With so many targets and so many AAU tournaments played around the country, sometimes it’s difficult to figure out what team a certain recruit is on. And that can be frustrating especially if there’s a specific player or team you’d like to follow or watch.

Well…GHR is here to help you out and give you a comprehensive list of Gators basketball recruits and their respective AAU team that they are playing on this summer.

Class of 2014

PF Trey Lyles–Spiece Indy Heat

SF Justise Winslow–Houston Hoops

PF Leron Black–Team Thad

PG JaQuan Lyle–Spiece Indy Heat

SF Jalen Lindsey–Southern Stampede

SG Devin Booker–Alabama Challenge

SG Ahmed Hill–Southern Stampede

SG Grayson Allen–Southern Stampede

PF Jakeenan Gant–Southern Stampede

SF Trevon Bluiett–Spiece Indy Heat

SG Isaiah Whitehead–Juice All-Stars

PG Richard Lee–Showtime Ballers

PG Lance Tejada–Showtime Ballers

PG B.J. Taylor–Team Adidas M.O.A.M.

PG Mitchell Wilbekin–Florida Elite

PF Malik Price-Martin–Team Breakdown

SG Kobe Eubanks–E1T1

SF Jordan Barnett–St. Louis Eagles

SF Brandone Francis–Florida Elite

Class of 2015

SG Andrew Fleming–St.Louis Eagles

PG Isaiah Briscoe–New Jersey Playaz

SF Kejuan Johnson–E1T1

SG Malik Newman–Jackson Tigers

Class of 2016

SG Jayson Tatum–St. Lousi Eagles

But why, I ask, settle for just a solid coach?

Why can’t USC go after the holy trinity of possibly available coaches: Smart, Stevens, or Few?  Or prolific coaches already comfortable in their programs such as Pastner, Amaker, or Buzz?

Time after time I’ve heard from the naysayers: “Why would (insert coach here) come to USC?” or “USC isn’t a good enough job for (insert coach here)”.

To these naysayers, I ask what is there not to like about the USC job? In my opinion (and Andy Katz’s too), the USC basketball program has the potential to be an elite program, one that finishes on top the of Pac-12 and beats down the Bruins year after year. Here’s why.

First of all, we’ve been conditioned to think the USC basketball program is undesirable.  Under the futile reign of K.O., attendance was down, students literally showed up by the tens, and nobody (including recruits) would think twice about showing up for a less-than-marquee USC-Oregon State game on a Thursday night. With his losing ways and a ridiculously slow offense that purposefully wasted time running in circles, K.O. drove basketball at USC into a ditch in the back of Trojan’s minds. And to those who remember USC going to the tournament two years ago, remember that that team was full of Tim Floyd’s players, not K.O.’s.

Let’s step back from the current state of USC basketball and evaluate the program holistically.  There are a number of aspects of USC basketball that could prime the program for future greatness:

• Southern California is a hotbed of high school basketball.  Derrick Williams, Kawhi Leonard, Allen Crabbe, Jamaal Franklin, Solomon Hill are just a few that come to mind.  If USC were to have even a mildly competent coach, USC could keep many of these recruits in-state.

• USC facilities are relatively new. The Galen Center may not have that dingy, old-school, I-can-hear-the-wood-squeak-when-you-step-on-it charm that they might have at Butler, but Staples Center Jr.does have clean floors and ample concession stands, and is the current venue of Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Awards! In addition, there is a huge practice facility and offices are attached to the Galen Center. And unbeknownst to many because of USC’s recent futility, the Galen Center is SUPER loud when filled properly with screaming fans. If filled with raucous students on a regular basis, the Galen Center could be one of the hardest places to play in the country. Especially since Galen’s student section is right up on the court baseline, as opposed to the spread out feel of Pauley Pavilion. Plus, the Galen Center is right on campus, across the street from freshman dorms.

• And then there are the many reasons why good recruits would want to come here:

1. The weather.  As a recruit, why would you want to play at Cal, where it rains often?  Why would you want to play in Washington or Oregon, where it rains even more?
2. The location.  As a recruit, why would you want to go play basketball in the middle of nowhere in Spokane? Or Kansas? Or Tucson?  Sure there’s somewhat of an allure for a sweet college town, but USC is in the middle of a cultural mecca!  Plus, what other college basketball program is within walking distance of TWO NBA franchises?
3. The women. This doesn’t need to be explained.
4. The academics.  There is a major for everybody at USC, ranging from the hard sciences if you really want to get your nerd on, to the softer degrees if you just want to cruise.

