Seton Hall Leads for Kanty

Xavier has always been a major player in the recruitment of 6-foot-1 point guard Kareem Canty (Westwind Prep, AZ). He's had them as his favorite and was even very close to committing to the program.

After re-opening his recruitment and slowing things down, Canty realized that he would no longer consider Xavier as a possible destination.

After adding point guards Semaj Christon and Myles Davis, Canty has ruled out Xavier in his top three and is now considering Florida State, Miami (FL) and Seton Hall.

He also added that Seton Hall was leading.

During the last few chats that I've had with Canty he's continued to say that he has no timeline on his decision. But you have to think, Seton Hall is in great position to land Canty.

Recruiting Rundown


*Juco point guard Josh Mason received an offer from Alabama State and it only took him a day to figure out that's where he wanted to attend college and play basketball. He will be eligible to join the school during the 2011-12 school year.

*TJ Warren (Brewster Academy, NH) has narrowed his list of schools down to eight with Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Texas.

*Travis Jorgenson (Rock Bridge, MO) has picked up major interest after some big-time performances this summer but has already put together a list of favorites. Jorgenson currently favors Boston College, Kansas State and Virginia.

*Jordan Loveridge (West Jordan, UT) was phenomenal during the Adidas 64 Showcase in Las Vegas. He has very soft touch around the rim, physical rebounder and has a very established and still developing inside-out game. After averaging around 27 points per game during the Adidas 64 he immediately picked up an offer from Santa Clara. He also has offers from BYU, Colorado State, Hawaii, Utah, Utah State and Weber State.

*Jodan Price (Detroit Country Day, MI) continued to rack up the scholarship offers. This past week before the second evaluation period, Price picked up three offers from DePaul, Duquesne and Minnesota. He has yet to narrow down his list of schools but with the clock ticking you'd expect it to come after July.

Calaen Robinson Shines on the AAU Circuit

It's been a very good summer for Arizona point guard Calaen Robinson (Corona Del Sol, AZ). Robinson has improved his game tremendously and many high-major coaches have taken interest.

Robinson showcased his ability to dominate on both sides of the ball but his offensive game is what really made an impression on everyone at the Fullcourt Press Cream of the Crop.

"It just let me know that all the work that I've ever put in is now being presented in front of big time colleges," he said. "The fact that I did well was a big milestone."

Since his magnificent performance, Robinson has picked up interest from Clemson, Colorado, UNLV, Virginia and Washington State.

Arizona, Arizona State, Clemson, UNLV, Virginia and Washington State are the schools in the mix right now and depending on how things go in Vegas, he has the potential to expand that list.

"I have no clue," he said of the schools that are suppose to be watching him the rest of July. "I know the ones that are on my list are going to be there but there could be more."

Right now, he said everyone is pursuing him equally without anyone really sticking out. With the second evaluation period right around the corner, Robinson has soaked in the interest and is now focused on continuing to stay consistent.

Right now, his offense is probably his biggest weapon. He has great size and athleticism for a lead guard and could play some two if needed.

He has said that he needs improvement with his potential to win games and his attitude that he brings to the court since he's currently corrected most of his flaws that was previously evident this past year.

Arizona State, Brigham Young, St. Mary's and Weber State have all offered but after July, more offers will be present. Robinson has said that he hasn't put in any thought of favoring a program but will likely make a decision after July or before his senior season of high school.

More offers for Marcus Hunt

Marcus Hunt (North Clayton, GA) has made a case this summer that he is one of the top athletes in the state of Georgia. It could also be argued that he has more offers than any other prospect in the Georgia area.

This past week, Hunt has picked up offers from Louisville, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Texas and Virginia Tech. 

He already had offers from Alabama, East Carolina, Florida, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Jacksonville, Kansas, Massachusetts, Memphis, Miami (FL), Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Tennessee, UTEP, VCU, West Virginia and Wichita State.

Hunt continues to expand his scholarship list and this week was just a glimpse of what schools are after his talents. I expect him to continue to pick up more offers with consistent play.

Jordan Swopshire's Recruitment Wide Open

Jordan Swopshire (Fort Zumwalt South, MO) showed over this past year why he may be the top junior in the state.

Swopshire was one of the 24-players who was selected to the 2011-12 U16 USA Basketball Men's Developmental National Team.

He was also an All-Conference Honorable Mention after averaging 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and three assist per game during his sophomore year in high school.

