re: UA Basketball Recruiting

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2021 SG Jusaun Holt trims his list to 6- UGA, Wake Forest, Xavier, Miami, Alabama, and Washington make the cut. He’s had as good of a summer as any prospect in Georgia’s 2021 class. High-level shooter whose motor never stops.

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Stanford is the latest to offer 2022 Oak Mountain (AL) big man Will Shaver

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After a busy contact period with nearly ‘20 programs’ reaching out to Top-50 prospect Rodney Rice, the 6-foot-4 guard out of Hyattsville (Md.) says that five programs are heavily in the mix and have been in consistent contact as of late.

The newest addition to DeMatha Catholic’s roster told Stockrisers.com that ‘Maryland, Alabama, Louisville, Miami, and Indiana’ are heavily involved. He broke down three of the five programs listed as heavily involved with Stockrisers.

Alabama: “The staff has been saying that they love the way I play and my playing style. They said my style of play fits their style of play the best.”

Louisville: “They’ve been saying they’ve wanted me for a while and that I could be an instant impact if I join their program.”

Maryland: “They have been saying that I have what it takes since day one.”

In addition, Rice says that Indiana has bolstered him as a priority despite not having an offer from the Hoosiers. The DMV prospect rated amongst the Top-50 in the class of 2022, says that IU’s staff led by Archie Miller will complete a zoom call with him ‘very soon’ and that they’ve been on him heavy.

Miami has also completed a zoom call with Rice on several occasions. Chris Lykes is a guy that Rice is familiar with since they’re both from the same area and Larranaga has likely pitched a similar role for him since Lykes is one of the Hurricanes top players.

As far as an early commitment timeline, Rice says ‘next year’ will be the year. We’ve seen some early 2022 commitments but Rice will not be one of those.

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Class of 2021 JUCO forward Langston Wilson currently holds more than 40 college offers, but his route to high-major Division 1 basketball has been far from ordinary.

“I don’t think a lot of people know that I didn’t play high school basketball,” Wilson said in a phone interview with ZAGSBLOG Saturday. “That surprises a lot of people when I tell them that.”

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound small forward from Georgia Highlands (GA) College, moved to Atlanta with his sister in March of 2019 and it was there that he caught the attention of Georgia Highlands (GA) College.

“A coach saw me at an open gym and put me in touch with coach J.J. [Merritt],” he said. “It was a twist of fate, more or less. The rest is history.”

After a 2019-20 season at Georgia Highlands in which he averaged 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists on 54 percent shooting, Wilson has picked up offers from some of the biggest schools in Division 1 basketball.

“Langston Wilson is an unbelievable young man that gets it on all levels of life and deserves the attention he is getting,” Merritt said by text Saturday. “His story is one that should motivate every person in this world.”

Most recently, Wilson has picked up offers from Texas A&M, Maryland Eastern Shore, Howard and Kansas.

He broke down each school:

Texas A&M: “Coach Buzz [Williams] recently took over the program not too long ago. Me and them have had a lot of good conversations, with me and the staff. The way that they play fits my game. They like to get up and down in transition and they have a lot of people in that forward spot that are pretty versatile. We’ve had a lot of good conversations and I’m looking forward to having a Zoom with them this upcoming week.”

Maryland Eastern Shore: “Coach Kevon [Davis] was the assistant coach at Indian Hills [Community College] before this. He’s a good friend of my dad. My dad and coach Kevon coached together at one point. I’ve been in contact with coach [Jason] Crafton with him being a guy that was an NBA trainer, which is huge. They have a great staff. I did a Zoom call with them and that’s where they offered me a scholarship. What I was hearing from them was with them being an HBCU, which is huge with everything that’s going on socially and in the world right now, was about being a highly-rated prospect and changing the culture. That was the main point of conversation between me and them.”

