Brandon Knight

“Looks that way,” Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest coach Dave Beckerman wrote in a text.

The early signing period runs Nov. 11-18.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Knight took an official to Kansas last weekend and Beckerman confirmed that Knight will visit Florida Nov. 13-15.

“It is my understanding that he will visit Florida,” he said.

Knight has previously visited Kentucky and UConn and has also considered Miami and Syracuse.

UCONN AWAITING WORD ON PLAYERS

UConn sophomore point guard Kemba Walker of the Bronx scored 28 points and senior forward Stanley Robinson added 25 points as undermanned UConn defeated American International College, 106-67, Wednesday.

Freshman big man Alex Oriakhi added 16 points and 16 boards.

The No. 12 Huskies played without senior Jerome Dyson, junior Donnell Beverly and freshman Jamal Coombs-McDaniel due to pending evaluation of recently submitted paperwork pertaining to their eligibility certification.

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6-8 forward Gil Biruta of Lithuania and St. Benedict’s Prep visits Rutgers Saturday after taking the SAT. Speaking of Rutgers, see the men’s basketball preview in the Video Player in the right corner of the blog...Latavious Williams has made himself eligible for tonight’s NBDL Draft. Williams initially committed to Memphis and then opted to play overseas…Neumann-Goretti guard Mustafaa Jones committed to Hartford. The 5-foot-11 guard chose Hartford over Hampton, New Hampshire, Columbia and Brown, according to Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer. Jones is the fourth Neumann-Goretti senior to commit, following Tony Chennault (Wake Forest), Daniel Stewart (Rider) and Tyreek Duren (La Salle).

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Tobias Harris, a 6-8 forward from Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West, is on an official to Louisville with his father.

Since arriving, Harris has Tweeted that he was “Hanging with the team” and “watched the team practice.”

Harris has already visited Syracuse, Tennessee and Kentucky and still plans to visit West Virginia, Georgia Tech and Maryland before announcing.

Louisville is making serious inroads in New York. As first reported here, Russell Smith of South Kent (Conn.) is leaning toward committing to the Cardinals and his South Kent teammate J.J. Moore is down to Louisville, Pittsburgh and St. John’s.

***

Brandon Knight, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2010 out of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest took an official to Kansas for the weekend.

His father, Efrem, told Shay Wildeboor of Jayhawkslant.com that Brandon enjoyed the visit and that he planned to visit Florida Nov. 13-15.

“Brandon was able to do quite a bit during his visit this weekend. We all had a great time. It was a great experience for us,” Efren told Jayhawkslant.com. “The school is a great school. Kansas is a great place, and Brandon really liked his visit.”

Knight has previously visited Kentucky and UConn. He’s also considering Miami and Syracuse.

***

Josh Selby, a senior guard out of Lake Baltimore (Md.) Clifton, will visit Indiana Oct. 14, according to a report by Jerry Meyer of Rivals.

Selby previously visited Kansas for “Late Night in the Phog” and is also considering Syracuse, Kentucky and Miami.

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After decommitting from Tennessee, Selby is looking at Baylor, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami and Syracuse.

“Yes, we are going to visit those schools,” Maeshon Witherspoon, Selby’s mother, wrote in a text.

Selby will visit Kansas this coming weekend for “Late Night in the Phog.”

“He will take an unofficial visit to KU for Midnight Madness,” Witherspoon said.

The visits will be unofficial because Selby has yet to take his SAT or ACT.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY LANDS PHILLY TRIO

Former Villanova assistant Patrick Chambers has scored with a trio of recruits from Philly Friends’ Central.

Boston University got commitments from 6-7 PF power forward Dom Morris, 6-4 G Travis Robinson and 5-8 point guard H.J. Gaskins.

“We decided all together,” Gaskins told Alex Schwartz of Northstar Basketball. “Trav, Dom, and I are family. There is no question about that. It’s beyond basketball. It just so happens we’re brothers both on and off the court.” 

Robinson told Schwartz:  “I loved the team and the facilities, and most of all, BU is a great academic school and can attend with two of my current teammates who are pretty much my brothers.”

Morris, who averaged 12 points and eight rebounds last year, was being recruited by Siena, Providence, Penn State and La Salle. Robinson averaged 12.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game and also considered Robert Morris. Gaskins considered Harvard, according to Schwartz.

