After last weekend’s flurry of visitors Ed Cooley and his staff didn’t sit at home and rest on their laurels. Cooley and his staff were spotted all over the country this past week checking in on future prospects in 2016 and 2017 but also making a point to be seen by primary 2015 target Justin Robinson. To see where the staff was this week, check out the site feature called “Where is Ed Cooley and the staff?” which is linked at the top of the page on the menu bar.
The narrative for Robinson’s recruitment seems to be that most people think it will come down to Virginia Tech and Providence for the lead guard’s services. Our own Friar Crystal Ball prediction for Robinson currently has 2 of the 6 picks in favor of the Friars and only 1 in favor of the Hokies. Robinson has played the recruitment close to the vest refusing to gives interviews or quotes until all of his visits have been taken. As of now his final scheduled visit is October 3rd and 4th to UNLV. His trip to Creighton that was scheduled for this weekend was cancelled on Monday after Creighton took a commitment from another 2015 guard. Ed Cooley made sure to check in with Robinson on Tuesday down in Maryland and will likely pop down there once or twice more before Robinson makes a decision. Virginia Tech also checked in on Robinson this week as well. Robinson’s birthday is October 12th and he may be targeting that as an announcement date but no official word on that as of yet. Until then Ed Cooley and Friar fans will just have to wait.
A 2015 wing was scheduled to visit Providence this weekend but LaGerald Vick‘s visit was postponed. He will visit Western Kentucky instead and then trip to Georgia Tech next weekend after the Yellow Jackets offered a scholarship this week after watching a workout. The Memphis native’s recruitment is picking up steam as he had Missouri, SMU and Western Kentucky in to watch him workout on the same day that Georgia Tech was there. He also got an offer and had an in-home visit with Baylor on Thursday. It remains to be seen if Ed Cooley is looking to add LGV in addition to Robinson or instead of Robinson if JRob commits elsewhere. Either way, Vick’s recruitment just got a bit more challenging.
After Coach Cooley was one of a few high major head coaches in Nashville last week to watch 2016 Braxton Blackwell take part in early morning workouts, Blackwell will join fellow Atlanta Celtics teammate and Providence recruit Kobi Simmons on a visit to Ohio State this weekend. They will attend the Buckeye’s football game against in-state rival Cincinnati.
Simmons recently had a feature article written about him in Slam Magazine. Check that out here.
Providence Associate Head Coach Bob Simon was in New Jersey on Tuesday to watch 2016 guard Temple Gibbs at Seton Hall Prep. Temple is the younger brother of former Pittsburgh guard Ashton and current Seton Hall guard Sterling. The 6’2 point guard has a composite national ranking of 45th according to 247sports.
On Wednesday Providence had a coach at Christ the King in Queens to watch 2016 guard Rawle Alkins. Alkins had a big spring and summer and shot up the recruiting rankings and currently has a composite national ranking of 30th according to 247sports.
The staff also hit the trail checking in on 2017 recruits. Brian Blaney was in Massachusetts on Tuesday at Commonwealth Academy checking out 2017 prospect Jordan Hardwick among others. On Thursday a Providence coach tripped to White Plains, NY to watch 2017 standout Jordan Tucker.
More news from the class of 2017:
2017 Hopkins (MN) guard Ishmael El-Amin has recently picked up interest from Providence, UConn, Oregon, Creighton, Miami, & UNI @ny2lasports
— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) September 26, 2014
2017 Hopkins (MN) guard Ishmael El-Amin did state that Providence is coming at him the hardest and could visit for their midnight madness
— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) September 26, 2014
Ishmael El-Amin is the son of former UConn great Khalid and plays on the same high school and AAU team as 2017 Providence recruit Simon Wright and 2016 Providence recruit Amir Coffey.
Rivals.com released their first crack at a top 25 for the class of 2017 on Thursday. Two Providence recruits were among the top 25 while another 3 were given 4 star status meaning they would fall somewhere between 26th and 50th if the list was expanded.
RI Affiliated put up a new highlight mixtape of a recent workout at Putnam Science Academy. The video features Hamidou Diallo, Kealen Ives, Mamadou Diarra and two other players that Providence isn’t involved with:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ro7gUy4QOQ]
Cox Hub had New England Recruiting Report take a look at the class of 2017 in New England. The conclusion: “New England’s 2017 class is absolutely loaded.” Read the article and watch the video here.
Craig Leighton at FriarBasketball.com put together a recruiting roundup on Wednesday as part of their 15 in 40 series leading up to the start of the season. Craig discusses Providence’s 2015, 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes and targets and gives some names to keep an eye on. It’s worth the read.
There was a Hoop Group event at MIT on Sunday called the Hoop Group Top 100. Some Providence recruits played well and the New England Recruiting Report was there to see them:
Chris Baldwin (Notre Dame Prep, 2016)- The 6’8” forward was tough inside all day, as he blocked shots and gobbled up rebounds. His ball handling has also improved, and made several strong outlet passes.
Tyonne Malone (Putnam Tech, 2016)- One of the better athletes in the field, Malone finished around the rim with both hands both in the halfcourt and in transition.
New England Recruiting Report also did a prep profile on Northfield Mount Hermon this week. Two class of 2017 Providence recruits were mentioned:
Canadian sensation Jerome Desrosiers is also back and may just be the most efficient player in New England’s 2017 class. The sophomore returns a step quicker after sculpting his physique and will likely see time at both forward positions as a result.
It was the sophomore, Tomas Murphy, that was perhaps the best player in the entire gym the day we watched, asserting himself on the glass in a big way while also showing his typical high I.Q. and skill.
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