The summer AAU cycle is nearing its end, and an important stretch of visits is coming up. This is another good time to update the big board for Louisville's 2016 prospects.
The list of players below is not in any particular order other than position, and we can now take Maverick Rowan off the board all together after his commitment to NC State.
With highly rated wing V.J. King's commitment and a leftover scholarship from the 2015 class rolling over, Louisville has two more scholarships open for the 2016 class. Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, two graduate transfers, move on after this season
So, what else does Louisville need in 2016? The Cards will have five scholarship perimeter players remaining on the roster -- Quentin Snider, Donovan Mitchell, Deng Adel and Ryan McMahon, plus walk-on David Levitch -- and King coming in.
Judging by the players the Cards are pursuing, it's clear U of L would like to find a guard to help handle the ball with Snider ahead of the 2016-17 season, and the dogged pursuit of De'Aaron Fox shows that. And it also seems as if they would like to add a scoring wing, in the 2-guard mold, as well. Guys like Markelle Fultz and Terrance Ferguson fit that mold.
Rick Pitino said in late July that they may even consider another fifth-year transfer after the success they had in grabbing Trey Lewis and Damion Lee off the grad transfer wire.
Keep an eye on Fultz, Ferguson and Fox in the coming weeks, plus a few new names like Payton Pritchard, Brandon Robinson and Andrew Jones. There is a strong ongoing effort to get Ferguson, Fox and Fultz on campus for official visits, and Fultz just announced he'll visit this week. Expect Fox and Ferguson to visit soon, too. Same seems likely for Jones.
So, without further ado, here's the updated Louisville recruiting big board for the 2016 class as of Aug. 2 ... I've removed quite a few names as it becomes pretty clear that both parties are looking elsewhere (or the player has committed elsewhere).
I've added a few new names to the list as July draws to a close: Aussie guard William McDowell-White has just about everyone on him. Jones, a Texas guard, is a new name on U of L's radar. Brandon Robinson just received an offer from the Cards.
Remember, the following listing is in no particular order, but rather by position. For a list of recruiting priorities
http://courier-journal.com/featured-newsletter/louisville_sports_headlines/
THE 2016 BIG BOARD
LEAD GUARDS
DENNIS SMITH JR.
Size: 6-2, 180. Scout.com national rank: 4. Has U of L offered? Yes. Also considering: North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Kentucky, Wake Forest. AAU team: Team Loaded (adidas).
An explosive lead guard who can play both guard spots, Smith is one of the nation's most coveted prospects. He has incredible leaping ability and can create off the dribble essentially at will. Many recruiting folks believe Smith will lean toward one of the Tobacco Road schools, though U of L's Kenny Johnson has made in-roads there.
More: Top 2016 PG Smith narrows list to six
DE'AARON FOX
Size: 6-4, 170. Scout.com national rank: 16. Has U of L offered? Yes. Also considering: Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, Baylor, others. AAU team: Houston Hoops (Nike).
A more recent addition to U of L's recruiting process, Fox is one of the top players in the nation in his class. He is a combo guard who is long and athletic. He's one of the top players on the EYBL circuit and he has been impressive at Peach Jam. Johnson's built a relationship with Fox, and Louisville has made him a priority at point guard. Right now, this one appears to be wide open, with the Cards right in the mix.
More: Fox a 5-star prospect thriving this summer
PAYTON PRITCHARD
Size: 6-1, 175. Scout.com national rank: 52. Has U of L offered? Yes. Also considering: Baylor, Cal, Kansas, Oklahoma, others. AAU team: Team Fast Elite (adidas).
A former Oklahoma commit, Pritchard came back on Louisville's radar and has been re-offered a scholarship by U of L. An Oregon native, Pritchard was recruited by U of L assistant Kenny Johnson when he was at Indiana, so there is a preexisting relationship between Johnson and the family. Pritchard averaged 22.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and five assists a game on the adidas Uprising circuit this summer, and shot 44 percent from the field from 183 shots.
WILLIAM MCDOWELL-WHITE
Size: 6-5, 185. Has U of L offered? Yes. Also considering: Michigan State, Arizona, LSU, others. AAU team: N/A.
An Australian guard that some have compared to Derrick Rose, McDowell-White made quite an impression on American hoops coaches in July. Louisville is on a long list of schools recruiting him.
