Tag: 2024 basketball recruiting

Gators set official visit date for coveted 5-star wing recruit

VJ Edgecombe will be in Gainesville mid-September for the weekend to see what Golden’s gang has to offer.

The recruiting news has focused heavily on the football team of late but Todd Golden and Co. are busy working in the background in a similar vein to Napier and his staff. Both have focused heavily on acquiring top prep prospects to help rebuild their respective programs, for which those efforts are beginning to bear fruit.

A big date on the recruiting schedule for Florida basketball is set for Sept. 15, when five-star swingman [autotag]VJ Edgecombe[/autotag] out of Glen Head (New York) Long Island Lutheran will be in Gainesville for the weekend on an official visit. It will be the first time the 6-foot-5-inch, 180-pound high school senior has visited Florida’s campus.

Also included on Edgecombe’s itinerary are the Baylor Bears, Michigan Wolverines, Duke Blue Devils, Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles. Those schools, along with Florida, were all listed among his top 10 destinations announcement back on July 30.

As far as what the five-star talent has to bring to the table, Gator Country’s Eric Fawcett simply says, “It’s all about scoring.”

Edgecombe has one of the most polished offensive games in the 2024 class, leading to an offer list that’s about as good as anyone in the country… He is extremely talented with the ball with a lot of dribble moves to break down opponents whether in the half court or in transition and it makes him an impossible cover for just about anyone who draws the assignment of having to try and stay in front of him.

Edgecombe is ranked No. 17 overall and No. 5 at small forward nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at No. 14 overall and No. 4 at shooting guard nationally. On3’s Recruiting Prediction machine has Michigan in the lead (20.8%) for his commitment followed by Duke (18.2%), Alabama (15.6%) and FSU (13.0%).

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Florida cracks top 8 for 4-star power forward target

Four-star power forward Ryan Jones Jr. narrowed down his college options on Monday and the Florida Gators were included in his top eight.

The Florida Gators and The Rock School power forward [autotag]Ryan Jones[/autotag] have been connected for months now, so it’s not too surprising to see UF left standing among the eight teams remaining in Jones’ recruitment.

Jones narrowed his options down to Florida, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and Xavier. He has six official visits scheduled for the fall, including a Sept. 15 trip to UF. Lousiville and Oklahoma State are the two programs that don’t have something lined up with him, but that could change soon.

The new coaching staff at Florida has had a big impact on Jones, according to On3.

“Ever since the old coach left and the new coaching staff arrived and I came on campus, every time I visited I became comfortable every time,” he said. “Just the way they bring me in like I was a part of the team really impacted my view on them.”

The way Florida head coach Todd Golden uses his forwards is another contributing factor to Jones’ interest in the Gators.

Jones is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked highest by ESPN at No. 57 overall in the class of 2024. The on3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted composite, puts him at No. 65 nationally and No. 8 among power forwards in the class. He’s also the 12th-best recruit from the state of Florida.

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On3: Kur Teng a top shooter in 2024 recruiting class

According to On3, Kur Teng is one of the top shooters in the 2024 recruiting class:

Michigan State started their 2024 recruiting class with a bang, landing the commitment of highly touted shooting guard Kur Teng. The Massachusetts native is a top-50 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class and is a prototypical architype of a shooting guard that excels in a Tom Izzo offense.

On3’s  national basketball analyst Jamie Shaw dove into the top shooters in the 2024 recruiting class, and Kur Teng made the cut, calling the future Spartan a top ten shooter in the class:

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4-star top 20 small forward names top 8

One of the top small forwards in the 2024 recruiting class has narrowed his final list of schools down to eight.

One of the top small forwards in the 2024 recruiting class has narrowed his final list of schools down to eight. Head coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has the Tigers in the mix.

LSU joins Memphis, Miami, Texas, Kentucky, Kansas, Louisville and Alabama on the final list for four-star top 20 overall small forward [autotag]Billy Richmond[/autotag]. Richmond plays for Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey. The Camden Panthers finished the 2022 season 23-3 with a loss to Lindenwold in the playoffs.

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections for Richmond at this time but Kentucky is an 86% favorite to land him per On3. LSU does not have any commitments for the 2024 recruiting class yet but the Tigers are in contention for a lot of the top players in the country.

We will see what kind of recruits McMahon manages to pull in by the time their signing day rolls around.

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Blue-chip power forward sets official visit date with Florida

This Gainesville native will make his official visit to the O’Dome in a couple of months despite transferring out west for his senior season.

The recruiting grind continues for Florida basketball in the second year of the Todd Golden era as his staff continues to improve a program that has lost a lot of its luster in recent years.

The Gators made some headway on Tuesday when four-star power forward [autotag]Sammie Yeanay[/autotag] — a local from Gainesville — set an official visit date with the Orange and Blue, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. The 6-foot-9-inch, 220-pound front-court standout will visit Golden and the gang for a few days stretching from Oct. 5-8.

The rising high school senior previously played for The Rock Academy in Gainesville but has transferred out west to attend Chandler (Arizona) Compass Prep for his final prep season.