• The student body would show up to games if the basketball team won. Just look at the attendance when the Nik Vucevic teams of a few years ago played Arizona and UCLA. Students would love for another excuse to drink on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. Los Angeles fans show up to watch a winning team.  Consider it a sort of catch-22. Fans don’t want to show up unless the team is winning.  But it is much easier to win when fans are showing up.  This is the sort of cycle of irrelevancy that can be broken with a new coaching hire.
• USC has a historic rivalry with the Bruins, while the Pac-12 (besides last year) seems to bring consistently good competition. With its new T.V. deal, the conference also brings in the big bucks that will always be feeding Heritage Hall.

• USC (thanks to football) has a national brand.
• Finally, Pat Haden is willing to spend the big bucks here. The big, big bucks.  USC paid K.O. $1.7 million a year. Imagine what USC would pay for somebody 100 times better? (Hopefully not $170 million a year, for tuition’s sake).

What is there not to love here?  Haden needs to reach for the stars, open up the pocketbook, and the rest of the puzzle will fall neatly into place.

The two minute video details Walker’s work ethic and his goals moving forward as he prepares to move on to the University of Florida this summer.

Based off of this video, it sure seems like he has a strong support system around him and that he’s a level-headed kid, which is refreshing to see these days in basketball recruiting.

http://www.usatodayhss.com/news/videos/video/0000013d-8ded-dc56-ad7d-cfed91dc0000?showComments=true

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Florida Gators have lost out on another top recruit now that Julius Randle has announced his intentions to play college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

This adds Randle to a list of important recruits head coach Billy Donovan has missed out on in 2013 (Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker and Dakari Johnson).

After Randle’s announcement for Kentucky, it begs the question: Where do the Florida Gators go from here?

Targets left in the 2013 class?

At this point in the recruiting process, most 2013 recruits have narrowed down their choices. And since the Gators haven’t closed on anybody since Chris Walker and Kasey Hill, the prospects of adding another 2013 recruit are looking slim. However, there is still some hope left.

As Gatorhoopsrecruits.com has been reporting, the Gators have expressed strong interest in 2013 forward MiKyle McIntosh (22Ft Academy/ Jackson, Ky.). According to Ryan Schmidt, McIntosh’s head coach, Florida will try and see McIntosh practice at the end of this week. If they are unable to see him personally, they still will probably extend a scholarship offer to the 6-foot-6, 225-pound senior.

If the Gators do offer him a scholarship, McIntosh will likely make plans to take an official visit to Florida soon after receiving the offer. Time is running out to recruit this year’s seniors, so it won’t be long before McIntosh needs to make a decision. The longer the Gators wait, the less likely he could be in the class.

McIntosh projects as a three on the floor. At 6-foot-6, 225-pounds, he can bring a little more power to the small forward position, but he also has skills in multiple areas. At 22Ft Academy, McIntosh is the team’s primary ball handler, even at 6-foot-6. He also saw a lot of time in the low post at his former high school, so McIntosh has a well-rounded game. He’s effective in the low post or with the ball in his hands at the top of the key. He’s also shown he can be effective driving the lane and making a highlight play or two.

Looking ahead

Afte the 2013 class, the number of quality big men is strikingly low. There are very few top low-post players that are considering the Gators and one of the only ones was 2014 center Karl Towns, who has already verbally committed to Kentucky.

Other options at the 4-spot include Trey Lyles and Payton Dastrup. Lyles included the Gators in his final six schools back in February, but has yet to make it down to campus. The one-time Indiana commitment still has a long way to go in his recruitment, so the Gators can still make a run at the 6-foot-11 forward. Dastrup unofficially visited Florida a few weeks ago, but his recruitment has been quiet thus far.

As usual, the Gators are in the running for plenty of quality guards including Grayson Allen, Rashad Vaughn, JaQuan Lyle, and 2015 shooting guard Andrew Fleming, among many others. As always, Donovan will get his guards in each recruiting class because the offense predicates itself on the Gators’ guard play.

Jalen Lindsey and Justise Winslow are also two names to look out for. The two are some of the best small forwards in the 2014 recruiting class and the Gators are still in the running for both. In a recent interview with GHR, Lindsey detailed his interest in the O&B and also talked about his plans on visiting Florida.

The future still looks bright for the Gators. The additions of Kasey Hill and Chris Walker, along with transfers Dorian Finney-Smith and Damontre Harris eligible for 2013-14, will keep the Gators competitive for the next few seasons.

