“He went up there last week and said that he wanted to (commit),” Gathers’ brother Greg told Dave Telep. “I told him to sit on it for a week. Baylor had been recruiting him since he’s been in the 7th and 8th grade and there’s a connection with ‘Tweety’ Carter going up there and it’s a situation where they have Isaiah Austin, L.J. Rose and they already have Gary Franklin that he’s familiar with.”

The 6-foot-8 “Bayou Bull” chose Baylor over St. John’s, UNLV, LSU and Florida.

“(Ricardo) said they outworked everybody,” Riverside coach Tim Byrd told ESPN.com. “He told me the family loves them.”

Gathers, a double-double machine on the Nike EYBL circuit, will player power forward at Baylor. He is No. 13 at that position in 2012 according to Rivals.

“I think it was really important for him,” Greg Gathers said. “On top of that being on the circuit and being a guy from Louisiana he’s had to always play the five. Now he’s a four man; he does things from the wing too. He’s got a game like Thomas Robinson and maybe Jared Sullinger who can also show they get it done outside.”

After committing to St. John’s last summer, Gathers decommitted in November amid concerns over the future of the Big East and over the health of St. John’s coach Steve Lavin.

Before the Gathers-to-Baylor news, Lavin said he wants to sign “five or six” players in the spring and is focusing heavily on 6-9 Our Savior New American shot-blocker Chris Obekpa and 6-8 Brewster (N.H.) Academy big man JaKarr Sampson, a former St. John’s commit.

St. John’s also has former Texas A&M point guard Jamal Branch, who becomes eligible in December.

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Because of his size and style of play, his recruitment will be different in that only certain types of programs will pursue him.

At this point, says Baltimore Patterson head coach Harry Martin, four schools are working the hardest on Carr, one of the top point guards in the Class of 2013.

“Probably the ones that I’ve seen that express the most interest are Seton Hall, Baylor, Loyola Marymount and Xavier,” Martin told SNY.tv by phone Tuesday. “They are probably the top four that have really been around.”

Martin has also heard from Texas, Oklahoma State and DePaul.

Carr was named the Baltimore Metro Player of the Year in 2010 after averaging 31.7 points a game. This year, he’s averaging 21 points through six games, including a 36-point performance in Saturday’s 71-66 OT loss to Isaiah Whitehead and Lincoln in the Under Armour I-95 High School Challenge at Towson University.

Martin says Carr’s scoring average is down because he’s trying to get more of his teammates involved and has “more pieces around him.”

According to MaxPreps.com, Carr’s highlight reel from HoopMixtape.com has generated almost 2.5 million views on YouTube.

On Jan. 14, Patterson will be in Jersey City when Carr and company take on Tyler Ennis and St. Benedict’s Prep in the Dan Finn Classic.

Martin says Carr isn’t too focused on his recruitment just yet because he’s “trying to win a state title this year.”

A year ago, Carr led Patterson to the state championship game before losing to North Point, 76-72.

Still, because of his size and style of play, Carr’s recruitment is unique.

“A lot of people with his size, that’s maybe a question mark in certain people’s minds,” Martin said.

“And then maybe his style. He wants to get up and down. Depending on the team and the circumstances, he needs to have the ball in his hands.”

So far, Martin said Baylor and assistant Jerome Tang have made an impact on Carr with their presentation.

“With the new technology, the iPad, they came in and gave a nice flashy thing, what the players get, what the school can offer,” Martin said. “It shows the crowds. They’re a program definitely on the rise. Their locker room is one of the best in the country.”

Seton Hall is also involved with Shaheen Holloway and Chris Pompey recruiting.

“They’ve been around a lot,” Martin said.

Loyola Marymount is also a factor. They play at Morgan State in Baltimore Wednesday and Carr will attend, Martin said.

Xavier has also followed Carr “really hard,” Martin said.

While there have been reports that Carr was offered a pro contract to play overseas, Martin says Carr wants to play college ball before playing for pay.

“He really wants to play college basketball,” Martin said. “We talked about it, playing on TV and that type of stuff. He’s excited with the college coaches coming in and showing different things.”