Kansas: “I know a lot about them. I’ve watched them on TV plenty of times. They play a really good brand of basketball and I respect it. I had great conversations with coach [Jerrance] Howard, the assistant coach and coach [Bill] Self as well. They’re really more down to earth than a lot of people would expect them to be. For them to be in the position that they’re in, having a great program, winning the Big 12 for so many years, getting to the tournament and attaining a No. 1 overall ranking in the country on multiple occasions over multiple years, sending multiple people to the NBA, that’s huge. A few guys from my area, the Morris twins, who went there and did well under them and were able to get to the NBA. I’m pretty familiar with Kansas. A lot of people are.”

Howard: “I had talked to Howard since February kind of consistently. A lot of our conversations happened then. It’s kind of the same thing with them. Especially getting Makur Maker was huge. They’re talking to me about that and having a prospect like him on campus, it’s really big for them, with him being a five-star and having all the blue-blood schools on him, but choosing to go to Howard.”

Wilson’s other offers include: Arizona State, West Virginia, Florida International, Kansas State, Georgia, Memphis, Seton Hall, Alabama, South Carolina, Penn State, Tulsa, Cleveland State, Towson, Texas Southern, La Salle, Wichita State, Oregon, Mississippi Valley State, Ole Miss, UAB, SMU, East Carolina, SIUE, VCU, North Carolina A&T, Maryland, Murray State, Norfolk State, Morgan State, Nicholls State, Troy, Cal State Bakersfield, Little Rock, Mount St. Mary’s, Iona, Saint Louis, Grambling State, Miles and Alcorn State.

“I’m really just trying to feel out the recruiting process and hear what everyone has to say,” Wilson said. “A lot of people are saying that I’m trying to play the numbers game, but that’s not the case at all. Being someone in my position and being new to this, someone that wasn’t recruited, I’m new to the basketball scene in general.

“I’m just taking my time to make sure that I’m making the right decision because this decision could not only affect me and my family now, but could change my family and the aspect of the whole course that my family is and my family is living for generations to come.”

Wilson said he has no timetable yet for a decision.

“I’m just really trying to make sure that I make the best possible decision. That’s really the main thing for me,” he said. “When I get that feeling and I feel comfortable enough to make a decision then I’ll make a decision. Also, with that, if I feel that I have a few schools that I’m really feeling, then I’ll go ahead and cut my list. Right now, I’m still trying to feel everything out.”

When evaluating his options, Wilson says the biggest factor is the community.

“I want to be in a strong basketball environment,” he said. “I also want to be in a strong community, just around a lot of support and a lot of things like that. I want to play for a staff that wants the best for me and wants to see me succeed, not only at that level, but at the next level as well.

“Having a staff dedicated to helping me improve on and off the court and a situation where I can go in and not only leave as a better basketball player, but as a better person.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Wilson has been unable to take visits this summer and says the only school he’s visited in-person has been Georgia State.

“I would love to take visits and be able to see the campuses,” he said. “It would for sure make things a lot easier and help me understand a lot of things, but outside of that, it’s really just about me feeling comfortable.

“Official visits would probably make things a lot easier, but if I do find myself in a position where I feel comfortable and I’ll be able to do it, I have no problem with making a decision.”

Having gone through the junior college route, Wilson says that he’s had the opportunity to mature which has helped him as he navigates the recruiting process.

“People can’t ‘wow you’ with a bunch of bells and whistles,” he said. “There has to have something behind it. In the recruiting process, you can’t get away with the hearsay. You have to be honest and tell it like it is.

“You didn’t go to JUCO and go through all of that just to go to a school and be stuck on the bench. I just feel as though when you’re going through the decision process, a lot of things that may have wowed a 17 year old kid aren’t going to wow me as a 19-20 year old man.”

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On a program with major depth and talent all over its roster, IMG Academy has produced high-level prospects every single season. One of the younger players on the roster and one guy that even has the option to play overseas: Eric Dailey Jr.

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound wing is being prioritized by many programs and for the past few months has said that he’s just focused on his game and wants to work on getting better.