Other schools that have offered the Sunshine State product are the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Houston Cougars, Virginia Tech Hokies, Ole Miss Rebels, Arizona State Sun Devils, and more. He has made a previous unofficial visit to Florida, as well as trips to see the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and South Carolina Gamecocks.

Yeanay is ranked No. 89 overall and No. 16 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 103 and 18, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine favors the Gators heavily with a 76.1% chance of signing him, followed by Wake Forest at 17.9%.

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LSU to host blue-chip power forward in October

Coach Matt McMahon is still looking for the first commitment in the 2024 class.

While LSU is still looking for its first basketball commitment in the 2024 class, coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] has managed to get the Tigers official visits with some key prospects.

One of them is four-star Chandler (Ariz.) power forward [autotag]Pharaoh Compton[/autotag]. He’s already taken an official visit to Houston, and he has trips set for San Diego State (Aug. 23-25), Tennessee (Sept. 8) and lastly, LSU (Oct. 14-16).

Compton, who is originally from Las Vegas and announced his decision to transfer to Arbor View High School in his hometown, ranks as the No. 79 player nationally and the top prospect in Nevada, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

LSU will hope that visit is able to make an impact as McMahon looks to add talent in the 2024 cycle.

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4-star, top-50 small forward sets September official visit with LSU

Rakease Passmore has a busy fall visit schedule in place, but he’s fitting in an official trip to Baton Rouge.

LSU coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] continues to push for some of the top talent in the 2024 class as the Tigers look to land their first commitment in the cycle.

One of those players — four-star Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy small forward [autotag]Rakease Passmore[/autotag] — has now set four official visits for the fall, including a trip to LSU.

The 6-foot-5 prospect will be in Baton Rouge on Sept. 22 between trips to Mississippi State (Sept. 9), Miami (Sept. 15) and Arkansas (Oct. 6). He has already officially visited Oregon and Indiana. With no more limits on official visits, he’s considering trips to Wake Forest and Kansas, as well.

Passmore ranks as the No. 45 prospect in the country per the 247Sports Composite, and he ranks as the No. 5 player in the state of North Carolina.

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4-star shooting guard narrows list down to six

Purdue and Stanford are currently the favorites for Gicarri Harris.

One of the top shooting guards in the 2024 recruiting class has narrowed his list of schools down to six, and LSU made the list.

The Tigers join Purdue, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Miami as the final list of schools [autotag]Gicarri Harris[/autotag] is considering committing to. Harris is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound, four-star shooting guard from Loganville, Georgia, where he plays for Grayson High School. The Grayson Rams finished the 2022 season 24-6 with a loss to Wheeler in the 7A Final Four.

[autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] is working hard on the 2024 recruiting class for the Tigers. He hasn’t secured any commitments yet but he has the Tigers in contention for a lot of high-ranked prospects. LSU has offered 13 different shooting guards in the class so far.

There are no Crystal Ball projections for Harris at this time but Purdue and Stanford are considered the favorites to land him per On3. Purdue is a 38% favorite, and Stanford is a 33% favorite.

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Gators land in top 10 for elite shooting guard

Four-star shooting guard VJ Edgecombe has narrowed things down to 10 college programs, and the Florida Gators made the cut.

Long Island Lutheran (New York) shooting guard [autotag]VJ Edgecombe[/autotag] is one of the top names on Florida’s 2024 recruiting board, and Todd Golden’s staff secured the Gators a spot in his top 10 on Sunday.

Edgecombe, a native of Nassau, tweeted that he’d be deciding among Florida, Alabama, Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Saint John’s and the NBA G-League Ignite team, which was created for top NBA draft prospects to compete outside the traditional NBA G-League format.

Looking at Edgecombe’s summer highlights, it’s clear that he’s often the best player on the court. Attacking the rim isn’t a problem, especially when he gets a good screen from a teammate.

He explodes off the ground after taking his second step and can put others on a poster at 6-foot-5 inches tall. His three-point shot looks more comfortable from the right side of the break.

Edgecombe is a four-star recruit everywhere but ESPN, where he is a five-star prospect ranked No. 7 overall in the class of 2024. The On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major services, places him at No. 17 overall on the national ranking and No. 4 among shooting guards in his class. He’s also ranked the third-best player from New York.

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Tigers make the cut for 4-star California shooting guard

Mikey Lewis will take an official visit to LSU on Sept. 23.

LSU coach Matt McMahon is still looking to land his first pledge in the 2024 recruiting class, but the Tigers are in contention for several top prospects.

One of them — four-star Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep shooting guard [autotag]Mikey Lewis[/autotag] — has trimmed his list down to six schools, and LSU made the cut. Joining the Tigers in Lewis’ top six are Saint Mary’s, Illinois, Kansas, Ole Miss and San Diego State.

He’s already taken one official visit already with the Gaels, and he has trips set with the Fighting Illini and Tigers on Sept. 16 and 23, respectively. Saint Mary’s leads the way on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, though the gap has narrowed with Illinois and LSU closing in.

The Tigers will have to wait a bit to get him on campus, but they’ll hope to make that trip worthwhile with the No. 62 player in the 2024 class.

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