It will be a busy August for St. Patrick sophomore Michael Gilchrist .
The 6-foot-7, 185-pound standout from St. Patrick of Elizabeth, N.J. is among those at the Nike Global Challenge, which began Friday in Portland, Ore. Later this month, he will compete alongside teammate Dexter Strickland in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 event at Harlem’s Rucker Park. Lance Stephenson of Lincoln, Durand Scott of Rice and Tristan Thompson of St. Benedict’s Prep will also compete in that event.
Gilchrist is one of the elite players in the Class of 2011 and has already been called a potential future NBA lottery pick by some.
“Based on watching high major-[college players] and NBA kids, Michael fits the same profile as O.J. Mayo, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant” as rising ninth graders, Spencer Pulliam, founder and publisher of the Generation Next Basketball recruiting service, told the Philly Inquirer last year. “He has everything you want in a prospect.”
Many observers expect the 6-7 Gilchrist, a native of Camden County, N.J., to end up at Memphis because of his family’s close relationship with William Wesley, aka “Worldwide Wes.”
“I think a lot of people probably think he likes Memphis,” St. Patrick head coach Kevin Boyle said. “Memphis definitely has an outstanding chance to get the kid, but North Carolina, Villanova and Rutgers are recruiting him very hard. Virginia and USC have shown tremendous interest as well.
“I think growing up he liked Memphis without question. (Fellow South Jersey native) Dajuan Wagner went there. I think he’s very interested there, but I don’t think it’s a done deal by any means.”
As for Rutgers’ interest, Boyle said, “They are making a hard play for him. They feel he’s the gem that can put them over the top. ‘If we can get him, he might be the gem that puts us over the top.’”
Gilchrist says he’s not close to committing, though.
“I’d say it’s way off,” he told SI.com. “Because I want to keep my head in the books.”
Other players of note in Portland include John Wall, the No. 1 player in the nation according to Rivals, who is expected to name his college any time now; Abdul Gaddy, the subject of a recent self-reported recruiting violation at Memphis; Xavier Henry, who has said he will visit Kansas for “Late Night in the Phog”; and UConn commit Alex Oriakhi