Among the programs with offers extended include Texas A&M, Miami, Florida, Iowa State, Michigan, TCU, Tennessee, Florida A&M, and Alabama.

He also has interest from Kentucky, Texas, Auburn, Wake Forest, Purdue, Florida State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and South Carolina.

Dailey Jr. mentioned several programs that are heavily prioritizing him. He broke three of those down with Stockrisers.com:

Michigan: “Coach Howard said I have the same mindset on myself that people in the program have and that is to develop and get better physically and mentally as an athlete and a person.”

Texas A&M: “Coach Buzz said I’ll be a great fit for their program and one of the players in my class that can help make the program bigger.”

He also mentioned Iowa State, saying that Steve Prohm has pitched him as a player that could give the program some buzz and he would be one of the Cyclone's highest-rated recruits.

Another possible option for Dailey Jr. is the opportunity to go overseas and play in the EuroLeague and then make the jump straight to the NBA. FC Barcelona is the lone program to have an overseas offer extended to him. “They want me to do two years in the Euroleague and then make the jump to the NBA,” he told Stockrisers.com.

Dailey Jr. is no stranger to the overseas game, rather than playing in AAU, Dailey Jr. would play tournaments in Spain and Madrid during his summers, so he is familiar with their playstyle and it could be an option if he and his family opt to go that route.

He also said that they would’ve taken him this year and they did indeed want him as soon as this upcoming season but Dailey Jr. says “It wasn’t the right time for me and my family.”

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Scoot Henderson has established himself as one of the top guards in the 2022 class nationally. A 6-foot-2 guard with elite athleticism, the Georgia native is a total package scorer that posted some huge numbers during his sophomore year at Kell High School (Marietta, Ga.).

His recruitment is starting to reflect the type of player he is as he now holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Xavier and many others.

Over the past year, he’s made stops at Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Georgia Tech for unofficial visits or camps.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Auburn: “Their program is just all about family. They really preach that and that’s what I like in a program. I want a team that will take me in as a brother and son. The loyalty they have is second to none.”

Alabama: “I have a pretty close relationship with coach [Antoine] Petway. He’s the one that got the head coach to offer me during the camp I went. Collin Sexton trains at my gym sometimes. He hasn’t really talked about Alabama yet because I haven’t asked.”

Florida State: “(Leonard Hamilton) came to one of my practices during the season and we had a really good talk. We had a good conversation. I like him. Him and my dad talk a lot and my high school coach too.”

Georgia: “Coach [Tom] Crean and my dad are pretty close. They have had a lot of conversations. Me and Coach Crean and the whole staff are pretty close. I have watched Anthony Edwards a little bit there. I looked up to ‘Ant Man’ when I was a freshman. He’s nasty.”

Georgia Tech: “(Josh Pastner) stays in touch quite a bit. They are guard heavy and they like to run. Their big man, James Banks, was tough this year. They let their guards go, too.”

RIVALS' REACTION

Henderson has a big family and he’s very close with them, so don’t be surprised if his college decision is one that makes it easier for his parents and siblings to attend his games. Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and especially Georgia Tech are all easy drives from where he lives. There has been a lot of talk about Auburn making a lot of traction early in his recruitment. Not only has the success of the program, particularly with guards from Atlanta, caught his attention, but you can see by his comments that he likes the culture Bruce Pearl has built with the Tigers.

Henderson maintains that he’s still open to all schools. Don’t be surprised to his list grow and for a school not currently mentioned to grab his attention. He doesn’t appear to be anywhere near making a college decision.

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Caleb Houstan: Is it one of the bluebloods for Houstan? Duke offered and so did North Carolina. Arizona, Gonzaga, Michigan and Oregon are among the others involved. The complete dark horse: Alabama. The Tide have had some of their top recruiting wins north of the border, which could come into play when it comes time for the top Canadian prospect in the 2021 class to make his decision.

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