Last weekend’s list of official visits didn’t bring any immediate commitments but there were several decisions made based off the weekend with Alex Illikainen (Wisconsin), Jalen Coleman (Illinois) and Matt McQuaid (Michigan State) among the players making commitments after returning home from their trips. Are there any more commitments brewing?
Isaiah Briscoe set to make two visits
Before Thursday, this was going to be a noteworthy weekend for five-star prospect Isaiah Briscoe, arguably the best point guard in the country. Briscoe had planned to visit Connecticut, a visit which will still take place. However, once the trip to Storrs is finished on Sunday morning, Briscoe will head directly to Lexington for an official visit with Kentucky. His father confirmed the itinerary to CBSSports.com on Thursday evening. The Roselle Catholic (N.J.) product has no other visits set at this point, although there are reports he could head to St. John’s for the Red Storm’s Midnight Madness in October.
It’s difficult to get a read on Briscoe’s recruitment. A couple of months ago, it looked like the local schools had the edge with St. John’s, Seton Hall and Rutgers all heavily in the mix. Connecticut was also right there. Recently, though, Briscoe essentially opened things back up, which is how Kentucky jumped into the mix. The Wildcats visited with Briscoe earlier this month and are in good shape. Missouri also visited with Briscoe’s family, and the Tigers are hoping to get Briscoe on campus next month. There are also talks of a blossoming package deal with Briscoe and former Louisville commit Antonio Blakeney.
Iowa State makes play for Diallo
For the second cycle in a row, Iowa State is right in the mix for a top-10 prospect nationally. In the class of 2014, the Cyclones were among the final two for scoring guard Rashad Vaughn before losing out to UNLV in the spring. This time around, it’s Cheick Diallo, a 6-foot-9 Mali native who plays his high school ball at Our Savior New American (N.Y.). He visited Kansas last weekend and previously took two official visits to Pittsburgh and Kentucky. Iowa State has been among the leaders for Diallo for a long time with assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih getting the Cyclones involved early. A decision isn’t expected soon from Diallo, but Iowa State is likely to be there until the end –- and this weekend will certainly help the Cyclones’ cause.
Marquette looks to cement position with Ellenson
Back in early July, Marquette landed a commitment from Minnesota transfer Wally Ellenson. He averaged 2.0 points and 0.8 rebounds last season. No big deal, right? Well, that’s not quite the case. Wally is the older brother of Henry Ellenson, a top-10 prospect in the class of 2015. Henry Ellenson is down to three schools: Michigan State, Marquette and Kentucky -- but the Golden Eagles are the favorite in this one. Michigan State hosted Ellenson last weekend on a visit, and Marquette gets its chance this weekend. The Golden Eagles are in a very strong position for Ellenson, and new head coach Steve Wojciechowski could close the deal sooner rather than later. Should Ellenson commit to Marquette at some point soon, that would be a huge piece for Wojo, especially in his first full recruiting cycle.
Decision looming for Evans?
Things seem to speeding up for several prospects involved with Illinois. Combo guard Jalen Coleman committed to the Fighting Illini on Tuesday, and things have picked up across the board. Big man Elijah Thomas seems to like Illinois, although he still has two scheduled official visits. In the backcourt, though, Jawun Evans is the big storyline. He seemed like an Illinois lean coming out of the summer, but the fact the Fighting Illini will have eight guards on the roster in 2015-16 could have an impact. Oklahoma State is the other major player for Evans, and the Cowboys will host Evans on his official visit this weekend. Illinois coach John Groce met with him earlier this week, but Travis Ford gets to convey his message for 48 hours in Stillwater. With a decision reportedly coming next week, Ford needs to make his case.
Dozier ready to ramp up recruiting process
Antonio Blakeney decommitting from Louisville threw a wrench into the Perry Dozier Jr. sweepstakes. With the Cardinals back in play for a guard, they are again in the mix with Dozier and will likely get him on campus for an official visit. This weekend, Michigan gets its turn at Dozier. The Wolverines don’t have too many targets remaining in the class of 2015, but Dozier has been a major one for John Beilein and his staff. Georgetown, North Carolina and South Carolina are also involved, and Michigan could be fighting an uphill battle in this one. North Carolina was the early favorite with South Carolina making moves recently and Louisville now also moving up the pecking order.
Notes:
- Brandon Sampson, a top-50 guard out of Louisiana, took an official visit to LSU last weekend. This weekend, he trips to California -- a school that has been involved for a long time and is among the leaders behind the scenes. St. John’s could get a visit in the coming weeks.
- Four-star center Doral Moore was expected to take an official visit to Illinois this weekend, but reports on Thursday evening indicated that the trip was off. Moore hasn’t advanced too deep into his recruitment, but Kentucky, Wake Forest and Illinois have been the schools mentioned the most with him.
- Virginia native Chris Clarke was one of the breakout players of the summer, and at the time, it looked like Virginia Tech was the favorite. UConn has certainly closed the gap, but the Hokies have a chance to regain some momentum this weekend. Tennessee and Creighton are on his list.
- VCU is the presumed favorite for New Jersey wing Markis McDuffie, but his official visit came and went without a commitment. Wichita State is up next this weekend. Boston College will get a visit next month, and SMU visited him earlier this week.
- Other noteworthy visits: Shake Milton (Indiana); Aaron Falzon (Harvard); Matisse Thybulle and Malik Dime (Washington); Tevin Mack (VCU); Braxton Blackwell and Kobi Simmons (Ohio State)