At 6-foot-5, 180-pounds, Swopshire is listed as a small forward but may project as a shooting guard in college.

His perimeter game is great and he has the potential to be a terrific defender but his ball-handling has to improve before making that jump.

Swopshire hasn't received any offers yet but he's hoping this summer will change that. "I just got off the phone with VCU, and Memphis has been following me during my past few tournaments," he said.

"[Memphis] is suppose to be watching me in Vegas, so I think those two schools will be my first two offers."

It should be noted that Jordan's brother, Jared Swopshire was being recruited by Shaka Smart just three years ago when he was an assistant at Clemson.

His brother Jared ended up picking Louisville and Smart missed out on his chance with the older brother but is rolling the dice again with the younger brother.

Memphis and VCU are trying to close in on the 6-5 wing and he's certainly noticing their efforts.

"Memphis and VCU are probably the highest on me right now," he said. "They are all calling my coaches, contacting me and at my games."

Arizona, Florida, Georgetown, Illinois, Louisville, Miami (FL) and Tennessee are the other schools that he's considering right now.

One of the bigger surprises in his recruitment is the lack of effort by Mizzou. Swopshire said that he hasn't heard much from his hometown school Mizzou since the Spring.

"Mizzou they started recruiting me this Spring," he said. "But this July, I haven't seen them or heard from them, so I don't know how that will work."

With no offers, a decision timeline is not in the near future. Right now, he's just focusing on getting better and picking up his first offer.

"Right now, I'm just hoping to get some offers first and take it from there," he said. "I'll probably commit before my senior season though."

Outside of basketball, Swopshire considers himself a true student-athlete. Despite spending most of his time getting better as a basketball player, including waking up at 4 am to put up shots, he is still able to maintain a 3.3 GPA in school. 

He has done a great job of representing himself as, not only a great basketball player, but a great person as well.

Lance Tejada picks up Tennessee interest

Lance Tejada, (Miramar, FL) a 2014 point guard has gained interest from Tennessee. Just yesterday, coaches called his coach inquiring about the 5-foot-11 freshman guard.

Tejada averaged 8.2 points, four assist, 2.5 steals and 2.1 rebounds per game. He also led Miramar High School to a 20-7 (12-0) record and finish top-5 for freshman in the state of Florida in steals and assist.

Central Florida and Miami (FL) are the other schools that have showed interest.

Myles Davis commits to Xavier

Myles Davis (Notre Dame Prep, MA) ended his recruitment with a verbal commitment to Xavier. Davis joins a recruiting class that already features 7-4 center Sim Bhullar and 6-10 power forward James Farr.

"I would like to announce that I will be a Musketeer at Xavier University," Davis said late night on his Twitter account.

Davis is a combo-guard with a very strong perimeter game. His abilities compliment the already committed players and his jump shot will definitely be an asset for Xavier.

Buddy Hield Turning Heads

One of the elite scorers in the Midwest this recruiting season is Buddy Hield (Sunrise Christian Academy, KS). At 6-foot-4, Hield is a versatile scoring threat who has really made a name for himself this July.

Coming into July, Hield held one major offer and wasn't getting that many looks from big-time schools. "Nebraska was my only [high major] offer coming into July," he said. "I blew up when I showcased what I could really do."

"Blow up" is an understatement. His recruitment has completely taken off.

"It was great to show off my skills and show that I can compete at any level with the best on the court," he said.

"I just got to continue being consistent with playing hard and being competitive the whole game cause coaches like consistent players."

Since his play during the first part of the evaluation period, Hield said he has offers from Colorado, Oklahoma, Oregon State,  Texas A&M, Utah and Wichita State. He is also picking up interest from Baylor, DePaul, Kansas and Marquette.

"A lot of schools are still coming in," he said. "My recruiting is still open until around September 1st."

Early September is when Hield plans to narrow his list of schools down to possibly five and continue from there. His aim now is just to stay consistent and continue showing coaches he's the real deal.

He believes his best trait is shooting the basketball and some scouts wouldn't disagree. His feel for the offensive game is off the charts and his scoring ability is up-to-par with what most coaches are looking for in a two guard.

Outside of basketball, Hield said he currently hold as 3.8 GPA in school and said his schoolwork is just as important as basketball.

His mindset, skills and determination has student-athlete written all over it.