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Baylor coach Scott Drew, Kentucky coach John Calipari, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin and Providence coach Ed Cooley have also been through Brewster in recent days.

Smith also tweeted that St. John’s assistant coach Mike Dunlap will come through Wednesday.

Don Anderson, Sampson’s AAU coach, said the following schools were showing interest: Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Baylor, Kentucky, Memphis, Providence, Louisville, St. John’s and Pittsburgh.

Sampson, a native of Akron, Ohio, was one of three St. John’s signees declared academically ineligible by the NCAA. He then opted to re-open his recruitment.

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Now he has a point guard to go with him.

L.J. Rose of Houston Westbury Christian, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound floor general, announced Saturday on his Facebook page that he had chosen Baylor over Texas, Arizona, Memphis, Virginia and Houston.

“We decided after long deliberation that Baylor is the best fit for L.J. right now,” his father, Lynden Rose, told KRIV-TV. “I’ve know Scott Drew for 10 years. We’re comfortable (with Baylor) based on the Christian education and values.

“We’re not leery about what Baylor University has to offer. If L.J. doesn’t have basketball, Baylor offers more than enough for his spiritual growth as person.”

The Rivals No. 20 point guard in the Class of 2012, Rose is the third guard from the Houston Hoops program to commit, following Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke) and J-Mychal Reese (Texas A&M).

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The 6-foot-9, 210-pound Baylor signee tore his ACL in a Dec. 10 victory over High Point Christian and will undergo surgery Tuesday morning, according to a source with knowledge.

The ACL tear was first reported by the Greensboro News & Record.

ACL recovery typically takes between 6-8 months.

A Chicago native, Miller previously played at Quality Education in North Carolina before transferring to Westchester Country Day for his senior season.

But he lasted just 10 games.

Miller, who committed to Baylor along with friend and teammate Deuce Bello, was the only player 6-4 or taller at Westchester Country Day (8-2).

Faced with a national schedule, the program must now go forward without him. The team is currently competing in the City of Palms Classic in Florida.

“I feel bad for him, obviously,” Westchester athletic director Pat Kahny said by phone from Florida. “We’ll survive and continue to move forward. We got him for 10 games and that was it.”

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Despite a report earlier this week that Baylor had offered a scholarship to an 11-year old 8th-grader, don’t believe the hype.

Adrian Moore, a 6-foot-3 8th-grader from Arkansas, received a letter from the Baylor staff last week that he and his family believed was a scholarship offer.

But as you can see from the picture here, it was just a questionnaire. (Does a site called TheHoopDoctors.com really not know what an NLI looks like?)

“No,” a source close to the situation said about the reported “offer.” “He received a questionnaire, like a lot of kids do, and I guess he thought it was a scholarship offer. This isn’t football.”

While football offers are often presented in the form of a letter, basketball offers are generally offered verbally.

While all has been cleared up now between the Moore and the staff, this will likely not be the last we hear of the talented Arkansas basketball player, who was nicknamed “Class of 2016 Phenom” after dunking as a 6th-grader.

Moore is already drawing comparisons to Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith.

RECRUITING RUNDOWN

Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson is in attendance for 2012 Westtown (PA) forward Daniel Ochefu’s game Sunday. Ochefu is the top target for the Hoyas in 2012.

Kentucky coach John Calipari was at South Kent (Conn.) last week to watch 2012 wing Ricardo Ledo of Providence. Todd Quarles, Ledo’s AAU coach, says no visit date has yet been set for Kentucky or Louisville.

Kyle Anderson, the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2012 from St. Anthony in Jersey City, is out of his boot after a foot injury and scrimmaged on Friday.

Onetime Seton Hall commit Eugene McCrory will visit Wagner Dec. 11, per coach Ian Turnbull of CJEOTO. Onetime FIU commit Phil Taylor of Brooklyn will trip to Northeastern that same day.

Coaches from Butler and Virginia Tech, including head coach Seth Greenberg, were recently in to watch Brewster Academy (NH) guard Eli Carter ‘11. Carter has picked up new interest from the Bulldogs and Hokies, as well as Oklahoma, Iowa, Florida and TCU.

