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Four schools in steady contact with Phil Booth

Alex Bozich
by in Recruiting | May 23rd, 2013

042913ncvsClass of 2014 Mount St. Joseph’s (MD) guard Phil Booth is still planning to wait until the fall to pick a school, but it appears a few schools are beginning to separate themselves in his recruitment.

Booth, who is an integral part of unbeaten Team Takeover in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, updated his recruitment for Inside the Hall recently at the third EYBL session in Dallas.

“It’s going pretty well,” he said. “The newest one to come on is Memphis, but the steady ones have been Georgetown, Indiana, Maryland and Villanova.”

Booth has visited each of the four schools he mentioned as being steady in his pursuit.

His trip to Indiana was an unofficial visit for the Hoosiers’ 81-73 win over No. 1 Michigan on ESPN’s College GameDay. The 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard said his communication with the IU staff has remained consistent.

“A few times a week. It’s been pretty steady,” Booth said. “They’ve been pretty close, especially (Kenny) Johnson. He calls and texts, so I have a pretty good relationship with both of them.”

Through three EYBL sessions, Team Takeover is 13-0 and a lock for July’s Peach Jam. They’ll look to finish another session unbeaten this weekend in Minneapolis with games against Meanstreets, Texas Pro, Team Scan, Houston Hoops and Expressions Elite.

“We’ve been playing real good basketball and playing together,” Booth said. “When we do that and listen to what the coach is saying, we play pretty well. So we’re trying to keep the streak alive.”

In EYBL play, Booth is averaging 10.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 20.5 minutes per game. He’s shooting 39.1 from the field, 45.5 percent on 3-pointers and 80.4 percent from the foul line.

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Five-star wing Theo Pinson commits to North Carolina

Alex Bozich
by in Recruiting | May 22nd, 2013

052213cbvIn the end, the chance to play close to home for one of the nation’s top programs was too much for Theo Pinson to turn down.

The class of 2014 wing, rated a consensus five-star prospect, ended his recruitment on Wednesday with a verbal commitment to North Carolina.

Pinson announced his decision at his high school, Wesleyan Christian Academy, in High Point, North Carolina. He was heavily recruited by Indiana and also considered Duke, Georgetown and Louisville.

He’s the third member of North Carolina’s recruiting class for 2014, joining point guard Joel Berry and small forward Justin Jackson.

Indiana offered Pinson in May of 2012 and hosted him on an unofficial visit last June and for an official visit in early February for a primetime game against No. 1 Michigan on ESPN’s College GameDay.

The Indiana staff also attended the final three games of his high school season when he led Wesleyan Christian to its first state championship in 20 years and many of his games this spring for the CP3 All-Stars in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).

As recently as May 11, Pinson told Inside the Hall that the Hoosiers were “looking good” in his recruitment and that he planned to trim down his list in the coming weeks.

But his timeline accelerated as he decided late last week that he was ready to end the process.

The Hoosiers have one verbal commitment in the 2014 class — James Blackmon Jr. — but are well positioned with several top players including Dante Exum and Goodluck Okonoboh.

Video of Pinson talking about his decision after the jump.

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Oladipo, Zeller remain in lottery in updated projections

Alex Bozich
by in Media | May 22nd, 2013

The 2013 NBA Draft lottery took place Tuesday night which revealed the order of the top 14 picks and allowed various analysts to update their mock projections with team needs taken into consideration

Here are the lottery results: 1. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2. Orlando Magic, 3. Washington Wizards, 4. Charlotte Bobcats, 5. Phoenix Suns, 6. New Orleans Pelicans, 7. Sacramento Kings, 8. Detroit Pistons, 9. Minnesota Timberwolves, 10. Portland Trail Blazers, 11. Philadelphia 76ers, 12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Raptors), 13. Dallas Mavericks, 14. Utah Jazz

And here are several updated projections for Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller:

052213mocka

While there’s no true consensus with either guy, Oladipo looks to have firmed up a spot in the top five, with Charlotte and Phoenix as the most mentioned destinations. A look at the fit in each franchise:

· Phoenix: “You have to think that the Suns are going to head more towards defense, and they need a wing who can score with some muscle, making Jared Dudley movable. This is perfect and a good way to start off a new era in Phoenix.” – Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.

· Charlotte: “With Rich Cho in charge of the Bobcats, the decision will likely be to address Charlotte’s putrid offense. The Bobcats were 26th in scoring and 27th in 3-point shooting, two areas where Oladipo can help right away. With Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the Bobcats would like to slide someone between them and complement their skill sets. Oladipo is not projected as a 20-point scorer but he improved dramatically as a shooter and has the athleticism and upside to be an impact starter on both ends of the court. With Oladipo, Charlotte gets one of the highest upside players in the draft, but more importantly a guy who will come in and potentially become a team leader.” – Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com.

Zeller’s projections range all the way from Phoenix at No. 5 to Philadelphia at No. 11. The 76ers have been frequently mentioned as  possible landing spot:

· Philadelphia: “The Cody Zeller bandwagon is officially filling up again. All it took was an incredible display of athletic prowess at the draft combine to convince NBA teams who had soured on him to give him another look. Of course, we all knew Zeller was athletic, but few knew he was capable of what he did at the combine. Zeller is trying to make the transition to the four and seems like an obvious fit in Philly — a team without a legitimate four man on its roster.” – Chad Ford of ESPN.com.