OFF GUARDS
MARKELLE FULTZ
Size: 6-3, 170. Scout.com national rank: 22. Has U of L offered? Yes. Unofficial visit: Two. Also considering: Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina. AAU team: DC Blue Devils (Under Armour).
A wiry, long-armed guard, Fultz is not afraid to stop and pop from 25 feet, or try to blow by his man and get into the lane. He's a creative guard and is the kind of assertive player who could play a role similar to the ones Terry Rozier or Russ Smith had at U of L. He is a D.C.-area kid and Johnson is recruiting him. Fultz has a ton of big-time programs after him as he shoots up the national rankings, and U of L is right there.
More: Fultz to visit U of L first
SEVENTH WOODS
Size: 6-1, 170. Scout.com national rank: 31. Has U of L offered? No. Unofficial visit: No. Also considering: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgetown and Kansas. AAU team: Carolina Wolves (Under Armour).
A talented combo guard, Woods seems like he's leaning toward UNC or South Carolina, but he told Cardinal Authority at the UA Finals that U of L is among his final six schools he's considering. The Cards have monitored him the past month or so, and he insists he's open to each of the six schools he mentioned.
ERIC HESTER
Size: 6-4, 170. Scout.com national rank: Unranked nationally. Has U of L offered? Yes. Unofficial visit: No. Also considering: Florida, Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, USF, others. AAU team: Team Breakdown (Under Armour).
A defensive-minded talent, Hester is a very solid athlete who is a work in progress on offense. He is explosive and can get to the basket. He is strong in the open court. But his jump shot needs work, which limits his scoring ability in the halfcourt. Louisville has been on him for a while, but he may be a backup option at this point.
ANDREW JONES
Size: 6-4, 175. Scout.com national rank: Unranked. Has U of L offered? No. Also considering: SMU, Arizona, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas, Miami, Virginia, others. AAU team: Pro Skills (Nike).
A fast-rising lanky guard, Jones is a new addition to U of L's radar in late July. He already has Arizona, SMU and several Big 12 programs on him, but U of L offered him a scholarship and will enter the fight for him.
He is much like the other stretch fours that Louisville is looking at. DeLaurier is a shot blocker who is super athletic. His unofficial visit to U of L on June 28, and he is worth adding to the list now. He averages 13.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game on the AAU circuit.
Jeff Greer
The list of players below is not in any particular order other than position, and we can now take Maverick Rowan off the board all together after his commitment to NC State.
With highly rated wing V.J. King's commitment and a leftover scholarship from the 2015 class rolling over, Louisville has two more scholarships open for the 2016 class. Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, two graduate transfers, move on after this season
So, what else does Louisville need in 2016? The Cards will have five scholarship perimeter players remaining on the roster -- Quentin Snider, Donovan Mitchell, Deng Adel and Ryan McMahon, plus walk-on David Levitch -- and King coming in.
Judging by the players the Cards are pursuing, it's clear U of L would like to find a guard to help handle the ball with Snider ahead of the 2016-17 season, and the dogged pursuit of De'Aaron Fox shows that. And it also seems as if they would like to add a scoring wing, in the 2-guard mold, as well. Guys like Markelle Fultz and Terrance Ferguson fit that mold.
Rick Pitino said in late July that they may even consider another fifth-year transfer after the success they had in grabbing Trey Lewis and Damion Lee off the grad transfer wire.
Keep an eye on Fultz, Ferguson and Fox in the coming weeks, plus a few new names like Payton Pritchard, Brandon Robinson and Andrew Jones. There is a strong ongoing effort to get Ferguson, Fox and Fultz on campus for official visits, and Fultz just announced he'll visit this week. Expect Fox and Ferguson to visit soon, too. Same seems likely for Jones.
So, without further ado, here's the updated Louisville recruiting big board for the 2016 class as of Aug. 2 ... I've removed quite a few names as it becomes pretty clear that both parties are looking elsewhere (or the player has committed elsewhere).
I've added a few new names to the list as July draws to a close: Aussie guard William McDowell-White has just about everyone on him. Jones, a Texas guard, is a new name on U of L's radar. Brandon Robinson just received an offer from the Cards.
Remember, the following listing is in no particular order, but rather by position. For a list of recruiting priorities
http://courier-journal.com/featured-newsletter/louisville_sports_headlines/
THE 2016 BIG BOARD
LEAD GUARDS
DENNIS SMITH JR.