Wisconsin is now showing interest in Wichita Heights (KS) forward Perry Ellis ’12. Ben Betts of Oklahoma and Danny Manning of Kansas attended Ellis’ first game on Friday, while coaches from Kansas State and Wichita State will watch on Tuesday. Georgetown, who has also gotten involved in his recruitment, will watch Perry on December 13th.

A coach from La Salle was into watch Davon Reed ’13 of Princeton Day School (NJ) play this weekend. Reed has solid interest from the Explorers and currently has an offer from VCU.

Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino was in to watch Upper Room Christian (NC) guard Rodney Purvis ’12 play this weekend. Purvis recently visited campus unofficially and attended a game at the new KFC Yum Center. A few days before that, Kentucky assistant Orlando Antigua was in to watch Purvis play.

One weekend after taking an unofficial visit to Louisville, Shabazz Muhammad ’12, a shooting guard out of Bishop Gorman (NV) was on the North Carolina campus this weekend. He attended the Tar Heels game against Kentucky, which they won by two. Both schools are recruiting the talented shooting guard from Nevada.

A member of the Kansas staff was in attendance for 2012 big man Tony Parker’s game on Saturday night. Parker, who plays for Miller Grove (GA) faced one of the top three teams in the country, Milton (GA), which features more than six high major players. Miller Grove pulled off the upset and Parker dropped 20 points in front of the latest school to get involved in his recruitment. He had 28 points and 21 rebounds the night before; this first 20-20 game of his career.

Stefan Jankovic, Darrick Wood and Negus Webster-Chan of Huntington Prep (WV) all took unofficial visits to Louisville this weekend. Webster-Chan commented on the visit by saying, “I like it. It’s nice. The arena feels like an NBA arena & the fans are good.” Jankovic and Sim Bhullar recently transferred to Huntington from Kiski Prep.

Maurice Watson ‘12, a point guard from Boy’s Latin (PA), was in attendance for the Boston-Bucknell game last night. Both schools are recruiting him and Watson is currently on an unofficial visit to Bucknell.

6-5 Grant Ellis transferred to Bloomfield Tech from St. Benedict’s Prep, making it five transfers from St. Ben’s this year.

(Photo courtesy HoopDoctors.com)

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Quincy Miller

Both players announced Thursday on ESPNU.

“I will be taking my services to Baylor University,” said Bello, who also considered Louisville.

“And I’ll be taking my services to Baylor also,” added Miller, who said he also considered Louisville, Duke and Oklahoma.

Louisville pulled out of his recruitment, however, and he did not take a scheduled official last weekend to Duke.

Miller is the No. 1 power forward in Class of 2011, per Rivals, and Bello is the No. 11 shooting guard in the class.

They join 6-5 Florida small forward Quevyn Winters in the Baylor’s 2011 recruiting haul.

Miller and Bello played AAU basketball for D-One Sports, which was founded by Brian Clifton. Brian’s younger brother, Dwon Clifton, was hired to the Baylor coaching staff in 2008. At that point, the Bears were recruiting John Wall out of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God.

Wall ultimately chose Kentucky and was the No. 1 overall of the Washington Wizards in this year’s NBA draft.

After two seasons at Baylor, Dwon Clifton left the school.

These latest commitments occur at a time when the NCAA is investigating Baylor for recruiting violations.

Still, both Miller and Bello professed a devotion to the Baylor coaching staff.

Asked to expand on his decision, Bello said, “I believe coach [Scott] Drew he’s a genuine guy. He keeps it real with you. Him and his coaching staff do the same. Baylor’s just a family and I could see myself a part of that.”

Added Miller: “Coach Drew is a great guy. His coaching staff is great. The players there are great. The facilities are great. The coaching staff is great. I love everything about it.”

Asked to assess each other’s play, Miller said of Bello: “He’s the most athletic shooting guard in the country. He’s explosive. He’s been working on his jump shot, he’s been working on his handle, so I think he’s going to open a lot of eyes.”

Of Miller, Bello said: “I think he’s real versatile. He’s hard to guard, to be that tall. He’s just hard to guard.”

