Who’s left?: The best available high school basketball recruits

By Scott PhillipsMay 2, 2014, 2:15 PM EDT

Although we’ve hit the month of May and the late signing period will come to a close on May 21st, there are still plenty of talented, unsigned high school basketball prospects that are available for the 2014-15 college basketball season. Many of these players were released from a National Letter of Intent after a coaching change but now they have the option of looking elsewhere and finding a new program to play for.

WHO’S LEFT?: College Basketball Transfers | Junior College Transfers

Think that this list is littered with picked-over players? Think again. Six of the eight players on this list are among Rivals.com‘s top 150 in the 2014 national class, so there are still plenty of impact players left to be had.

Here’s a look at some of the best players that are still available:

1. Larry Austin: The 6-foot-1 point guard from Springfield Lanpher High School in Illinois is ranked No. 117 in Rivals.com‘s 2014 national rankings and was released from his NLI from Tennessee earlier in April. Sources told NBCSports.com that Austin will visit Xavier this weekend and Butler, Cal, Creighton, Georgetown, Kansas State and Providence have all shown varying degrees of interest.

2. Phil Cofer: A 6-foot-8 forward and former Tennessee commit, Cofer was recently released from his Letter of Intent but Rivals.com‘s No. 120 player in the 2014 national class might be willing to stay a Volunteer. Cofer met with new Tennessee head coach Donnie Tyndall on Tuesday, according to multiple reports, and the Georgia native has upcoming official visits to Florida State and Virginia Tech the next two weekends and is also getting interest from Georgia Tech and Memphis, according to Rob Lewis of Volsquest.com.

3. Jordan Cornish: A 6-foot-6 shooting guard and another former Tennessee commit — sense a patten here? — Cornish re-opened his recruitment and is looking at Nebraska SMU and Wake Forest. The Louisiana native is scheduled to visit Wake Forest this weekend and will visit Nebraska the following weekend before finishing up at SMU, according to NOLA.com’s Andrew Lopez.

4. Shelton Mitchell: The 6-foot-3 point guard from Oak Hill Academy is the No. 76 overall prospect in Rivals.com’s 2014 national rankings and recently got his release from Wake Forest. Not much is known about Mitchell’s updated recruitment, but Oak Hill Academy head coach Steve Smith said Mitchell will likely stay away from Wake Forest and the ACC.

5. Tariq Owens: The 6-foot-8 former Ohio commit is a very hot commodity as schools from all over are trying to get the Maryland native on campus. Evan Daniels of Scout.com reported on Thursday that Owens has unofficial visits to Temple (May 2) and Seton Hall (May 9) lined up while UT Martin has an official visit scheduled for May 13. Tennessee and Dayton are also still involved with Owens as well. UT Martin may appear to be the little guy in this recruitment, but the Skyhawks recently hired former Ohio assistant coach Anthony Stewart as associate head coach and Stewart helped recruit Owens to Ohio.

6. Ahmaad Rorie: The 6-foot scoring point guard and former Cal commit is the newest member of the Uncommited Club after deciding late this week to re-open his recruitment. Rorie transferred back to Lincoln High School in Washington this winter after spending the first half of the year at Montverde Academy and Lincoln High School coach Aubrey Shelton told Todd Miles of The News Tribune that Rorie would look at Pac 12 schools and set some visits. Keep an eye on Washington in this one. Combo guard and fellow high school senior David Crisp is a Huskies’ commit and Crisp is a cousin of Rorie’s and the two formed the starting backcourt for the Team Bradley grassroots program. Rorie is the No. 116 ranked player in Rivals.com‘s 2014 national rankings.

7. Elijah Stewart: The 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Los Angeles had a big senior season and the former Loyola Marymount commit now stands as Rivals.com‘s No. 64 player in the 2014 national class. According to ESPN.com‘s Joel Francisco, Cincinnati will get a visit this weekend while Boston College, Oklahoma State, Pitt and USC are all involved. Stewart plans on visiting each campus before deciding.