Donovan still remains one of the top coaches in the country, so don’t doubt the Gators’ ability to recruit. Florida will certainly see its fair share of talented recruits come to Gainesville throughout the next several seasons.

Give credit to Randle. For a high-profile recruit, he’s kept much of his recruitment close to the vest, with many recruiting bloggers and writers(including GHR!) making educated guesses, at best, as to where he will end up playing. For now, GHR will give an in-depth look at each of Randle’s potential destinations, including why or why he won’t pick the corresponding school.

Kansas Jayhawks

Why he will choose Kansas: The Jayhawks make the most logical sense for Randle. Kansas will be in contention for another national championship in 2013-14, the atmosphere is one of the best in college basketball and Randle will still be able to set himself apart on the team. He could be their Ben McLemore in 2013-14 and lead the team to another conference title. He’ll have a great supporting cast around him with fellow freshmen Wayne Selden, Brannen Greene, and Joel Embiid, along with the returners from this year. Not to mention, Kansas is still closer to home than both Kentucky and Florida, so if location is a big issue, that gives the Jayhawks the edge over those other two schools.

Why he won’t choose Kansas: If Randle doesn’t choose Kansas, one could speculate that it came down to Randle believing the chances of winning a national championship and the national exposure would be better for him at Kentucky. As I said before, Kansas makes the most logical sense for Randle, but he could feel more at home at a place like Texas or Kentucky.

University logo for the University of Texas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Texas Longhorns

Why he will choose Texas: The Longhorns are the in-state school for Randle and as a Dallas native, UT is roughly only three hours from his hometown. Playing for Rick Barnes would allow Randle’s family the best opportunity at watching him play in college and the idea of staying in-state and repping the big-time state university is always appealing to high school kids.

Why he won’t choose Texas: Simply put, the Longhorns are clearly the worst of the final four teams Randle is considering. Texas finished the 2012-13 season with a 16-17 record and an invitation to play in the College Basketball Invitational. If Randle is looking to play for a contender in perhaps his only college season before heading to the NBA, Texas wouldn’t give him a good opportunity to play for a national championship.

English: UK Basketball logo, recreated in SVG format, used colour code from main University of Kentucky article. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kentucky Wildcats

Why he will choose Kentucky: Why wouldn’t anyone want to play for Kentucky? With the exception of this season, the Wildcats are constantly near the top in the college basketball world with John Calipari at the helm and they have one of the most passionate fan bases in all of college sports. Coach Cal has developed a system at Kentucky of bringing in several one-and-dones and it’s paid dividends in his first four years. Although 2012-13 was a disappointment, the 2013 recruiting class is Calipari’s best yet and possibly the best recruiting class on paper ever. Add Randle to the group and it’s highly probably the Wildcats could be cutting down the nets in 2014. Not to mention, the exposure at Kentucky gives its players the best opportunity at a high draft pick in the NBA Draft the following summer.

Why he won’t choose Kentucky: The 2013 recruiting class for Kentucky could also be a detractor in their chances of bringing in Randle. With the Harrison twins, James Young, Dakari Johnson and the possibilities of Aaron Gordon and Andrew Wiggins coming to UK, it’s already tough to think how Calipari can keep all of these high-profile recruits happy with enough playing time, scoring opportunities, etc. And that’s not even including the slight chance a few of UK’s current starting five returns for another season after a disappointing year. If Randle wants to stand out, then Kentucky may not be the smartest move.

Florida Gators

Why he will choose Florida: The Florida Gators are consistently near the top of the SEC and always a contender to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament with their guard play and they also have an impressive 2013 recruiting class of their own. But it’s Randle’s relationship with head coach Billy Donovan that gives the Gators a chance, albeit a slim chance, at landing Randle. Donovan coached Randle over the summer on the USA U18 men’s team and the two really hit it off. Enough so, that the Gators snuck in for one of Randle’s five official visits after not really being on his radar prior to the summer. If Randle does choose the O&B, chalk this recruiting victory up to Donovan.

Why he won’t choose Florida: Even though the Gators did earn an official visit from Randle, they’ve always been considered a long shot. It’s the farthest away from home and it’s tough for the Gators to compete against national powers like Kentucky and Kansas when it comes to national exposure. It’s just the nature of college basketball. And while Donovan has done a good job recruiting and developing a relationship with Randle, so have Bill Self and John Calipari. It may have just been too much of an uphill climb for the Gators in Randle’s recruitment.

