NY Daily News comments re XU recruiting/targets
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:59 am
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/weiss/ ... ing-a.html
The recruiting battle for South Kent’s Kevin Parrom is heating up. During the summer, Xavier assistant Book Richardson appeared at every game that Parrom played in, sitting near the front row during July’s Reebok All-American Camp.
On Saturday, Parrom showed up at Rucker to watch the Elite 24 game with Omari Lawrence, who recently committed to St. John’s. The two are close friends, having played together since childhood, but you can bet Lawrence was doing his share of lobbying for the Red Storm.
Parrom lists Xavier and St. John’s at the top of his list, followed by South Carolina, Temple, Pitt, UConn and Marquette, but no programs have shown more interest in the 6-6 swingman than the Musketeers and Red Storm.
* * *
Speaking of the Musketeers, Xavier is continuing to scour the tri-state area for talent, although they have yet to net a commitment for the incoming class of 2009. They’re aggressively chasing Parrom, as well as Connecticut forward Tevin Baskin and Rice guard Durand Scott.
They’re also hotly pursuing a collection of the area’s 2010 players, having offered scholarships to Loughlin’s Jayvaughn Pinkston, Doron Lamb (Oak Hill Academy, formerly Loughlin) and Long Island’s Tobias Harris.
It’s been up-and-down recruiting for Xavier, though. They have the resume of a major-conference team, including last year’s 30-7 record and Elite Eight appearance, and they have stability in head coach Sean Miller, who just got a 10-year extension. But they don’t play in a power conference (Atlantic 10).
That shouldn’t affect all players, though. Scott, for one, thinks very highly of the Musketeers. “They’re definitely on the list,” he said.
Scott lists the Musketeers along with a half-dozen other programs, including UCLA, Pitt, UConn and Miami, but this recruiting battle could finish up soon. Scott wants to make a decision “before my season starts.”
“I thought it would be hard,” he said. “But when I actually started trimming my list, it doesn’t seem that bad. I know what I want.”
Scott said his priority is finding somewhere where he’s “comfortable” and can get a good education. He also wants playing time.
“I want a decent amount of minutes,” he said. “And I want to win.”
Expect a battle between UConn and Xavier in the end. Scott took an unofficial trip to Xavier a few months back and loved the campus. The Musketeers also offer plenty of early playing time with B.J. Raymond and C.J. Anderson graduating after this year.
UConn, meanwhile, offered a scholarship to Scott during the CHSAA playoffs, and they have a talented lead recruiter of sorts: Scott’s former Rice teammate Kemba Walker.
-By Ebenezer Samuel
The recruiting battle for South Kent’s Kevin Parrom is heating up. During the summer, Xavier assistant Book Richardson appeared at every game that Parrom played in, sitting near the front row during July’s Reebok All-American Camp.
On Saturday, Parrom showed up at Rucker to watch the Elite 24 game with Omari Lawrence, who recently committed to St. John’s. The two are close friends, having played together since childhood, but you can bet Lawrence was doing his share of lobbying for the Red Storm.
Parrom lists Xavier and St. John’s at the top of his list, followed by South Carolina, Temple, Pitt, UConn and Marquette, but no programs have shown more interest in the 6-6 swingman than the Musketeers and Red Storm.
* * *
Speaking of the Musketeers, Xavier is continuing to scour the tri-state area for talent, although they have yet to net a commitment for the incoming class of 2009. They’re aggressively chasing Parrom, as well as Connecticut forward Tevin Baskin and Rice guard Durand Scott.
They’re also hotly pursuing a collection of the area’s 2010 players, having offered scholarships to Loughlin’s Jayvaughn Pinkston, Doron Lamb (Oak Hill Academy, formerly Loughlin) and Long Island’s Tobias Harris.
It’s been up-and-down recruiting for Xavier, though. They have the resume of a major-conference team, including last year’s 30-7 record and Elite Eight appearance, and they have stability in head coach Sean Miller, who just got a 10-year extension. But they don’t play in a power conference (Atlantic 10).
That shouldn’t affect all players, though. Scott, for one, thinks very highly of the Musketeers. “They’re definitely on the list,” he said.
Scott lists the Musketeers along with a half-dozen other programs, including UCLA, Pitt, UConn and Miami, but this recruiting battle could finish up soon. Scott wants to make a decision “before my season starts.”
“I thought it would be hard,” he said. “But when I actually started trimming my list, it doesn’t seem that bad. I know what I want.”
Scott said his priority is finding somewhere where he’s “comfortable” and can get a good education. He also wants playing time.
“I want a decent amount of minutes,” he said. “And I want to win.”
Expect a battle between UConn and Xavier in the end. Scott took an unofficial trip to Xavier a few months back and loved the campus. The Musketeers also offer plenty of early playing time with B.J. Raymond and C.J. Anderson graduating after this year.
UConn, meanwhile, offered a scholarship to Scott during the CHSAA playoffs, and they have a talented lead recruiter of sorts: Scott’s former Rice teammate Kemba Walker.
-By Ebenezer Samuel