#pcbb Weekly Recruiting Update 9/19/14

After the last couple of weeks being pretty quiet after the commitment of 2015 guard Drew Edwards this upcoming weekend is a big one in Friartown. Not only will Edwards be taking his official visit to Providence this weekend but he will be joined by the first player to commit to Ed Cooley in the class of 2015, Ryan Fazekas. But the most important visitor this weekend and a player that Edwards and Fazekas will try to help recruit is 2015 point guard recruit Justin Robinson. This will be Robinson’s 3rd official visit with the first two being at local schools Virginia Tech and Maryland. Robinson plans to take his other two visits after this weekend in Providence but Ed Cooley and the Friar Faithful are hoping that Robinson will give Cooley a commitment before returning home on Sunday.

As I reported last week, Robinson had previously told me he is “probably trying to go on all [of the visits] but if the feeling is right [a commitment] might happen [while on a visit].” As I wrote in an article for Scout Friars earlier in the week, Providence doesn’t absolutely need a point guard in the 2015 class but they really like Robinson and would like to bring in a point guard ASAP in the hope of easing him in while Kris Dunn is still in a Friar uniform.

A new name came up this week when Scout.com’s Brian Snow tweeted the following:

Providence is watching Team Thad 4-star SG LeGerald Vick. Indiana, Ga Tech, and Mizzou expected in tomorrow

— Brian Snow (@BSnowND) September 17, 2014

LaGerald Vick, who plays for Team Thad on the Under Armour grassroots circuit, is a 6’5 wing guard from Memphis, TN who has seen his recruitment take off a bit recently. Providence associate head coach Bob Simon began recruiting Vick in late August and Simon was the coach Snow referenced as watching Vick work out on Wednesday. Vick told me that the schools he is considering are Indiana, Missouri, Providence and Western Kentucky. According to Vick’s AAU coach Norton Hurd, assistant coaches from Indiana, Georgia Tech and Missouri watched Vick work out on Thursday with Alabama and Cincinnati expected to watch him next week.

He will be taking an official visit to Providence next weekend and is “very excited” about the visit.

2015 wing recruit LaGerald Vick will take an official visit to Providence 9/26: http://t.co/oRmJQySo7j #pcbb #gofriars

— Mike Hopkins (@pcbb1917) September 18, 2014

Many people have asked me about the scholarship situation and whether I think getting involved with Vick means anything about the staff’s confidence in landing Justin Robinson. Here’s my take on those things: as far as the scholarship situation goes Providence only has 1 available scholarship as of this moment for the 2015 class. However, my guess is the staff is convinced that this will be Tyler Harris’ final season in a Providence uniform whether he goes pro or uses his graduate transfer exception to play his final year of eligibility immediately somewhere else. If that is their reality then they have 2 available scholarships to play with for 2015. As we saw with the Josh Fortune transfer, you never stop recruiting.

Robinson is the primary target but everything I’ve read and heard about Vick is that he is a deadeye shooter who can create havoc in the passing lane. He reportedly has a 6’8 wingspan and is dangerous in the open floor on the break.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roknp3jHEyM]

Speaking of Ryan Fazekas, Craig Belhumeur from FriarBasketball.com caught up with Fazekas ahead of his official visit to Providence. It’s a well done piece and worth the read. One interesting note is that Fazekas will be back in Providence on 10/17 for Late Night Madness for the second straight year.

5 star shooting guard Antonio Blakeney decommited from Louisville 11 days after he gave Rick Pitino his pledge on September 4th. There are rumors of sneaker company involvement in the decommitment and those rumors may be furthered by the fact that Louisville will reportedly cut ties with Blakeney and no longer recruit him despite him saying he would strongly consider Louisville while taking other visits.

Per sources, Louisville has cut all ties with Antonio Blakeney. The Cardinals are no longer recruiting the former commitment.

— Jody Demling (@jdemling) September 17, 2014

Providence had been involved for a while with Blakeney and UndercoverFriar reported on Twitter that Providence is trying to get back involved with Blakeney but I just don’t buy it and if any of the sneaker company rumors are true then I’m not sure I’d want to get involved with a player who likely would have handlers with their hands out looking for some money.