8. Jared Terrell: The 6-foot-3 guard is the No. 66 overall prospect in Rivals.com’s 2014 national rankings and recently received his release from Oklahoma State. Terrell has yet to put out any sort of list, but Boston College, Providence and Rhode Island are getting a lot of local buzz thanks in-part to Brewster Academy head coach Jason Smith naming those three schools with Terrell. Rhode Island was the runner-up last time, but they’ve since taken a commitment from guard Jarvis Garrett and assistant coach Preston Murphy — Terrell’s lead recruiter — has been hired at Boston College in the same position. Providence was also involved for Terrell in the fall but now more playing time looks available after another shoulder injury to Kris Dunn and the loss of Brandon Austin.

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North Carolina transfer Caleb Love commits to Arizona

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 10:59 AM EDT

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Love is now headed to Arizona.

The North Carolina transfer tweeted, less than a month after decommitting from Michigan, that he will play next season with the Wildcats.

“Caleb is a tremendously talented guard who has significant experience playing college basketball at a high level,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said in a statement. “We look forward to helping Caleb grow his game at Arizona. And as we near the completion of the roster for the upcoming season, we feel great about how everything has come together. Now it’s time for the real work to start.”

A 6-foot-4 guard, Love averaged 14.6 points and 3.3 assists in three seasons at North Carolina. He averaged 17.6 points in seven NCAA Tournament games, helping lead the Tar Heels to the 2022 national championship game.

Love entered the transfer portal after leading North Carolina with 73 3-pointers as a junior and initially committed to Michigan. He decommitted from the Wolverines earlier this month, reportedly due to an admissions issue involving academic credits.

Love narrowed his transfer targets to three schools before choosing to play at Arizona over Gonzaga and Texas.

Love will likely start on a team that will have dynamic perimeter players, including Pelle Larsson, Kylan Boswell and Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley.

Biden celebrates LSU women’s and UConn men’s basketball teams at separate White House events

Associated PressMay 26, 2023, 11:56 PM EDT

Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK

WASHINGTON – All of the past drama and sore feelings associated with Louisiana State’s invitation to the White House were seemingly forgotten or set aside Friday as President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed the championship women’s basketball team to the mansion with smiles, hugs and lavish praise all around.

The visit had once appeared in jeopardy after Jill Biden suggested that the losing Iowa team be invited, too. But none of that was mentioned as both Bidens heralded the players for their performance and the way they have helped advance women’s sports.

“Folks, we witnessed history,” the president said. “In this team, we saw hope, we saw pride and we saw purpose. It matters.”

The ceremony was halted for about 10 minutes after forward Sa’Myah Smith appeared to collapse as she and her teammates stood behind Biden. A wheelchair was brought in and coach Kim Mulkey assured the audience that Smith was fine.

LSU said in a statement that Smith felt overheated, nauseous and thought she might faint. She was evaluated by LSU and White House medical staff and was later able to rejoin the team. “She is feeling well, in good spirits, and will undergo further evaluation once back in Baton Rouge,” the LSU statement said.

Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, Biden said, more than half of all college students are women, and there are now 10 times more female athletes in college and high school. He said most sports stories are still about men, and that that needs to change.

Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in federally funded education programs and activities.

“Folks, we need to support women sports, not just during the championship run but during the entire year,” President Biden said.

After the Tigers beat Iowa for the NCAA title in April in a game the first lady attended, she caused an uproar by suggesting that the Hawkeyes also come to the White House.

LSU star Angel Reese called the idea “A JOKE” and said she would prefer to visit with former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, instead. The LSU team largely is Black, while Iowa’s top player, Caitlin Clark, is white, as are most of her teammates.

Nothing came of Jill Biden’s idea and the White House only invited the Tigers. Reese ultimately said she would not skip the White House visit. She and co-captain Emily Ward presented team jerseys bearing the number “46” to Biden and the first lady. Hugs were exchanged.

Jill Biden also lavished praise on the team, saying the players showed “what it means to be a champion.”

“In this room, I see the absolute best of the best,” she said, adding that watching them play was “pure magic.”

“Every basket was pure joy and I kept thinking about how far women’s sports have come,” the first lady added, noting that she grew up before Title IX was passed. “We’ve made so much progress and we still have so much more work to do.”

The president added that “the way in which women’s sports has come along is just incredible. It’s really neat to see, since I’ve got four granddaughters.”

After Smith was helped to a wheelchair, Mulkey told the audience the player was OK.

