“Yeah, pretty much. I don’t see why not,” said Damian Leslie, Jack’s mentor.

“Aside from it being in a nice environment and having a winning tradition, he visited the school so you would have to say that’s what it is.”

Jack visited Arizona in January and then came home and led Rice to the SNY Invitational title at LIU-Brooklyn.

Coaches from Providence, St. John’s and Miami came to watch Jack in that event, when he earned MVP honors.

Leslie also listed Arkansas, UCLA, UConn, Florida and Seton Hall and said Jack would take additional visits after the season ends.

“After the season,” Leslie said.

Jack and the Raiders play Xaverian Friday in the Catholic League playoffs and are aiming to defending their New York State Federation Class AA championship.

“Right now he’s just focused on ball,” Leslie said.

The Arizona Daily Star reported that the Wildcats have just one scholarship remaining for 2010 and 2011, yet they are involved with Jack, Baltimore’s Josh Selby, New York’s Doron Lamb and Michigan’s Ray McCallum.

A source close to the Arizona program said Selby, Lamb and Jack remain the program’s “highest priorities.”

(Photo courtesy Daily News)

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A 6-foot-9, 210-pound senior big man from Manhattan Rice High School, Jack will visit Arizona Wednesday night and return Friday in time for the SNY Invitational beginning Friday at Long Island University in Brooklyn.

“I’m going to get back on Friday morning,” Jack said by phone.

Jack plays on a loaded Rice team that includes Kansas-State bound guard Shane Southwell and star junior Jermaine Sanders, who is being recruited by numerous Big East programs.

Jack only began playing hoops in the summer before ninth grade, yet he has quickly blossomed into one of the most exciting and accomplished big men in the nation.

He recently dropped 24 points and 20 boards on Villanova-bound forward JayVaughn Pinkston and Bishop Loughlin.

Jack said Providence, Miami, Florida, Seton Hall, St. John’s, UConn, Arkansas and Georgia were among the other schools recruiting him.

Asked if certain schools were showing the most love, Jack said: ”I wouldn’t say it’s one school. All of them showed me love. Each school has a different way to recruit players.”

As for his visit schedule, the remaining visits will have to wait until after Rice’s season ends.

“I’m taking this visit and the rest after the season’s over,” said Jack, who will have four officials remaining after the Arizona trip.

Arizona assistant Book Richardson helped bring New Yorkers Lamont “Momo” Jones and Kevin Parrom to the desert, and now he’s targeting fellow New Yorkers Jack and 6-4 guard Doron Lamb of Oak Hill (Va.) Academy. Richardson coached with the New York Gauchos before leaving for college and Jack plays for the Gauchos now.

“I don’t know him that well at all,” Jack said of Richardson. ”I just started speaking to him. A lot of people have told me he’s a great guy.”

He also said he likes coach Sean Miller’s style of play.

“They play the same offense that I like to run. the open floor. Everybody’s running. I like that about Sean Miller,” he said.

Ultimately, Jack said he wants to play both forward spots wherever he lands.

“I’m looking for a school that I can play the four/three and a school that’s looking to develop me and I can play right away, not 2 -3 minutes a game,” Jack said.

Considering he’s only been playing ball for four years, Jack said it’s still surprising to him how highly he’s being recruited.

“Yeah, it feels kind of strange where I was before,” he said. “Everything is just hitting me now.”

(Photo courtesy Daily News).

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Waithe on Thursday committed to Arkansas over Rutgers after visiting both schools.

“Yes, he let [Arkansas head coach John] Pelphrey know yesterday about 3 o’clock,” Tallahassee Community College coach Eddie Barnes said by phone.

“Marvell sat down and evaluated everything and he just felt like he was a better fit for Arkansas than for Rutgers. He really struggled with the decision. That’s why coming back from his visit [to Rutgers] on Sunday he took about three days to really think about it.”

Waithe visited Arkansas the weekend of Oct. 9 and watched as the Razorbacks hammered Auburn 44-23 in football.

“It was really nice,” he told me recently. “I really enjoyed my time down there in Fayetteville. The football game was nuts, it was crazy.”

As for basketball, he said: “They want me to come and be an impact player. That’s what my plan is coming from junior college. I’m not really focusing on high major. I’m just trying to play.”

Waithe, who was recruited by Rutgers coming out of high school in Canada, visited New Jersey again last weekend for the Pitt-Rutgers football game.

“He liked the staff, he liked the players at Rutgers and everything but when everything was put down on paper, he just felt like he felt more comfortable with the fit with Arkansas than with Rutgers,” Barnes said.