Hield is an intriguing prospect and as the evaluation period continues, you have to believe more college programs will take interest. He's schedule to play in the Adidas Super 64 Showcase in Las Vegas during the next evaluation period and that is sure to attract high-major coaches.

Conner Frankamp commits to KU

Conner Frankamp (Wichita North, KS) knew all along what schools he wanted to attend and committed early. The 6-foot guard from Wichita, KS picked up an offer from Kansas and accepted it a day after his birthday.

Frankamp is considered one of the top guards in the class of 2013 and helped the USA team win gold this summer. His sophomore season in high school, Frankamp averaged 27.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assist.

Travis Jorgenson Making a Name for Himself

There are those who question Travis Jorgenson's (Rock Bridge HS, MO) size, but no one questions his ability as a basketball player.

Jorgenson has started to become one of the hotter names regarding point guards in the class of 2013. Just last week he picked up scholarship offers from Boston College and Virginia, which are the first high-major offers for the 5-11 guard.

"It's a great feeling," he said of picking up ACC offers. "It just makes me want to work even harder and continue to get better."

Jorgenson also has offers from Central Michigan, Colorado State, Creighton and Santa Clara.

The process that leads to his final decision will be long and certainly not easy. "I know I don't want to rush anything and make a decision that I may regret," he said.

"Right now, since there is a lot of time left in the recruiting process, I'm just going to wait and keep all of my options open until I find the right fit for me."

Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, and Tennessee are among the other schools that have shown interest.

Jorgenson said Boston College and Creighton have expressed serious interest and stand as the two programs recruiting him the hardest.

He does plan to take more visits after July but he's not sure where yet. "Yeah," he said of wanting to take more unofficial visits. "I'm not completely sure where yet though. I'll have to talk to some coaches and my parents about it."

Jorgenson isn't a hot name on recruiting boards but after this July you'll hear a lot more about him. Many scouts love his ability to handle the ball. He has a great feel for getting his teammates involved and will ultimately be a great lead guard at the college level.

He still has things to improve on and that's his main focus this summer. "My defense, decision making and strength are the three things that I'm trying to improve the most," he said.

Jorgenson may be the best kept secret in the state of Missouri. He has really made a good impression on coaches during the July live period.

He's just a shade under 6-foot but that hasn't stopped his game at all. He was selected to the Class 5 Second Team in the state of Missouri behind guards like Brad Beal and BJ Young. He also led his team to a 24-6 record and averaged around six assist per game.

He shined at the Adidas Invitational impressing many coaches with his ability to break his defender down off the dribble and compete at a high level.

He certainly has potential to be a high-major guard in the class of 2013. With so many teams coming at him, Jorgenson said, "I don't really have any leaders right now, I'm just trying to keep my options open and continue working hard."

Eron Harris Gaining Steam

It has been an interesting road for Indianapolis shooting guard Eron Harris (Lawrence North HS, IN). I remember just about a year ago, Harris told me about receiving his first offer from Evansville.

He's far from the player he was a year ago. Last time that I checked in with Harris he had offers from Ball State, Evansville and Southern Illionis-Edwardsville.

Now, after his performance with Indiana Elite, he's finally getting the exposure he's worked so hard to gain.

Harris, a 2012 guard, has made a statement this July that he's definitely capable of playing at a high-level. He's scoring more consistently, he's grown a few inches and most importantly, his shot is more consistent than ever.

Just yesterday, Harris added three scholarship offers to his collection.  Buffalo, Dayton and Kent State all offered the talented off-guard.

Harris, who has mostly received looks from mid-majors, has garnered the attention of a high-major coach and is taking a strong look at the program.

Since his run with Indiana Elite, Harris picked up three offers, four if you want to include Tennessee Tech, and impressed coaches from New Mexico, Wisconsin and Xavier.

He's really made a case as to which school he's very interested in hearing more from. Since picking up interest from Wisconsin, Harris has made it clear that he's very interested in the program. He even went as far as saying that it's 'a dream to play in the Big Ten.'

Kyle Anderson to announce September 20th

Kyle Anderson is considered the number one point guard in the class of 2012 by many accounts and for obvious reasons. He has terrific size, a great feel and great game for a lead guard.

At 6-foot-8, most schools have tried hard to hit his recruiting trail and lure him to their respective programs. Earlier this summer, Anderson trimmed his list to five schools, so, you knew his decision would be coming soon.

Anderson announced through Twitter that he has set up an announcement date for September 20th. Florida, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. Johns and UCLA are the schools still in the mix.