It’s essentially a toss-up at this point. Fan bases and journalists will speculate, but thankfully, Randle will put it all to a rest on March 20 on ESPNU at 1 p.m. EST.

GHR Official Julius Randle Prediction

2014 SF Jalen Lindsey after winning the state championship with Christ Presbyterian Academy. Photo courtesy of Jalen Lindsey.

All-State selection, state champion, school record holder for points scored and now Class AA Mr. Basketball. The awards racked up for 2014 forward Jalen Lindsey throughout his successful junior season with Christ Presbyterian Academy (Tenn.) and the 6-foot-7, 180-pound junior believes the 2012-13 season was his best yet.

“It feels great,” Lindsey said about winning Class AA Mr. Basketball for the state of Tennessee and capturing a state championship. “I set a goal for that at the beginning of the year and we accomplished it, so it feels great. I felt like I had a shot at the Mr. Basketball award because I had a very blessed junior season, but I still wasn’t sure.”

Lindsey averaged 20.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 3.1 blocks per game as a junior.

As far as recruiting goes, Lindsey continues to hear from numerous schools and recently received an offer from LSU. The Florida Gators have been recruiting Lindsey for almost a year now, offering him a scholarship last Spring. Throughout the year, Florida has continued to be one of the schools recruiting him the hardest and Lindsey has a lot of respect for the Gators coaching staff.

“[Florida] is recruiting me pretty hard and I have a lot of respect for them and what they have done,” Lindsey said. “I have a good amount of interest in them.”

Lindsey’s main recruiter has been assistant coach John Pelphrey, who has been in contact with Lindsey on and off during the season.

“He’s been texting me mostly every now and then,” he said. ” I’m for sure am trying to get down there [to visit Florida]. My dad and I have already talked about it, but we just don’t know when yet.”

A lot of times in basketball recruiting, prospects praise Florida for their guard play because the guards make Florida’s offense go. With Lindsey as a forward, he still sees Florida as a place where he can fit in easily, mainly due to the up-tempo pace of the Gators offense.

“I definitely think I could fit well at Florida. They play fast pace and that’s the same way my high school has always played. Coach Pelphrey has talked with me a little about it,” Lindsey said.

He’s already formed an opinion on who he believes will win the NCAA Tournament that will begin this Tuesday night.

“I think it’s between Louisville and Duke because they both have great teams and great coaches.”

Assistant coach Rashon Burno has been in contact with the Baltimore (Md.) Mount St. Joseph’s guard and Booth says he still has interest in the Gators.

“I’ve been hearing from Georgetown, Indiana, Temple and Maryland the most, but I’ve been still hearing from Florida,” Booth said. “Coach Burno has been texting me. He seems like a very cool guy and an interesting person. I’ve been able to develop a relationship with him.”

The Gators extended a scholarship offer to Booth back in November at the beginning of his junior season.

“Basically, they’ve been telling me that they’re interested in me and will continue to recruit me,” Booth said about the Gators. “They’re going to watch me this summer, too.”

“The coaches have talked with me about visiting, but I don’t know when I will get down there,” he added. “I like Billy Donovan and the style of play at Florida.”

Booth has accumulated more than 10 offers from high-major schools, but he’s yet to narrow down his list of schools at this point.

While his recruitment is still very much up in the air, Booth made up his mind on who he thinks will win this year’s NCAA Tournament. And it seems to be a popular pick throughout the country.

“It was a hard choice, but I see it being Indiana,” Booth said. “They’re too tough, have too many options on offense and a great defense.”

University of Florida athletics “Gators” logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gatorhoopsrecruits.com reported earlier this month of the Florida Gators’ interest in 2013 forward MiKyle McIntosh (22FT Academy/ Lexington, Ky.) and that some of the Florida coaching staff was planning on visiting him sometime this weekend.

After speaking with 22FT Academy head coach Ryan Schmidt, plans have changed and the coaching staff will not becoming up to see McIntosh this weekend, but still plan on seeing the 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward play in person

“[Coach Burno] is not coming up this weekend,” Schmidt said. “We don’t play, but they are definitely [going to visit] another time. Next week we have three games on March 21-23 and then we’re done.”

So if the Gators coaching staff wants to see McIntosh in-game, they are running out of chances. Schmidt added Burno may have to come to a practice instead and that the Gators are still very interested in McIntosh.

“Florida will be in the tournament during our games, but [Burno] may come to a practice,” Schmidt said. “They are still planning on offering, but they might have to do it over the phone instead.”