Waithe averaged 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season and was named first-team Coaches’ All-Panhandle Conference. Waithe was recently named a fourth-team Super Sophomore in the Sporting News’ JUCO Report.

“He’s going to be somebody who’s long and athletic that can run the floor,” Barnes said. “He’s going to be able to defend on the perimeter but also play inside a little bit. He’ll be able to stretch defenses because of his range.”

He added: “He’s going to make money someplace.”

‘NOVA HOSTING MANIA

Villanova will host its Hoops Mania tonight and numerous players are expected to attend, including 2011 commit Achraf Yacoubou of Long Island Lutheran and 2010 guard Cory Joseph of Findlay (Nev.) Prep.

“Coach Jay Wright is a down-to-earth guy,” Joseph told The Las Vegas Sun. “And I like that staff. It should be good. I’ll get guys’ opinions on how it is. I’ll relax and chill with them and see what the real Villanova is like.”

Joseph has already visited Texas and UConn and will visit Minnesota next weekend. Devoe Joseph, Cory’s brother, is a sophomore there.

Joseph will then pick two officials from among Florida, Mississippi State and UNLV.

As for the UConn visit, Joseph was on campus when football player Jasper Howard was stabbed to death. He might have made the dance at which it happened had not a meeting with head coach Jim Calhoun run long, according to The Sun.

“It’s unbelievable,” Joseph told the paper. “Crazy. An unbelievable loss and tragedy. It must hurt.”

2010 forward JayVaughn Pinkston of Bishop Loughlin (pictured courtesy GoAZcats.com) will not make the trip to Villanova.

He is considering Villanova, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Marquette and Tennessee and New Heights coach Kimani Young has indicated Villanova might be the perfect fit for him.

“I think that Villanova is probably the perfect scenario for a kid like JayVaughn and many other kids in New York City, a place where winning has been there,” Young said. “A great academic institution. The coaching…But his options are still open.”

STEWART TO RIDER

Daniel Stewart, a 6-7 PF from Neumann-Goretti, has committed to Rider over Fairfield and Robert Morris. He was a first-team All-Catholic League selection as a junior and averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds. Great get by Broncs coach Tommy Dempsey.

(Photo courtesy Tallahassee College Athletics)

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Anthony Mason Jr’s

The redshirt senior will miss 4-6 weeks while recovering from a hamstring injury re-aggravated during team practice over the weekend.

“We’re disappointed for Anthony, because we know he wants to be out there. We have to give him time to recover so when he joins us on the court, he’ll be 100 percent,” St. John’s head coach Norm Roberts said. “We’ll obviously be very happy and excited to get Anthony back. He is such a versatile scorer, and his ability to be our main scorer on any given night makes our team that much deeper.”

Mason Jr. initially injured the hamstring in early September, before the Johnnies went 4-0 on a trip to Canada.

A year ago, Mason Jr. went down on Nov. 21 when an MRI revealed a torn peroneal tendon in his right foot, suffered during the Boston College game. John Kennedy, M.D., of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, performed the corrective surgery on Dec. 15, 2008. After months of rest, recuperation, physical therapy and strength and conditioning work, Mason Jr. was cleared to return to the court for offseason voluntary workouts in early June, before suffering the original hamstring injury in early September. 

In other St. John’s news, Roberts and women’s coach Kim Barnes Arico will be at Stout at 133 W. 33rd St. in Manhattan on Thursday, Nov. 5 (7:30-9:30 p.m.) to chat with fans, take questions and discuss the upcoming college hoops seasons during the preseason reception, presented by the St. John’s Red White Club.

WAITHE TO DECIDE WEDNESDAY

Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College forward Marvell Waithe says he will know by Wednesday whether he will choose Rutgers or Arkansas. Stay tuned for an update….The Pacers released former Syracuse forward Demetris Nichols…New York City combo guard Russ Smith of South Kent (Conn.) will visit Baylor and Houston after a weekend visit to La Salle. St. Bonaventure has also offered.

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Marvell Waithe, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound combo forward now playing for Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College, will decide on his college destination after visiting Rutgers this weekend.

Waithe will visit campus for the Pittsburgh-Rutgers football game Friday night (8 p.m., ESPN) and then spend the rest of his official visit on campus.

“After the Rutgers visit I’ll decide where I’ll be going,” Waithe, 21, said Tuesday by phone.

Waithe, who has been courted by Rutgers for several years since he emerged as a star in Canada, is also considering Arkansas, which he visited this past weekend.

Waithe watched as the Razorbacks hammered Auburn 44-23 in football.