Mitch McGary Picks Up Four Offers

Mitch McGary (Brewster Academy, NH) has quickly established himself as the player to watch in the 2012 class.

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound power forward already had a long list of offers from Arizona, Cincinnati, Dayton, Indiana, Kansas, Marquette, Miami (FL), Texas and Xavier but recently added four more, possibly five.

Duke, Kentucky, Memphis and North Carolina State have all officially offered the Brewster forward and according to his father, he thinks North Carolina offered but he's not 100-percent sure.

McGary has become an AAU sensation and catching the eye of many college coaches across the country.

He's a consensus top-5 player on every recruiting board with some vouching for his name to be seen on top.

McGary, physically, can compete with anyone in the country. He has a solid frame that is still improving and tremendous upper body strength.

His motor is probably his best trait. McGary is a player that can go up against anyone and despite the talent level, he'll always be looking for ways to outwork his opponent. He also has the ability to step outside, face up and hit the mid-range jumper.

He'll continue to be a hot commodity in the recruiting world as the race for who will land the talented four man heats up.

Johnny Dawkins Inks Two-Year Contract Extension

A report released by Stanford confirms that current head coach Johnny Dawkins has inked a new two-year extension with the school.

Dawkins was hired back in 2008 and led the Cardinals to a 49-48 record in his first three seasons with the program.

"I am thrilled to extend my affiliation with Stanford University," Dawkins said in a report released by the school.

"Not only am I excited about the future of our basketball program, but proud to be part of a world-renowned university and athletic department."

Stanford is headed towards success with Dawkins at the helm and his nucleus of young talent.

His recruiting efforts have certainly been felt as he continues to lure in elite talent. He has gained the trust of his AD Bob Bowlsby and everyone affiliated with the program.

"I am very excited about the future of our basketball program under coach Dawkins," Bowlsby said.

"Johnny and his staff have recruited very well and are on the brink of some very fun years ahead. Our team is young but very talented and I am confident of the growth and maturation in the years ahead. Johnny has done a tremendous job of leading our basketball program and is a perfect fit at Stanford.

Jamal Lewis Talks Penn Commitment

Penn's biggest need this year could easily be the backcourt and the Quakers received big news from guard Jamal Lewis (Sidwell Friends, DC) when he ended his recruitment.

"I chose Penn for a number of reasons, he said. "I'm from a family where education is very important and I feel like the opportunities I can receive at Penn will help me shape a better life for myself and ultimately make my parents proud."

Lewis chose Penn over George Washington, Harvard, VCU, William & Mary and Yale.

"They have a great tradition," he said. Penn is in the top-10 in wins and they really care about what they do on the basketball court. So joining that legacy was really important to me.

"I love what coach [Jerome Allen] is doing with the program and I just want to be apart of it."

Lewis, one of the most gifted on the court is just as impressive off the court. On his final shortlist of colleges were Ivy leagues schools, which shows you his dedication in the classroom. "Academics aren't a concern," he said.

"I don't have to take the SAT anymore and my grades are fine. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing in school and I should get in with flying colors."

On the court, Lewis, a 6-0 combo guard has made huge strides trying to make a transformation to the one. He has the ability to lead a team and you got a glimpse of that this past high school season.

Lewis finished the season averaging 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assist and 2.3 steals. Not to mention, leading Sidwell Friends to a 20-7 (9-3) record. But, Lewis understands that is only a start.

"They want me to keep making guys around me better," he said. "They see my potential to be a leader so they really want me to continue doing that."

He'll have his chance during this July evaluation period. But along with tweaking his point guard skills, Lewis is looking for other flaws as well.

"This AAU season, I'm really just focused on playing against some of the best guys in the country," he said.  "I'm focused on doing a good job on some of the best point guards in the country and see how I pane against them. That'll help me realize what I need to work on by going against these good guys."

Javan Felix checks out Baylor and Texas A&M


Javan Felix (Saint Augustine, LA), a 2012 point guard prospect, recently took an unofficial to both Baylor and Texas A&M. "Everything went really well," he said of both visits.

He learned a lot from his unofficial and some of the coaching staff at A&M are from his hometown of Louisiana.

Arizona, Miami and UCLA are also in the mix to nab the talented lead guard as well. "I would like to [set up visits] but it's not really set in stone yet."

Felix, like most of the other prospects, is focused on having a monster July.