The trip for the coaches may be easy if the Gators are able to jump up to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The No. 2 seed in the East regional will play their first and second round games in Lexington, Ky. and if the Gators are able to improve to a No. 2 seed, the coaches will have a much easier opportunity to watch one of McIntosh’s games in-person.

In addition to Florida, Miami, UCLA, Oregon, Alabama and Memphis are all planning on visiting McIntosh some time soon.

Dallas Prestonwood forward Julius Randle will finally be announcing his college decision live on ESPNU on March 20. Randle, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound senior, will officially be deciding between Florida, Texas, Kentucky and Kansas. Randle’s recruitment has been a long, drawn-out process and to his credit, Randle has taken his time in order not to rush this decision.

Now that the announcement is only  a few days out, Gatorhoopsrecruits.com has decided to make its official prediction as to where Randle will end up come March 20.

Texas is the in-state school for Randle, but the Longhorns have been less than impressive on the court this season and Randle is looking to go to a contender. As for Florida, Randle really loved playing under head coach Billy Donovan on the U18 USA team, but that’s where it ends for Florida. The school is too far for Randle’s family and with Hill and Walker slated to come in 2013, along with the two transfers, Randle would be hard-pressed to be “the guy” at Florida.

That leaves Randle with only Kentucky and Kansas to choose from. Both are two high-level programs, but one sticks out ahead of the other. The issue with Kentucky at this point is the amount of high-profile recruits coming into Lexington in the 2013 class.

With James Young, the Harrison Twins, Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee already cemented in the class, it will be hard enough already to keep each high-profile recruit happy with playing time and sharing the basketball. And don’t discount the fact that the Wildcats are still in a great position to land No. 1 recruit Andrew Wiggins.

Therefore, GHR believes Randle will choose Kansas on March 20 and sign with the Jayhawks in a few weeks. It’s the best of both worlds for Randle. Not only is it closer to his home than Kentucky or Florida, but the Jayhwaks are always in contention for a national title with their blend of upperclassmen and impact freshmen.

Randle could fit in easily at Kansas and easily become its Ben McLemore of 2013-14. He’ll get the national exposure and plenty of talent around him to compete for a national championship before likely heading to the NBA after one season.

Official prediction: Kansas 

ESPN (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ESPN announced today the field for the National High School Invitational, which will be televised April 4-6 at Georgetown Preparatory School’s Hanley Center for Athletic Excellence in Bethesda, Md.

Florida Gator fans will have the opportunity to see a few high school recruits that the Gators are targeting as well as 2013 signee and point guard Kasey Hill.

Here are the teams:

Findlay Prep, 34-0, No. 1 ESPN ranking

Montverde Academy (FL), 21-2, No. 2

Prime Prep (TX), 36-0, No. 4

St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ), 27-1, No. 5

La Lumiere (IN), 25-3, No. 8

Blanche Ely (FL), 27-1, No. 9

Oak Hill Academy (VA), 33-5, No. 19

Montrose Christian (MD), 19-4, 24-5

Along with Hill, Florida fans will be able to see 2014 point guard Richard Lee, who plays for the Florida Class 7A State Champion Blanche Ely Tigers. Lee was offered by the Gators last year and at 6-foot-3, 200-pounds, he’s a physical point guard and tough to defend. For most Florida fans, this will be their first look at Lee during in-game action.

This year’s NHSI field features teams all ranked in the ESPN 25 Power Rankings with six of the top 10 teams being represented in the tournament.

McIntosh, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward from 22FT Academy (Lexington, Ky.), started receiving interest from high-major programs, including the Florida Gators, after a string of strong performances at a tournament in Toronto.

However, I don’t think anyone could have anticipated a highlight like this. One of McIntosh’s strengths is his ball handling skills, especially for a 6-foot-6 forward. In this highlight, McIntosh takes the ball up the court in a seemingly normal possession. After a quick crossover from right to left at the top of the key, McIntosh sees some daylight in the middle of the lane and rises up from what looks like miles away and slams it in one-handed over a helpless opposing defender.

McIntosh certainly isn’t as big of a name as some of the other recruits the Gators have gone after, but it’s not hard to see why he is receiving significant interest from those high-major programs like Florida, UCLA, and Miami, among others.

As of now, the Florida Gators are still in the race for Lyle’s commitment, along with Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Ohio State and Louisville.

