleMissMBB via @247Sports.

---

quote:

---

Quite the influx of schools coming in tomorrow to see Five-star senior Ernest Udeh Jr. He told @Stockrisers that Kansas, Alabama, Miami, Michigan, Florida, and Baylor will all be in at the start of the live period.

Several schools expected in on Monday as well.

---

quote:

---

HOOPS: Five-star Julian Phillips set for USC official visit this weekend

Julian Phillips is going to get a trial run during his senior season.

The composite five-star 2022 prospect has made the move from Blythewood (S.C.) to the middle of the country to play his final year at Branson (Mo.) Link Year Prep. Link Year is an up-and-coming prep school that has been stacking talent on its rosters the last couple of years. It has another bevy of talented players this year led by Phillips and composite top 50 prospect Jordan Walsh on the wings.

Phillips said he’s making the move to further his development as a player, but being nearly 900 miles away from home should also develop his academic and social skills as he prepares to move on to college next year.

“I thought going there, just getting me ready for college, I think it will help me,” Phillips said. “And for player development reasons, I’ll be more challenged.”

It will also give the silky 6-foot-8 wing an opportunity to see how life is away from Blythewood and determine if that is something he prefers or wants to avoid with his college decision.

“I can already have a year down with [being away from home], so when I get to college I'll be more comfortable with that as well,” Phillips said. “But the distance, that's not really a factor in my case. I personally want to go to the best school there is for me, where I fit at the most, so wherever that may be, I'm willing to travel there.”

Phillips is being recruited by programs all over the nation and recently narrowed his list of schools to a top 10 of Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Kansas, LSU, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and Virginia. He has taken four official visits. Every time he goes to a school, Phillips is investigating how he will fit with a program and the academics a school has to offer, but the most important element he’s focused on are the coaches, players, administrators and faculty he could potentially be spending his college experience with.

“When I went into those visits, I was mainly looking for people I could jell with,” he said. “I took away that all the schools I like are really nice, so I think you have to really find the right people. You look them in the eye. You talk to them. You get that feel for them because most of the schools have nice facilities and things like that.”

So far those official visits haven’t strayed from the Southeast. Phillips has made stops at Clemson, Florida State, LSU and Wake Forest. That will change this weekend when Phillips heads to Los Angeles to take an official visit at USC.

Phillips said he has been speaking regularly with the USC coaching staff and has a strong relationship with associate head coach Chris Capko, who he talks to “all the time really.” Capko has been showing Phillips USC’s campus through photos and on Zoom calls. Phillips is excited to see it for himself.

“I just want to see what it's like,” Phillips said. “I know it's a different lifestyle than what I'm used to. You know, East Coast to West Coast, so just see what it's like out there, see if I can see myself living all the way out there far, to see the nice schools and everything else they have to offer.”

The Zoom calls between Phillips and Capko have also featured film breakdowns and discussions of how Phillips could fit in with the Trojans. He could be an asset on both ends of the court with his length and quickness.

“I had a good vibe. I like what he was saying, so I really do want to go out there and visit it and see everything in person,” Phillips said. “They've been doing real good the last few years. They've put a couple of guys in the league, in the first round as well. Things like that, always intrigue me.”

Phillips has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Evan Mobley, Onyeka Okongwu and Kevin Porter Jr. as NBA first-round draft picks.

He has the ability to slink through defenses with solid ball handling skills and a dynamic combination of balance and body control. He has a great feel for how to break down defenders off the dribble and how to attack a team defense once he gets an advantage on his defender.

At times, it seems like Phillips is contorting his body to glide through traffic, which at least partially can be attributed to the work he does with trainer Christian Savage. Phillips works on using his physicality and overall size against smaller defenders, but tightening up his frame when cutting through the lane in traffic and playing lower to the ground against bigger defenders, enabling Phillips to explode higher when he lifts up for a shot.

His height enables Phillips to shoot over smaller defenders on the wing, something he’s doing with more and more consistency, shooting better than ever this summer playing with the Upward Stars during the live evaluation period. He has a consistent stroke off the dribble and his athleticism enables him to create that extra smidgen of space on crossover pull ups and step-back jumpers. He can also take smaller guards down into the post and rely on the moves he learned playing in the post during his youth basketball experiences.

“My most unique aspect of my game is my versatility. I’m a bigger guard. I play the wing. I can bring it up, shoot it, do different things,” said Phillips, adding that he’s never satisfied with where his game is at. “I'm really working on everything. I believe everything always needs some fine tuning, doing a lot, taking a lot of shots, shoot a lot coming off screens and stuff like that. Those have been the main things I've been working on trying to make the game more simple.”

What’s simple is that whichever program eventually earns a commitment and a National Letter of Intent signature from Phillips is getting a player ready to push himself and everyone around him to new heights.

---

quote:

---

Doubt bama will pursue unless they miss someone else.

---

quote:

---

He’s had a really rough summer and fallen on a lot of boards.

---

quote:

---

Rylan Griffen, the nation’s No. 68 overall prospect in the class of 2022, has named a Top 10 of Kansas State, Auburn, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Cal, Alabama, NC State, Kansas and Georgia.

---

quote:

---

Top-50 senior Ty Rodgers will have two in-home visits today: Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Alabama’s Nate Oats, he told @Stockrisers. Both are squarely in the mix with the Michigan native.

---

quote:

---

Texas was in this morning for 2023 top-15 Ja’Kobe Walter, he tells @On3Recruits.

Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama, and Baylor all planning on making the trip to come see him.

---