“As you can see, we leave our mark where we go,” Mulkey joked. “Sa’Myah is fine. She’s kind of, right now, embarrassed.”

A few members of Congress and Biden aides past and present with Louisiana roots dropped what they were doing to attend the East Room event, including White House budget director Shalanda Young. Young is in the thick of negotiations with House Republicans to reach a deal by the middle of next week to stave off what would be a globally calamitous U.S. financial default if the U.S. can no longer borrow the money it needs to pay its bills.

The president, who wore a necktie in the shade of LSU’s purple, said Young, who grew up in Baton Rouge, told him, “I’m leaving the talks to be here.” Rep. Garret Graves, one of the House GOP negotiators, also attended.

Biden closed sports Friday by changing to a blue tie and welcoming the UConn’s men’s championship team for its own celebration. The Huskies won their fifth national title by defeating San Diego State, 76-59, in April.

“Congratulations to the whole UConn nation,” he said.

Marquette’s Prosper says he will stay in draft rather than returning to school

Associated PressMay 26, 2023, 7:08 PM EDT

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

MILWAUKEE — Olivier-Maxence Prosper announced he is keeping his name under NBA draft consideration rather than returning to Marquette.

The 6-foot-8 forward announced his decision.

“Thank you Marquette nation, my coaches, my teammates and support staff for embracing me from day one,” Prosper said in an Instagram post. “My time at Marquette has been incredible. With that being said, I will remain in the 2023 NBA Draft. I’m excited for what comes next. On to the next chapter…”

Prosper had announced last month he was entering the draft. He still could have returned to school and maintained his college eligibility by withdrawing from the draft by May 31. Prosper’s announcement indicates he instead is going ahead with his plans to turn pro.

Prosper averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds last season while helping Marquette go 29-7 and win the Big East’s regular-season and tournament titles. Marquette’s season ended with a 69-60 loss to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32.

He played two seasons at Marquette after transferring from Clemson, where he spent one season.

Kansas’ Kevin McCullar Jr. returning for last season of eligibility

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:18 PM EDT

Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports

Kevin McCullar Jr. said that he will return to Kansas for his final year of eligibility, likely rounding out a roster that could make the Jayhawks the preseason No. 1 next season.

McCullar transferred from Texas Tech to Kansas for last season, when he started 33 of 34 games and averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. He was also among the nation’s leaders in steals, and along with being selected to the Big 12’s all-defensive team, the 6-foot-6 forward was a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.

“To be able to play in front of the best fans in the country; to play for the best coach in the nation, I truly believe we have the pieces to hang another banner in the Phog,” McCullar said in announcing his return.

Along with McCullar, the Jayhawks return starters Dajuan Harris Jr. and K.J. Adams from a team that went 28–8, won the Big 12 regular-season title and was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Arkansas in the second round.

Perhaps more importantly, the Jayhawks landed Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, widely considered the best player in the portal, to anchor a lineup that was missing a true big man. They also grabbed former five-star prospect Arterio Morris, who left Texas, and Towson’s Nick Timberlake, who emerged last season as one of the best 3-point shooters in the country.

The Jayhawks also have an elite recruiting class arriving that is headlined by five-star recruit Elmarko Jackson.

McCullar declared for the draft but, after getting feedback from scouts, decided to return. He was a redshirt senior last season, but he has another year of eligibility because part of his career was played during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a big day for Kansas basketball,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “Kevin is not only a terrific player but a terrific teammate. He fit in so well in year one and we’re excited about what he’ll do with our program from a leadership standpoint.”

Clemson leading scorer Hall withdraws from NBA draft, returns to Tigers

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:15 PM EDT

Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson leading scorer PJ Hall is returning to college after withdrawing from the NBA draft on Thursday.

The 6-foot-10 forward took part in the NBA combine and posted his decision to put off the pros on social media.

Hall led the Tigers with 15.3 points per game this past season. He also led the Tigers with 37 blocks, along with 5.7 rebounds. Hall helped Clemson finish third in the Atlantic Coast Conference while posting a program-record 14 league wins.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell said Hall gained experience from going through the NBA’s combine that will help the team next season. “I’m counting on him and others to help lead a very talented group,” he said.

Hall was named to the all-ACC third team last season as the Tigers went 23-10.