The Gators extended a scholarship offer to Lyle back in December, but the Indiana guard has yet to make a trip down to Florida campus and has made unofficial visits to the other five finalists on his list. However, it’s highly probably the distance between Lyle and Florida has been the reason why he has been unable to make it to Gainesville so far.

His junior season came to a close on March 9 when Bosse suffered a 82-65 defeat to Greensburg High School in the Washington Regional semifinals. Lyle finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Assistant coach Rashon Burno met up with 22FT Academy head coach Ryan Schmidt last night to discuss the Gators’ interest in 2013 forward MiKyle McIntosh.

Gatorhoopsrecruits.com reported earlier this week of the team’s interest in McIntosh, but that the coaches have been unable to see him play in person due to scheduling conflicts.

However, according to Schmidt, the Gators are planning on making the trip up to see McIntosh soon.

“[The meeting with Burno] was good,” Schmidt said. “[Florida] just wants to see MiKyle play. They’re going to come up next week as long as he stays healthy.”

After missing on a few 2013 prospects throughout the last few months the chances of adding another recruit to the 2013 class has looked slim with Dallas Prestonwood forward Julius Randle seemingly as the only option. Those odds may change if the coaching staff is able to see McIntosh in person next week.

“[Florida] will offer when they see MiKyle if they see what they expect too,” Schmidt said about the 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward.

Schmidt also believes that if the Gators offer, McIntosh will “definitely” take an official visit to Florida to check out the school.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound 2014 point guard led his team to an overtime win against Potter’s House Christian in the SIAA semifinals after scoring six points in the extra period as well as draining the game-winning shot.

These kinds of performances could be a reason why Wilbekin has been receiving interest from several high-major programs including Florida, Texas, Florida State, Miami, Marquette and Stanford. Wilbekin has only visited Texas and Oklahoma, but he’s also spent a lot of time over at the Florida campus since his brother put on the Gators jersey a few years ago.

“I’m not over at the school as much during the season,” Wilbekin said,”because of [Scottie and I's] different schedules, but over the summer I work out with Scottie more.”

Many would expect Scottie to be recruiting his younger brother to play for the same school. And while that may be the case, Mitchell wants to make the best decision for himself and not just pick a school because his brother went there.

“[Scottie] tells me how it’s a great school and he wants me to go there,” Wilbekin said. “But at the end of the day, he wants what’s best for me. And that may or may not be Florida.”

Wilbekin also makes sure to stay in contact with the coaching staff through a variety of ways besides just working out on campus with his brother.

“I’m in contact with coach [Matt] McCall through email and sometimes texts. They send me a lot of mail,” he said.

“I definitely [could see myself at Florida],” Wilbekin added. “I just want to go where I’m really wanted and I can contribute early. I love coach [Billy] Donovan. I really like their offense.”

Although Texas is the only school to have offered Wilbekin, he’s insistent on taking his time with making a decision and plans on utilizing all of his visits before committing.

Wilbekin and The Rock will take on Arlington Country Day tonight in the finals of the SIAA tournament.

For the 6-foot-9, 195-pound junior, it was his first trip to the campus and his first opportunity to see the Gators play in person.

“When I got there, we didn’t have a ton of time to talk to the coach, but I got to see Florida practice before the game,” Price-Martin said. “I went to the game and then the next day coach [Billy] Donovan and I had a meeting.”

“I liked the game a lot. The atmosphere was crazy,” he added.

One of the players Price-Martin focused on during the game was senior forward Erik Murphy. In their meeting Donovan drew comparisons between Price-Martin’s game and Murphy.

“I’m definitely an inside-outside kind of player,” Price-Martin said.

“It was the first time I met coach Donovan. He had traveled down to watch me play a few times, but I had never met him before. He just told me that they were really interested in me,” Price-Martin added. They want me to come visit in the Spring and he said he wants to come watch me play, too.”

Price-Martin is in no rush to make a decision. He maintained that he’s open to any and all schools at this point with no favorites. However, it’s much simpler for him when it comes to what he looks for when evaluating the different schools on his list.

“It’ll really come down to the coach and how well I fit in the offense,” he said

Price-Martin has received scholarship offers from Florida, Miami, Florida State, UCF, Southern Cal and South Carolina, among others.

The breaking news was first reported by Adam Zagoria of SNY TV.

Originally, the 6-foot-9, 225-pound senior standout was choosing between Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and N.C. State, but Randle has now eliminated Oklahoma and N.C. State and will decide between the remaining four schools in just under two weeks.

