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CBT’s Recruiting Roundup: Texas A&M gets a tough guard, St. John’s big weekend, Xavier’s intriguing fit

Steve Lavin

St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin watches from the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Butler, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, in Indianapolis. St. John’s won 69-52. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

AP

Each Monday and Friday, College Basketball Talk’s Scott Phillips goes over some important news and notes in the world of college basketball recruiting. This week, Admon Gilder, Jawun Evans, Elijah Thomas and package deals, a big weekend for St. John’s and Kaiser Gates is an intriguing fit at Xavier.

Admon Gilder, Jawun Evans, Elijah Thomas and package deals

Admon Gilder committing to Texas A&M wasn’t only big for the Aggies’ 2015 class this week, it also threw an interesting wrench in a few talked-about “package deals.” While these deals only materialize part of the time, it is worth noting that both Admon Gilder and Jawun Evans have been mentioned in package deal rumors with five-star big man Elijah Thomas.

So with Gilder going to Billy Kennedy’s team and Evans committing to Oklahoma State, what happens next? Thomas has both Texas A&M and Oklahoma State in his final five, but he also took visits to Illinois, LSU and SMU.

The next step, in which Thomas chooses a school, will show a little bit about how much package deals matter in the grand scheme of things.

Thomas took his official visit to Texas A&M with Gilder, so that is worth noting, but maybe Thomas opts to go his own route and not package up with any of the rumors?

The five-star big man announces on Oct. 21 and we’ll know more of the full story. Until then, let the rumors begin.

Big weekend of visitors with St. John’s

The Red Storm have a big weekend of visitors on-tap.

Head coach Steve Lavin has three huge recruits visiting this weekend as five-star big man Cheick Diallo, five-star guard Isaiah Briscoe and four-star guard Brandon Sampson all visit New York, according to Evan Daniels of Scout.com.

Lavin needs to gain some recruiting momentum going into next season and the head coach didn’t land any major difference-makers in the 2014 recruiting class.

Securing one or more of that aforementioned 2015 group would give Lavin a little more security, especially if the Red Storm have a good year on the court this season.

St. John’s could use some good recruiting news, as they haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since Lavin’s first season in 2010-11.

Xavier lands an intriguing talent in 2015 wing Kaiser Gates

You won’t hear from Xavier much in the 2015 class.

After landing six commitments in the 2014 class, Xavier took plenty of talented players at different positions and had minimal roster flexibility to work with in regards to the next class.

By landing Georgia native and 6-foot-8 wing Kaiser Gates this week, the Musketeers have given themselves a versatile player who can go inside-out or handle the ball a bit in pick and roll spots.

The three-star player doesn’t do one thing great, but Xavier has six players in 2014 to do different tasks already. Gates and his versatility just give Xavier some insurance at multiple spots the next season and he should be able to find a fit there in a number of different ways.

Follow @phillipshoops