“It was really nice,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time down there in Fayetteville. The football game was nuts, it was crazy.”

LSU, Alabama, South Florida and Pitt also expressed interest, Waithe said, but he is down to Arkansas and Rutgers because he wants to step in and play right away.

“They want me to come and be an impact player,” he said, referring to both schools. “That’s what my plan is coming from junior college. I’m not really focusing on high major. I’m just trying to play.”

Waithe will have two years of eligibility wherever he ends up.

After graduating from Toronto Laurier Collegiate Institute in 2006, Waithe initially committed to Loyola Chicago.

But he never made it to Loyola because of NCAA Clearinghouse issues. The NCAA adopted rules that impacted Canadian players and made it harder for them to qualify to play in the U.S. Waithe spent the next two years training and waiting, training and waiting.

“It was really frustrating,” he said. “My grades were good enough to get into any Canadian University. It was probably the most frustrating time of my life. I was stuck in between going to school and not going to school. It felt like it wasn’t real, kind of.”

Waithe landed at Tallahassee Community in the fall of 2008 and has since emerged as a star.

He averaged 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season and was named first-team Coaches’ All-Panhandle Conference. Waithe was recently named a fourth-team Super Sophomore in the Sporting News’ JUCO Report.

“He’s just a great perimeter shooter,” Tallahassee coach Eddie Barnes said. “Being at 6-9 he can just flat-out score the ball. As a freshman he led us in scoring at 19 points per game in the Panhandle, probably the toughest JUCO league in the country.

“He’s got size. He’s got athleticsm. He’s got that perimeter shot. This year he’s really working on trying to develop some more range to his game by being able to put the ball on the floor and doing some things defensively.”

“I’m doing well,” added Waithe. “I’m just trying to stay focused on getting the year over and win a championship.”

Rutgers assistant Darren Savino has remained in touch with Waithe on and off through it all and head coach Fred Hill visited him last week.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey has also been in to visit Waithe.

“Rutgers has always recruited me and Coach Savino has always kept in touch over the years,” Waithe said. “They always shared a place in my heart but at the end of the day I’ve got to do what’s best for me.”

RUTGERS TO HOST CLINIC

As part of the festivities this weekend, Rutgers will host its annual New Jersey Greats of the Game Coaches Clinic on Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the RAC.

Those on the docket include former NBA and Seton Hall coach P.J. Carlesimo, former Providence coach and current SNY analsyt Tim Welsh, former FDU coach Tom Green and Rutgers coach Fred Hill.

(Photo courtesy Tallahassee College Athletics)

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Rutgers coach Fred Hill will be in Tallahassee, Fla., Wednesday night to check out Marvell Waithe and Waithe is set to decide soon between Rutgers and Arkansas.

“He’s fixing to take visits to Arkansas this weekend (Oct. 9) and Rutgers next weekend (Oct. 16),” Tallahassee Community College coach Eddie Barnes said by phone.  “He has narrowed it down to those schools.”

Rutgers is hosting its “Tip-Off to Kick-Off” event at 6:15 Oct. 16 prior to the football game between the Scarlet Knights and Pittsburgh that will be shown on ESPN.

Waithe will have two years of eligibility wherever he ends up.

A 6-foot-8 combo forward out of Toronto Laurier Collegiate Institute, Waithe initially committed to Loyola Chicago in 2006, choosing that school over several others, including Rutgers.

Waithe never made it to Loyola because of NCAA Clearinghouse issues. His AAU coach, Ro Russell of Grassroots Canada, said that the NCAA adopted rules that impacted Canadian players and made it harder for them to qualify to play in the U.S.

“When they changed the rule for Canadian requirements, they changed the rules in December of Marvell’s senior year, (saying), ‘As of now, as of today, these are the new rules.’ It didn’t give guys like Marvell a chance to be qualified,” Russell said in 2007.

Still, Rutgers has remained interested in Waithe ever since and assistant coach Darren Savino recently went down to check on him. Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey has also been in.

Waithe was recently named a fourth-team Super Sophomores in the Sporting News’ JUCO Report.

He averaged 17.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season and was named first-team Coaches’ All-Panhandle Conference.

“He’s just a great perimeter shooter,” Barnes said. “Being at 6-9 he can just flat-out score the ball. As a freshman he led us in scoring at 19 points per game in the Panhandle, probably the toughest JUCO league in the country.

“He’s got size. He’s got athleticsm. He’s got that perimeter shot. This year he’s really working on trying to develop some more range to his game by being able to put the ball on the floor and doing some things defensively.”

(Photo courtesy Tallahassee College Athletics)

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