Size: 6-2, 180. Scout.com national rank: 4. Has U of L offered? Yes. Also considering: North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Kentucky, Wake Forest. AAU team: Team Loaded (adidas).
An explosive lead guard who can play both guard spots, Smith is one of the nation's most coveted prospects. He has incredible leaping ability and can create off the dribble essentially at will. Many recruiting folks believe Smith will lean toward one of the Tobacco Road schools, though U of L's Kenny Johnson has made in-roads there.
More: Top 2016 PG Smith narrows list to six
DE'AARON FOX
Size: 6-4, 170. Scout.com national rank: 16. Has U of L offered? Yes. Also considering: Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, Baylor, others. AAU team: Houston Hoops (Nike).
A more recent addition to U of L's recruiting process, Fox is one of the top players in the nation in his class. He is a combo guard who is long and athletic. He's one of the top players on the EYBL circuit and he has been impressive at Peach Jam. Johnson's built a relationship with Fox, and Louisville has made him a priority at point guard. Right now, this one appears to be wide open, with the Cards right in the mix.
More: Fox a 5-star prospect thriving this summer
PAYTON PRITCHARD
Size: 6-1, 175. Scout.com national rank: 52. Has U of L offered? Yes. Also considering: Baylor, Cal, Kansas, Oklahoma, others. AAU team: Team Fast Elite (adidas).
A former Oklahoma commit, Pritchard came back on Louisville's radar and has been re-offered a scholarship by U of L. An Oregon native, Pritchard was recruited by U of L assistant Kenny Johnson when he was at Indiana, so there is a preexisting relationship between Johnson and the family. Pritchard averaged 22.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and five assists a game on the adidas Uprising circuit this summer, and shot 44 percent from the field from 183 shots.
WILLIAM MCDOWELL-WHITE
Size: 6-5, 185. Has U of L offered? Yes. Also considering: Michigan State, Arizona, LSU, others. AAU team: N/A.
An Australian guard that some have compared to Derrick Rose, McDowell-White made quite an impression on American hoops coaches in July. Louisville is on a long list of schools recruiting him.
OFF GUARDS
MARKELLE FULTZ
Size: 6-3, 170. Scout.com national rank: 22. Has U of L offered? Yes. Unofficial visit: Two. Also considering: Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina. AAU team: DC Blue Devils (Under Armour).
A wiry, long-armed guard, Fultz is not afraid to stop and pop from 25 feet, or try to blow by his man and get into the lane. He's a creative guard and is the kind of assertive player who could play a role similar to the ones Terry Rozier or Russ Smith had at U of L. He is a D.C.-area kid and Johnson is recruiting him. Fultz has a ton of big-time programs after him as he shoots up the national rankings, and U of L is right there.
More: Fultz to visit U of L first
SEVENTH WOODS
Size: 6-1, 170. Scout.com national rank: 31. Has U of L offered? No. Unofficial visit: No. Also considering: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgetown and Kansas. AAU team: Carolina Wolves (Under Armour).
A talented combo guard, Woods seems like he's leaning toward UNC or South Carolina, but he told Cardinal Authority at the UA Finals that U of L is among his final six schools he's considering. The Cards have monitored him the past month or so, and he insists he's open to each of the six schools he mentioned.
ERIC HESTER
Size: 6-4, 170. Scout.com national rank: Unranked nationally. Has U of L offered? Yes. Unofficial visit: No. Also considering: Florida, Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, USF, others. AAU team: Team Breakdown (Under Armour).
A defensive-minded talent, Hester is a very solid athlete who is a work in progress on offense. He is explosive and can get to the basket. He is strong in the open court. But his jump shot needs work, which limits his scoring ability in the halfcourt. Louisville has been on him for a while, but he may be a backup option at this point.
ANDREW JONES
Size: 6-4, 175. Scout.com national rank: Unranked. Has U of L offered? No. Also considering: SMU, Arizona, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas, Miami, Virginia, others. AAU team: Pro Skills (Nike).
A fast-rising lanky guard, Jones is a new addition to U of L's radar in late July. He already has Arizona, SMU and several Big 12 programs on him, but U of L offered him a scholarship and will enter the fight for him.
He is much like the other stretch fours that Louisville is looking at. DeLaurier is a shot blocker who is super athletic. His unofficial visit to U of L on June 28, and he is worth adding to the list now. He averages 13.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game on the AAU circuit.
Jeff Greer