With the combine and lottery now in the books, the next step for both players will be setting up workouts with teams and continuing to prep for the draft, which takes place five weeks from tomorrow at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Announcement primer: 2014 wing Theo Pinson

Alex Bozich
by in Recruiting | May 21st, 2013

052113bcxYou may have heard that 2014 Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) wing Theo Pinson will announce his college decision tomorrow afternoon at approximately 12:15 p.m. ET in front of friends and family.

It’s been a while since Indiana has been involved in a high profile recruitment with some suspense leading up to an announcement, so here’s a primer with all you need to know on the Pinson recruitment:

The Essentials

Forward, 6-6, 180-pounds, Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC), CP3 All-Stars
ESPN: 5-star (13); Rivals: 5-star (11); Scout: 5-star (18)
Schools: Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, Louisville and North Carolina
Visits: Indiana (official and unofficial), Duke (several unofficials), North Carolina (several unofficials), Georgetown (unofficial), Louisville (none)

The Primary Contenders

When word broke of Pinson’s impending announcement via Dave Telep of ESPN.com, the five schools mentioned above were listed. So in theory, he’s choosing from a handful of the top programs in the country. The reality is that this appears to be a two-team race between Indiana and North Carolina.

· The IU recruitment: The Hoosiers have recruited Pinson more diligently than anyone having already hosted him on an official visit for a primetime game against Michigan in early February. IU followed up that visit with several stops to watch him play in both the North Carolina state tournament and this spring on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit. We’ve listed Pinson in the top spot on our 2014 recruiting board for several months now and for good reason: He’s been a high priority for Indiana.

· The North Carolina recruitment: The Tar Heel pursuit has been less consistent with the staff already having secured a verbal commitment from five-star wing Justin Jackson and also pushing for a commitment from five-star guard Rashad Vaughn. What can’t be ignored, however, is the proximity of Chapel Hill to where Pinson has grown up (approximately 65 miles), the allure of staying home and playing for a state school that also happens to be a blue blood program and also the fact that he took at least four unofficial visits to UNC this past season.

The Timing

A couple of things could be driving the timing of the decision, which is a bit curious after Pinson recently said he would be trimming down his list soon.

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Draft watch: Oladipo, Zeller on the rise after combine?

Alex Bozich
by in Media | May 20th, 2013

052013ncxw

With the combine complete and the lottery taking place tomorrow, it’s time for an updated look at the prospects for Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford in next month’s NBA Draft.

In our latest update, we’ll walk you through the latest projections for each player as well notes and measurements from the combine for Zeller and Oladipo:

Cody Zeller
ESPN: (12) Draft Express: (9) NBADraft.net: (4)

Combine measurements and testing results:

· Height w/o Shoes: 6′ 10.75”
· Height with Shoes: 7′ 0.25”
· Wt.: 230
· Wingspan: 6’10.75″
· Reach: 8’10″
· Body Fat: 4.75
· Hand Length: 8.5
· Hand Width: 10.5
· 3/4 sprint: 3.15
· Lane agility: 10.82
· Modified lane agility: 2.69
· Standing vertical: 35.5″
· Max vertical: 37.5″

· Analysis: After drawing more scrutiny than any other player during the college hoops season, Zeller stepped onto the floor on Friday at the combine and stood out in the testing against his peers. His standing vertical of 35.5 inches was the best ever recorded at the combine for a player 6-foot-9 or taller. Zeller also fared favorably in the 3/4 sprint, lane agility and modified lane agility tests. Zeller was criticized for his play against Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament, but his athleticism really stood out at the combine and that should help him move up in the draft.

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Theo Pinson to announce decision on Wednesday

Alex Bozich
by in Recruiting | May 18th, 2013

042113ewerOne of Indiana’s top recruiting targets in the class of 2014 is ready to announce where he’ll attend college.

As first reported by Dave Telep of ESPN.com, Theo Pinson, a consensus five-star small forward from Wesleyan Christian Academy (N.C.) will make a verbal commitment on Wednesday afternoon at 12:15 p.m. at his school.

Pinson will choose from five schools: Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, Louisville and North Carolina. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing took an official visit to Bloomington last February for IU’s win over Michigan on ESPN College GameDay.

Indiana has pursued Pinson diligently in recent months, making several stops to see him lead Wesleyan Christian to a state championship in March. The Hoosiers staff also maintained a presence for many of Pinson’s games with the CP3 All-Stars in the two April evaluation periods.

Last weekend at EYBL Dallas, Pinson told Inside the Hall that he wasn’t ready to name a leader in his recruitment, but that IU was “looking good right now.”

Through 13 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) games this spring, Pinson is averaging 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He’s shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 78.1 percent from the foul line.

Indiana has one commitment in the 2014 class — James Blackmon Jr.

Related Theo Pinson content:

· Theo Pinson on IU: “They’re looking good right now”
· IU among top three schools for Theo Pinson, father says
· Video: Highlights of 2014 wing Theo Pinson
· Pinson’s second half leads CP3 to Peach Jam win
· Visit to Indiana makes an impression on five-star Pinson

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