Virginia, Alabama and Florida State are the latest school to offer Lonnie Walker, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Team Final and Reading (Pa.) High, while Kentucky is showing interest now, too.
“[Kentucky assistant] Tony Barbee inquired about him after the weekend [in Indianapolis],” Team Final coach Aaron Burt told SNY.tv on Monday. “I’m sure they have their pick of the litter but we’ll see how it goes in the future. He’s playing super great so we really don’t know yet.”
Walker is averaging 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 49 percent from beyond the arc (19-of-39) on the Nike EYBL circuit. He is ranked the No. 5 shooting guard in the Class of 2017 by 247Sports.com.
Villanova, SMU, UCLA, Oregon and Miami have been working the hardest on Walker, Burt said, but he also holds offers from UConn, Syracuse, Indiana, UCLA and Ohio State, among others. Arizona, Virginia and Florida State have recently called to check in, Burt said.
“Villanova’s been recruiting him very, very heavy,” Burt said. “I’m not sure how he’s going to do his process, but Villanova’s been recruiting him very heavy. He’s wide open. He really doesn’t have a favorite at the moment. He’s going to just play it out and see what’s best for him.”
As for his upside, Burt said, “Honestly, I think Lonnie is one of the top two or three two guards in the country. He reminds me of Ray Allen, like a younger Ray Allen when he first got in the NBA. He can handle the ball, he can shoot the ball. He makes spectacular plays. He can see the defense before it happens, drawing double-teams and making the easy pass. He’s guarding defensively. He’s like a prototypical two guard.
“He’s super-athletic, but he reminds me of Ray Allen.”
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