FREE THROWS (UPDATED)

Kentucky will host a Who’s Who of talented recruits on Friday for Big Blue Madness: Kyrie Irving, Tobias Harris, C.J. Leslie, Michael Gilchrist, Achraf Yacoubou and Quincy Miller…Oak Hill guard Doron Lamb will visit Kansas this weekend for “Late Night in the Phog” and will then visit Kentucky the following weekend, according to Oak Hill coach Steve Smith…Tallahassee Community College forward Marvell Waithe will visit Rutgers this weekend for the Pitt-Rutgers football game and is then expected to decide between Rutgers and Arkansas, which he visited last weekend…Plainfield (NJ) guard Tyrone Johnson sprained his MCL in a football game and got an MRI on Monday, according to his AAU coach, Derrick Bobbitt…

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Great story here on Rumeal Robinson with this dandy:

[Rumeal Robinson] made more than $5 million in NBA salary alone, but blew much of it on a strip club habit that would have made Pacman Jones blush. “He would go on binges of two whole weeks where he spent $20,000 a night at a strip club,” Donald Barrows says. “Not only that, but he’d also have a bunch of the strippers come back to his place, get buck-naked, and clean his house for $500 or $1,000 each.”

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“He had a good visit,” Pine Crest coach Dave Beckerman said Tuesday by phone before he took off for Italy for two weeks.

“He respects a great deal the UConn progmam and what they have done to develop kids to get to the pro ranks, which is an objective of his.”

Having missed out on guards Kyrie Irving and Josh Selby, UConn appears to be targeting the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Knight and Cory Joseph of Findlay (Nev.) Prep, who is tentatively slated to visit UConn Oct. 16. Joseph plans to cut his list and make it public in the coming days.

Knight has already visited Kentucky officially and plans to visit Kansas OCt. 16 for “Late Night in the Phog.”

Duke, Miami and Syracuse are also involved and Beckerman said Knight will likely visit Duke.

“He’s slowly starting to see the difference in programs,” Beckerman said.

“He’s starting to evaluate the differences between the progams and what program will fit his style of play and what program will enhance his game. Not only the program, it’s the coach as well. These are things that they’re looking at.”

Beckerman continues to believe Knight will wait until the spring to commit.

“Yes, they’re still looking at a longer-term decision,” he said.

TERRENCE JONES CUTS LIST

Terrence Jones, the No. 3 PF in the nation out of Portland (Ore.) Jefferson, has cut his list and is considering these schools, according to his mother, Linda Mashia-Jones: UCLA, OKLAHOMA, WASHINGTON, KENTUCKY, ARIZONA and KANSAS. He will also tak an unofficial to OREGON. 

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Josh Selby

Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Miami, Indiana and Baylor remain in contention for the 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard from Baltimore Lake Clifton who decommitted from Tennessee over the summer.

UConn, which hosted Selby on his first official visit after he decommitted, did not make the cut. Neither did Texas, Oregon or Florida State, which all had in-homes.

“We sat down as a family and discussed all the schools that were recruiting Josh,” Maeshon Witherspoon, Selby’s mother, wrote in a text. “We evaulated every school in depth and composed a list of schools we wanted to further explore.

“We feel as a family we would like to thank all the schools for taking the time to get to know Josh and his family. Every one of these schools has something special to offer any of these young men. The staffs have been great and we think we have selected the ones who fit Josh the best.

“We wish all these schools well. We know now here comes the hard part.”

Witherspoon previously said she and Josh plan to follow all of the teams they’re considering through the season and see how they progress before making a decision.

“We’re going to sit back and see how most of the teams’ seasons play out,” she said.

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Achraf Yacoubou

He is set to visit Kentucky for Big Blue Madness Oct. 16 and Villanova for Hoops Mania Oct. 23.

He lists those two schools, along with UConn, as his top three.

“They are all equal. I don’t have a leading school just yet,” he said by text.

Villanova coach Jay Wright is very high on Yacoubou, according to a source.

Yacoubou is an explosive scorer who looks very smooth on the court. When I saw Long Island Lutheran win at St. Anthony last year, Yacoubou was the best player on a court that also included Tobias Harris, Dominic Cheek and Devon Collier.

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Sources say St. John’s assistant Fred Quartlebaum is the favorite to get the Army job…Paterson Catholic sophomore guard Kyle Anderson will visit Miami Saturday for the Oklahoma-Miami football game. After that he heads to Colorado Springs for the USA U17 trials. Read my summer feature on the 6-7 Anderson here.