On the class of 2016 front, Braxton Blackwell‘s recruitment is heating up with a bunch of coaches flocking to Nashville, TN to watch Blackwell during early morning workouts at CPA. Ed Cooley was one of those coaches on Monday. In addition to Cooley there was an assistant from DePaul in attendance that morning. The week was only getting started though as Florida head coach Billy Donovan and Georgia head coach Mark Fox were in for early morning workouts on Tuesday. This was the crew on Thursday morning:

On campus for @cpa_basketball open gym at 6:00am to see 2016 Braxton Blackwell: Ohio State, Indiana, and Memphis, including HC Josh Pastner.

— Drew Maddux (@DrewMaddux) September 18, 2014

The competition will clearly be strong for Blackwell’s services as he is currently is ranked 33rd in 247sports’ composite national ranking for the class of 2016. Click here for a new highlight mixtape.

Ed Cooley was apparently in Madison, AL sometime in the last two weeks since the recruiting period began on September 9th. According to Tellus Langford, the father of standout 2016 guard Josh Langford, Cooley is one of a plethora of high major coaches to visit Madison Academy to watch Langford work out. Langford is another top prospect where competition will be heavy and that seems fitting as Langford plays on the same Atlanta Celtics AAU team as Braxton Blackwell.

More on a new name in 2016 from last week in Eddie Ekiyor. The Canadian big man is starting his first year at New Hampton School (NH) and figures to make a name for himself in the NEPSAC this season. He runs with CIA Bounce on the Nike EYBL grassroots circuit and Providence is not the only school taking notice of the  6’9 power forward as he has also received offers from Duquesne, UMass and Wake Forest and Florida head coach Billy Donovan took in a work out earlier this week.

There was a new offer in the class of 2017 this week as Providence offered Cushing Academy’s Jarrod Simmons.

Congrats to Cushing's Jarrod Simmons with offer from PC. It's not who starts on top but who finishes on top. @jarrodsimmons11 huge upside.

— Rivals Nation (@RivalsNation) September 17, 2014

In mid-June, when NERR released their New England 2017 top 10 rankings they said:

“There isn’t a prospect in this class who has come on stronger this spring than Jarrod Simmons.  He’s another who is now sprouting at a rapid rate, but he’s not just taller but stronger, more assertive, and showing flashes of what suddenly looks like a huge upside.”

This past weekend was the Elite 75 Frosh/Soph Showcase held in Hanover, MA. Paul Lazdowski and other staffers from the NERR gave their reports on the top sophomores and a bunch of them are Providence recruits and one is even already a commit:

Jermaine Samuels – He was, without question, the biggest draw in the gym, moving the crowd in his direction anytime he took the court.  Samuels did not disappoint with a number of highlight dunks. His lightening quick first step and explosive vertical are unmatched.  Equally impressive was his unselfishness and willingness to get others involved.  GameTimeTV had highlights.

Tomas Murphy – Another true sophomore and top national prospect, Murphy was also as good as advertised on Sunday with big brother and NBA player, Erik, looking on.  As Tomas has gained strength over the past few months, he is beginning to overpower opposing defenders down low and on the wing. It’s a scary development for a sophomore who has long relied on finesse. BallasTV had highlights.

Jerome Desrosiers – One coach called him “a coach on the floor,” which was a fair description and especially impressive for an underclassmen, never mind one who plays in the frontcourt.  Desrosiers was always under control, able to size up his defender, and use his dribbles efficiently to attack.  Overall, he looks bound to become one of the most daunting matchups in NEPSAC Class AAA.

Makai Ashton-Langford – There isn’t a more physically gifted point guard in the 2017 class as Ashton-Langford combines perimeter size, length, and athleticism with newfound muscle mass.  At his best in transition, he always knows how to find his teammates for open looks and is equally adept at mixing in his own offensive opportunities. BallasTV had highlights.

Javon Taylor – At 6-foot-3, the sophomore from Beaver Country Day possesses the length, court vision and patience to blossom into an elite Division 1 point guard. Already committed to Providence, Taylor has established himself as a solid perimeter player. As Taylor adds muscle, expect him to become even more of a factor scoring inside when penetrating.

Ed Cooley, Bob Simon and Andre LaFleur have been spotted on the recruiting trail since the Recruiting Period began on September 9th. To see where the coaches have been recently, click here.

Follow me on Twitter: @pcbb1917

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Mike Hopkins

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