Recruiting Roundup: Khalif Battle planning visits; Bryce Wills visits Stanford; trio of Virginia Tech pledges decommit | Zagsblog
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Sunday / December 8.
  • Recruiting Roundup: Khalif Battle planning visits; Bryce Wills visits Stanford; trio of Virginia Tech pledges decommit

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    Khalif Battle, the 6-foot-4, 178-pound combo guard from Gill St. Bernard’s (N.J.), is planning several visits this month.

    The younger brother of Syracuse off guard Tyus Battle will visit Butler Dec. 30 for the Villanova game and also hopes to visit UConn at some point.

    “I like the coaching staff [at Butler],” he said. “They got the coaches from Michigan where my brother committed to originally so I’m familiar with who they are and what they’re about. I see how they develop players; I see how much better the players get. And with my talent, I see how much better I can get also.”

    Butler head coach LaVall Jordan spent six seasons as an assistant coach with Michigan under John Beilein.

    As for UConn, Battle said, “I went there before. We’re trying to figure out a date.”

    Ranked the No. 7 combo guard in the Class of 2019 by 247Sports.com, Battle is also being courted by Syracuse, Miami, Rutgers, Villanova, St. Joe’s and Washington. He has visited Syracuse several times to visit his brother, who is the leading scorer for the Orange (6-0).

    “He’s got to go where he’s going to fit but he likes [Syracuse] a lot,” Gary Battle, the player’s father, said. “They like him. Coach [Jim Boeheim] lets his guys play. Khalif can really score. He can really shoot, take it to the rim. He’s a really good player. I think he’s one of the best guards in the state. He’s up there.”

    BRYCE WILLS VISITS STANFORD

    Bryce Wills, the 6-foot-6, 192-pound Class of 2018 point guard from Iona Prep (N.Y.), took an official visit to Stanford Nov. 19-21.

    “He said the campus was like a resort,” Iona Prep coach Steve Alvarado said. “He had a great visit with the head coach who clearly laid out how he fits within their program. The atmosphere at the North Carolina was incredible and he was blown away by the alumni he met and discussions with.”

    Wills recently cut his list to Stanford, Villanova, Wake Forest and UConn. Villanova assistant Kyle Neptune watched him this week and Stanford is due in again next week.

    He may take an official to UConn Dec. 9-10, Alvarado said.

     

    VIRGINIA TECH TRIO DECOMMITS

    A trio of of 2019 players — Keyshaun and Kobe Langley and BJ Mack —  decommitted from Virginia Tech on Friday via their Instagrams

    “I would like to take this opportunity to make sure this is the best decision for me,” Kobe Langley told 247Sports.com. “With this said, I am reopening my recruitment and exploring all of my options.”

    Kobe Langley is a 6-1 point guard from Wesleyan Christian (N.C.), while Keyshaun is a 6-foot point guard.

    Mack is a 6-7 junior center at Oak Hill (VA).

    “We enjoyed the process and we want to say thank you to coach Buzz Williams, the Virginia Tech staff and Hokie Nation,” Brian Mack, the players’ father, told the Charlotte Observer. “He feel it’s best to open up his recruitment and see what other opportunites may be there for him.”

    Photo: Hoop Group

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    Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.

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