Randle’s recruitment has been kept close to the vest for much of the past few years, so there are differing opinions on where he may end up, but Kentucky and Kansas seem to have the most momentum heading into his announcement.

The 2013 prospect officially visited Florida in October and began to consider the Gators after playing under head coach Billy Donovan on the USA U18 squad this past summer.

Randle was also recently added to the McDonald’s All-American game, which will take place on April 3 in Chicago.

In the blog, Booker said he arrived at Florida and took a tour on campus before heading to watch the Gators defeat Alabama in a 64-52 win. Booker tweeted several pictures of the game and it sure seemed like he had some great seats to the game.

After the game, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound shooting guard was able to sit down with head coach Billy Donovan and he spoke with Booker about the coaching staff’s desire for him to be a Gator.

“I got to talk to Coach (Billy) Donovan after the game for a long time,” Booker said in the blog. “He’d already offered me a while ago, but he just reiterated to me how bad they wanted me.”

Booker finished the weekend off by hanging out with some of the current Gators and even was able to meet Olympic swimmer and former Gator Ryan Lochte while on his visit that night.

Since his junior season ended earlier than expected after a first-round upset in the Mississippi state playoffs, Booker has taken advantage of the extra time by taking several unofficial visits. Before Florida, Booker unofficially visited Duke and UNC and the Mississippi standout will be visiting both Michigan and Michigan State this weekend.

To read the full blog, click here to get Booker’s thoughts on his visits to Duke and UNC as well as other things going on his life. Booker will be posting more blog updates periodically throughout the spring.

From the beginning of his high school career, fans have been able to get a glimpse of Walker’s athleticism through YouTube videos or even seeing him in person. The 2012-13 season was no different for the 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior as Walker provided several highlight reel dunks and plays in those months.

There were plenty of highlights, so Gator Hoops Recruiting decided to narrow the list down and bring you the top 5 plays of Chris Walker’s senior season.

*Note: I was unable to get the YouTube videos to start at a certain time for some reason. Because of that, with each play I’ll include the time at which the play happens in the video in parenthesis. Sorry about the inconvenience!

And without further adieu, here is No. 5. (0:48)

Although Walker is known for his high-flying dunks, he shows off a different skill here with a smooth behind the back pass. What makes this play is that he throws in a no-look aspect to the pass, which adds to the flashiness of the play. His dunks receive most of the attention, but this pass shows Walker can dish it just as well as he slam it.

No. 4 (0:17)

I decided to include a combo play at No. 4. In the first play, Walker delivers one of the more devastating and cruel blocks I’ve seen in high school basketball. He comes down on the defender with such tenacity that I can hardly imagine what the shooter must have been thinking when he saw Walker rising up for the block.

In the next play, Walker shows off his dribbling skills as well, taking it coast to coast through a number of defenders and slamming it home to finish off the play.

No. 3 (0:02)

This is a dunk that fans of Walker are more accustomed to seeing. The point guard wisely saw Walker trailing behind him on the fast break and left it up to the big man to finish off the play. And Walker didn’t disappoint, throwing the ball down through the rim with about as hard as anyone can.

No. 2 (0:45)

Walker has plenty of  alley-oops in his high school career, but this one stands out because of how Walker posterizes the defender. And sure, the defender is half his size, but it’s still amazing nonetheless.

And finally, No. 1 (0:02)

This play has a little bit of everything. Not only does Walker grab the rebound and go coast to coast again, but Walker does his best Jordan impression from near the free throw line. He skies up for the dunk and manages to make the defender look silly in the process.

Although it’s only Fleming’s second year playing with Ensworth, the 6-foot-4, 185-pound sophomore said this second state title felt more special than last season’s championship.

“I actually think this one is more special because of the way we won the game,” Fleming said about Ensworth’s 87-77 overtime win over Briarcrest Christian. “Also because our team just bought into the defense a whole lot more and our system.”

Fleming and his team were down 10 points with only a few minutes left. Many teams would begin to pack it in at that point, especially with Memphis commit and power forward Austin Nichols on the other team, but Fleming never lost hope and confidence that his team would pull out the win.

“For some reason, I just knew we weren’t going to lose. [Briarcrest] just didn’t execute down the stretch and we were able to take advantage of their mistakes,” he said.

One could point to Ensworth’s coaching style that made the difference. Head coach Ricky Bowers likes to mass sub every few minutes in hopes that his players will be more rested and be able to consistently play harder than their opponents. Fleming noted that Briarcrest slowed down toward the end of the game and began to make mistakes in those last few minutes.