Asked to deliver some trash talk, Miller added:

“We’re gonna be ready and we’re going to be the best next year.”

LEBRYAN NASH TO OSU

Dallas Lincoln small forward LeBryan Nash teased the ESPNU audience by showing baseball hats from Kansas, Baylor and Oklahoma State and then busted out a huge orange, floppy cowboy hat with “OSU” on it.

“I want to be somebody different,” he said of the hat. “I want to be a leader, not a follower.”

“Travis Ford recruited me so long,” added the 6-7 Nash, the No. 2 small forward in the Class of 2011. “Since he came here he’s been on me. Butch Pierre is a great assistant coach.”

He added: “I think I fit into that system and I’ll have the ball in my hand most of the times. The tutoring is so good up there and I think I’ll just fit there.”

Nash averaged 17.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season as a junior for Lincoln.

Byron Eaton, Nash’s half-brother, starred at Oklahoma State until 2009.

“He played a good role,” Nash said. “He told me Travis Ford is the coach for me. He’s been there for four years. I listen to what he says because he’s my big brother. I think I fit into that system. I love it up there.”

(Photo courtesy Chris Littman)

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Quincy Miller, Deuce Bello and LeBryan Nash

As reported here earlier this week, the 6-foot-9 Miller (pictured) is expected to pick Baylor after Louisville dropped out of his recruitment and he didn’t take his visit to Duke last weekend.

Bello could join Miller at Baylor since the two are teammates at Westchester (N.C.) Country Day and have often spoken of playing together.

The 6-7 Nash is down to Kansas, Baylor and Oklahoma State and recently said Oklahoma State was his leader.

“Oklahoma State might have a slight lead over everybody and they might be the school to beat,” he told ZAGSBLOG last month.

A source at one of the schools involved in his recruitment said Thursday he did not know where Nash was going.

In other recruiting news, 6-8 forward Tyler Harris of St. Benedict’s Prep will announce the first week of November after visiting St. John’s Oct. 29-31, per his father, Torrel. He is also looking at Iowa, N.C. State and Providence.

Brewster (N.H.) Academy guard Elijah Carter was offered by UCLA and will visit officially Sunday-Tuesday. UCLA struck out on Jabarie Hinds, who committed to West Virginia on SNY.tv, and is also involved with Oak Hill point guard Quinn Cook, who is considering the Bruins along with Duke and Villanova.

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Quincy Miller

The 6-foot-9 1/2, 190-pound Miller, the No. 1 power forward in the Class of 2011, now has a top four schools.

“I narrowed it down to four — Baylor, Duke, Louisville and Oklahoma,” Miller said Wednesday by phone.

Asked if he had any favorites, Miller replied: “Baylor and Louisville are slightly in the lead and Duke is right behind and then Oklahoma.”

Miller has already visited Louisville and was slated to trip to Oklahoma this coming weekend but has to take the SAT instead.

“I have to take the SAT this weekend,” he said.

Next up then will be an official to Duke Oct. 15. That same weekend, Duke commit Austin Rivers of Florida and Oak Hill point guard Quinn Cook also visit Duke.

Asked if he could envision himself playing with those two, Miller said, “Most definitely.

“I played with Austin in the in USA games [U18 national team] and I played with Quinn during adidas nations. Both are great players and I love playing with them.”

As for the Baylor visit, Miller had a great time with Bello, his High Point (N.C.) Westchester Country Day teammate.

“The Baylor visit went real well,” Miller said. “That was my best visit thusfar. They’re like a family and I’m really interested in that.”

The 6-3 Bello also enjoyed the trip.

“It was good,” Bello said. “It was a good experience meeting Coach [Scott] Drew and all those guys.

“They said we’d fit in real well by the way they get up and down the floor. They’re recruiting us as two different players but we would both fit in great.”

Next up for Bello is a trip to Florida State Oct. 15.

“I have Florida State,” he said.

Asked about any favorites, Bello said there were none.

“It’s still early,” he said. “I don’t have any favorites.”

(photo courtesy nationofblue.com)

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