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“They’re going to Connecticut this weekend,” said Pine Crest coach Dave Beckerman, referring to Knight’s family.

UConn head coach Jim Calhoun will be busy this week since he’s also visiting with Tobias Harris tonight (Thursday) in Harris’ Long Island home.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Knight is the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2010. He visited Kentucky last weekend, and Beckerman said he believed Knight was planning to go to Kansas Oct. 16 for “Late Night in the Phog.”

Knight’s list includes Kentucky, UConn, Kansas, Syracuse, Miami and Florida.

Asked if there was a favorite, Beckerman said: “I think he’s open. I don’t think there is any favorite at this point.”

On Wednesday, Calhoun, Miami coach Frank Haith, Syracuse assistant Bernie Fine, and Kansas assistant Joe Dooley were on hand, as was Yale head coach James Jones and UMass-Lowell coach Greg Herenda.

Kansas head coach Bill Self was originally going to come but was delayed because of the incidents on campus, Beckerman said.

Knight is still recovering from a stress fracture and participated in a limited workout.

“Brandon was there,” Beckerman said. “He did a few drills, did some layups, ran up and down. He had just gotten cleared the day before. He’s OK to play.”

Knight has had home visits from UConn, Kentucky, Florida, Kansas and Syracuse.

Yale’s Jones is hanging in there because Knight is qualified to go to the Ivy League school and he hopes he has a shot.

“Yale is very smart,” Beckerman said. “James Jones understands this could be a long shot but the kid is qualified to go to Yale.”

As for Herenda, Beckerman said he had a prior relationship with Knight.

Beckerman reiterated that Knight may not decide on a school until the late signing period in the spring.

“They were going to consider a variety of different issues and some of those issues they couldn’t decide,” he said.

“He wanted to know how the teams are doing this season, who the recruits were, all the natural things that a young student-athlete would look at.

He added: “This is a decision Brandon’s going to have to make on his own.”

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“The Kentucky visit was wonderful,” she said by phone.

“It was a very nice, kind of informal visit, to be honest. It was a relaxed visit.”

Asked if she got the impression that Brandon was a top priority for Kentucky coach John Calipari, Turgenia said, “Yes, I did.”

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Knight is the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2010, according to Rivals.

He is recovering from a stress fracture and is supposed to have a light work out Wednesday for the schools recruiting him, according to the New Haven Register.

The family is supposed to travel to UConn this coming weekend for Brandon’s second official visit.

“It’s supposed to be this week,” she said. “Supposed to but not definite. It depends on how my health is doing.”

Knight’s list includes Kentucky, UConn, Miami, Florida, Kansas and Syracuse.

“All the home visits are pretty much done,” Turgenia said.

Knight may take officials to several other schools, but no dates have yet been set.

“Yes, we’re going to visit but I’m not exactly sure when,” she said.

As for a timetable on deciding, she said: “When Brandon visits the schools and gets to go on campus and gets a feel on campus. When he feels in his heart where he’s most comfortable.”

Dave Beckerman, Knight’s coach at Pine Crest, says Knight may not decide until the spring.

“I don’t think he’s going to commit early,” Beckerman told the New Haven Register. “There are a lot of variables . He’ll look at who else commits to schools, how the team does, what’s coming back, and see where he fits in.”

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The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Selby out of Baltimore (Md.) Lake Clifton will get an in-home visit from Indiana Sept. 22.

“That’s correct,” said his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon. “They’re coming in for an in-home visit.”

Witherspoon has known Indiana assistant Roshown McLeod for several years.

Selby, who this summer decommitted from Tennessee, will host Miami Sept. 21, Indiana Sept. 22, Syracuse Sept. 23 and Kentucky Sept. 24.

UConn, Kansas, Baylor, Oregon, Texas and Florida State have already come for in-home visits. Selby has also visited UConn unofficially.

Witherspoon said Texas and Tennessee are no longer in the mix for Selby, the Co-MVP on the losing team at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 event last month in New York.

“Schools that we’re not considering anymore are Texas and Tennessee,” she said.

After the Kentucky visit, the family will begin to cut the list.

“That’s the end of the in-home visits,” Witherspoon said.

“Now the hard part comes. We’re going to have to weed out the schools that we’re not going to look at. I don’t know if I can cut it down to five but I’m going to try go cut it down as much as possible.”

Witherspoon said she and Josh plan to follow all of the teams they’re considering through the season and see how they progress before making a decision.

