Craig to USC; Pope to San Diego State; Carolina Offers Zimmerman; Kentucky Watches Bragg, Hosts Dixon; Recruiting Roundup (UPDATED)

Here’s a few quick hits on recruiting from Thursday morning:

**Jabari Craig, a 6-foot-11, 230-pound center at Fishburne (Va.) Military School, has verbally pledged to USC.

“It’s official!!! I had a big dream which came to reality, it was me going to USC! To move on and continue my journey. #FightOn @Vi_Massiah,” he Tweeted Thursday morning.

Craig also considered Louisville, Ohio State, Arizona State, Marquette, Texas and Old Dominion, according to Reggie Rankin of ESPN.com.

Fishburne postgrad coach Ed Huckaby said on the school’s Website that Craig is “by far the best five” that he’s had at Fishburne.

Vidal Massiah, Craig’s AAU coach, told SNY.v he brings “soft touch around the basket; rim protection; great feet and lateral quickness; a 15-foot jumper; will dunk on drop-offs and catch-lobs; and runs the floor better than 90 percent of the bigs out there.”

The Toronto native joins Florida power forward Malik Price-Martin and California point guard Jordan McLaughlin in coach Andy Enfield’s 2014 class.

**Malik Pope, a 6-9 small forward from Elk Grove (CA) Laguna Creek, committed to San Diego State on Wednesday night, just days after visiting Kansas.

He also considered Arizona, UCLA, USC, Washington, Oregon and Cal, according to UTSanDiego.com. Ranked No. 17 by Rivals, Pope is the highest-ranked player in school history, according to UTSanDiego. Winston Shepard, a 2012 commit, was No. 21 that year.

“I’m expecting us to be really good,” Pope told the site. “I’m setting the bar really high for the future.”

San Diego State now has an impressive class that includes Pope; shooting guard Trey Kell, a four-star prospect who committed last week; Canada’s Kevin Zabo; and Arizona transfer Angelo Chol, who will sit out this year and has two years left.

**North Carolina coach Roy Williams offered Las Vegas) Bishop Gorman 2015 big man Stephen Zimmerman after watching him and Chase Jeter on Wednesday.

“Honored to have just received an offer from Coach Williams to play basketball at the University of North Carolina #UNC #HEELS,” Zimmerman Tweeted Thursday night.

“He said he’s looking forward to recruiting [Zimmerman],” his stepmother, Lori, told SNY.tv after Williams watched him Wednesday. “He told us about his successful history with bigs — [Greg] Ostertag, [Tyler- Zeller]. he rattled off a ton of names.”

**Dikembe Dixson, a 6-7 2015 wing from Bardstown (Ky.) Thomas Nelson High, took an unofficial visit to Kentucky on Wednesday and watched practice along with his cousin, Montrell Dixson, and teammate A.J. Youngman.

“I watched them practice and talked to a few coaches about the school and the team,” Dixson told SNY.tv.

He said head coach John Calipari told him “he’s going to keep an eye on me and is going to come see me at my school.”

Thomas Nelson coach Jim Youngman said assistant John Robic “would be out to watch us at practice sometime soon.”

For more on Dixson, read here.

**Calipari also recently watched Carlton Bragg, a 2015 forward from Cleveland Villa Angela St. Joseph who visited the school last month.

“When we had went down there he had never see Carlton play,” Michael Graves, Bragg’s mentor, told SNY.tv. “He came up [to a workout] and he said he loved his style of play. He likes Carlton and he has a chance. He would love to coach him and stuff like that. He thinks Carlton has a big upside.

“They want him to come down for Big Blue Madness but I don’t think we’ll be able to make it because I work a lot. We’re going to get down for a practice in the next few weeks.”

Maryland, West Virginia, Texas, Ohio State and Illinois have “picked up the pace,” Graves said.

**Georgetown, Virginia and Stanford are among those expected in next week to see 2015 Iona Prep small forward Matt Ryan, his dad told SNY.tv.

**Seton Hall offered several young area players, including 2017 St. Benedict’s (NJ) guard Trevon Duvall and Hudson Catholic (NJ) SG Patrick Strzala, according to Alex Kline.  Kline also reported that 2015 Gonzaga (DC) forward Sam Miller was offered by Rutgers.