Fleming even heard from a new school after the big win. Clemson made the trip to watch him practice before the state championship game and made sure he told him congratulations after Ensworth sealed the victory.

Now that the season is over, Fleming is starting to get serious about his college choices. At this point, only Florida, Auburn and Vanderbilt have offered him, but Fleming believes schools like Notre Dame, Clemson and Butler are closer to extending a scholarship offer as well.

“I’m kind of open to everything and AAU can open up a lot of stuff, but really those six schools are the only ones I would think about visiting right now because those are the schools that are seriously interested in me,” Fleming said.

As of now, Fleming is planning on making another unofficial visit to Florida later in the spring while celebrating a particularly special day in his life.

“I think for my birthday I’ll end up going to Florida and stop by Gainesville so I can say hello to coach[Billy] Donovan and the rest of the coaching staff,” he said.

Until then, Fleming is concentrating on improving before the AAU season through individual workouts and boxing, which is something he’s been utilizing for over a year now.

For his sophomore season, Fleming averaged 20.5 points per game.

The McDonald’s All-American game will be on April 3 at the United Center in Chicago.

Florida Gators target and a top 2013 forward Julius Randle (Prestonwood/ Dallas) was informed that he has been added to the 2013 McDonald’s All-American game roster.

Randle was initially left off of the roster due to a foot injury that forced him to miss three months of his senior season. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound Texas standout recovered in time for the final five games of the season. He made an immediate impact by averaging just over 28 points and 15 rebounds per game. His return was also crucial in the team’s state championship game where Randle led the team to a state title with 34 points and 22 rebounds in an overtime win against Fort Worth Nolan 71-66.

Randle will be on the East squad along with Florida signees Kasey Hill and Chris Walker. The Gators, who remain in Randle’s top-five have been in contention for Randle since head coach Billy Donovan coached him on the USA U18 squad over the summer. Randle took an official visit to Florida on Oct. 6 and it’s been the relationship between he and Donovan that have kept the Gators in the race.

The Prestonwood senior announced last week that he will be making his college decision on March 20 live on ESPNU between Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and N.C. State.

The McDonald’s All-American game will take place on April 3 at the United Center in Chicago.

Kenny Boynton is the all-time 3-point shooter in UF history. Photo taken by Chris Graythen of Getty Images.

It is Senior Night for the Florida Gators basketball team tonight as the Gators take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in hopes gaining momentum before a big weekend road showdown with Kentucky.

GHR decided to honor these seniors by taking a look back at the recruitment of these three impact players: Kenny Boynton, Erik Murphy and Mike Rosario.

On Oct. 30, 2008 a lanky shooting guard from American Heritage School in Plantation, Fla. announced his intentions to play for head coach Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators.

Kenny Boynton was considered one of the best guards in the nation and for good reason. As a junior in high school, Boynton averaged 34.5 points per game and developed a reputation as shined in the biggest moments of the game.

“Kenny is best when the lights are the brightest,” American Heritage coach Danny Herz said in an interview with Scout.com in 2008. “He rises to the occasion and has that killer instinct. He plays to flat out win. He loves to win and he loves to win playing the game.”

So it was no surprise that Boynton garnered interest from the in-state Gators as well as other top programs like Duke, Georgia Tech, Memphis and Texas.

After a September visits to USC and Georgia Tech, Boynton took an official visit to Florida on Oct. 25, 2008 and loved his time in Gainesville. He loved it so much that he announced his commitment to Florida live on ESPNU five days later.

Although he took two other official visits to Duke and Texas after his commitment, Boynton was all Gator and was looking forward to rebuilding that national championship form of the 2006 and 2007 teams. In the end, it was his close relationship with Donovan that kept the Gators ahead of the pack.

“I took numerous visits,” Boynton said during his announcement,”and I just felt comfortable with Billy Donovan. I’m going to be a part of the family and help get them to a Final Four.”

Boynton has been a big reason why the Gators have reached two consecutive Elite Eights, but Boynton is on his lat opportunity to get the Gators to the Final Four. However, this team could be the best since Boynton arrived.

Individually, Boynton hasn’t disappointed in his four years at Florida. He currently holds the record for most three-pointers in UF history and is within striking distance of the school’s all-time points record.

It has been a successful four-year career at Florida for Boynton and despite the shooting slumps and criticisms about his point guard abilities, he’s pushed through and become one of the Gators’ most prolific players in school history.