“We’re going to sit back and see how most of the teams’ seasons play out,” she said.

RIVERS VISITING DUKE

Austin Rivers, considered by some the best guard in the nation, is visiting Duke unofficially this weekend, even though he’s committed to Florida.

“He’s going to Florida, there’s no doubt about that. He’s committed there, he’s a Florida kid,” Doc Rivers, Austin’s dad and the Celtics coach, told me last month in New York.

“I just thought he should look [at other schools] just to make sure that’s where he wants to go, but that’s where he wants to go.”

The 6-3, 175-pound junior out of Winter Haven (Fla.)  committed to Florida as a high school freshman.

Still, New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski thinks Rivers’ commitment was premature.

“Kids commit way too early,” Tom said last month. “With Austin Rivers, even though he says he’s still committed, his father wants him to visit Duke, North Carolina, UConn and UCLA.

“He said he’s still committed but his father wants him to take some more visits. When a kid’s a sophomore, he doesn’t know what he wants for lunch, no less where he wants to go to school. It just underscores the folly of kids committing so early.

“To me committing is like being pregnant. Either you are you aren’t.”

ROSCOE SMITH UPDATE

UConn head coach Jim Calhoun will visit Oak Hill forward Roscoe Smith at school today and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski comes for a home visit with the family Sept. 22.

(Photos courtesy Rivals, Maxpreps)

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Quincy Douby and Devin Ebanks to name a few.

Now Quinn is coaching Andre Drummond, a 6-foot-11 man-child who is the consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2012 and an early pick to be the top choice in the 2013 NBA Draft. (Photo at left courtesy NBADraft.net)

“Everybody’s looking at the kid. I guess he’s the No.1  ranked sophomore in the country,” Quinn said.

“He’s 6-11 with a 7-6 wingspan who can run and catch everything. He’s just a young kid whose potential is limitless.”

Drummond transferred from Capital Prep in Hartford, where he averaged 12.7 points, 11.9 boards and 6.5 blocks.

“To have the kid for three years is kind of exciting to see how much we can do with him,” Quinn said.

Still, Drummond will be shut down until November because of a stress fracture in his foot, Quinn said.

UConn is said to be heavily involved early and Drummond also took an unofficial to Providence this summer, but Quinn said Drummond and his mother, Christine Cameron, are in no rush to make a college decision this early.

“The family doesn’t seem to be in a rush with anything,” Quinn said. “I told them, ‘It’s three years away, just relax. So many things in college basketball change in three years.”

***

Quinn also has former Oak Hill wing Bryon Allen, who recently reopened his recruitment after initially committing to West Virginia.

“He’s wide open,” Quinn said.

After Joe Mazzulla received a redshirt to play a fifth year, West Virginia told Allen it no longer had a scholarship for him.

“They were straight with him from the get go,” Quinn said. “It’s a shame because Bryon really liked West Virginia.”

Quinn said Maryland and George Washington were among those expressing interest.

“It doesn’t seem like loads of people know what’s going in with him,” Quinn said.

St. Thomas More also has Tre Bowman, a scoring guard with interest from Northeastern, Drexel, La Salle, St Bonaventure and Niagara.

Quinn’s team also features Quinnipiac commit Dominique Langston, a 6-3 guard, and Douby’s little brother, Andrew.

“He’s not as good a  Quincy but he’s really improved,” Quinn said.

SELBY ADDS IN-HOMES

More in home visits for Josh Selby, per a text message from his mom.

Sept. 9 – Kansas

Sept. 10 – UConn

Sept. 11 – Baylor

Sept. 11 – Texas

Sept. 13 – Florida State

Sept. 14 – Oregon

Sept. 15 – Kentucky

Sept. 21 – Miami

**Still waiting on Syracuse and Tennessee.

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***Calvin Lamb, father of Oak Hill guard Doron Lamb of Queens, says no Kansas visit for Oct. 16 has been set.

“They have never contacted me or his mother,” Calvin Lamb told TheShiver.com. “I haven’t talked to a Kansas coach yet.”

He added: “We haven’t decided anything. We liked Kentucky, but we aren’t just gonna pick a school without seeing all of the schools. It’s (UK) up there, but he wants to see Kansas, Oklahoma and others before deciding.”

***Ray Anczelowicz has an interview below with J.J. Moore in which Moore says he likes the campuses at Pittsburgh, Providence, Marquette and St. John’s. He visits Louisville OCt. 2.