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Oklahoma State lands third 2019 commitment

By Raphielle JohnsonSep 18, 2018, 4:45 PM EDT
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Oklahoma State managed to add another verbal commitment in its 2019 class on Tuesday, as four-star combo guard Avery Anderson III announced via Twitter that he will play his college basketball for Mike Boynton. Anderson picked Oklahoma State over offers from Florida, LSU, TCU and Texas Tech.

Anderson is Oklahoma State’s third commitment in the class, as the Justin, Texas product joins twins Kalib and Keylan Boone. The Boone brothers made their pledge in mid-April, and all three took official visits to Stillwater this past weekend.

Anderson’s commitment is key for two reasons. First there’s the fact that he can be used at either guard spot, and that versatility will be valuable for Oklahoma State once he arrives on campus. Also, while Oklahoma State will be quite young in the front court this coming season that isn’t the case on the perimeter.

Of Oklahoma State’s current crop of guards/wings only two, freshman Isaac Likekele and redshirt sophomore Michael Weathers, are underclassmen. The Cowboys have just one senior in the group, Mike Cunningham, but getting a guard in the 2019 class was key for Boynton’s program.

At this point, all 13 of Oklahoma State’s scholarships for the 2019-20 season have been filled with Anderson’s commitment.

Texas lands four-star 2019 wing Donovan Williams

By Scott PhillipsSep 12, 2018, 4:30 PM EDT
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Texas started its Class of 2019 recruiting efforts in a positive way on Wednesday with a commitment from in-state wing Donovan Williams.

The 6-foot-5 Williams is coming off of a strong summer that saw him elevate near the top 50 in many national recruiting rankings. The versatile Williams was one of the better players in attendance at the NBPA Top 100 Camp before improving his Nike EYBL numbers during the Peach Jam with Houston Hoops.

Williams hails from Fort Bend, as he continues head coach Shaka Smart’s strong streak of in-state recruiting. While the Longhorns have also recruited well at the national level, landing nearby players like Williams has been the key to steady talent coming to Austin the past few seasons.

A late-rising wing guard like Williams is a strong start to the Class of 2019, as Texas will look to find more talent to put around Williams in the hopes of another top-20 class.

Five-star guard Cole Anthony announces 12 finalists

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By Travis HinesAug 27, 2018, 10:51 PM EDT
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For a kid that’s the son of an NBA player (who also is prominently on TV as an analyst) and a top-five recruit, Cole Anthony has kept his recruitment remarkably quiet. Our own Rob Dauster wrote 2,500 words on him earlier this summer, and still had to “read the tea leaves” as to who, exactly, was recruiting the talented guard.

Anthony finally provided some clarity on the situation ahead of his senior year.

Twelve schools made the cut for Anthony, who will now consider Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisville, Oregon, Villanova, Wake Forest, Pitt, Georgetown, Notre Dame and Miami as his college destination.

Anthony essentially had his pick of any school in the country, so this list is a trim, but considering the size of it, Anthony is still keeping his options open. Those options basically being all the top programs in the country. And Pitt.

(Sorry, that was mean to the Panthers. Clearly the hiring of Jeff Capel, who spearheaded Duke’s recruiting of recent seasons, is putting them in contention for top-level players.)

Anthony has said previously he’s looking to make a spring decision on where he’ll attend school.

 

Four-star 2019 PG Markese Jacobs reopens recruitment

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By Raphielle JohnsonAug 25, 2018, 11:18 AM EDT
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Point guard Markese Jacobs, Kansas’ first verbal commitment in the Class of 2019, announced Friday that he has decided to reopen his recruitment. A native of Chicago, Jacobs committed to Kansas in the fall of 2016.

Given the way in which things can change in the recruiting world, it shouldn’t come as a major surprise that Jacobs is going in this direction nearly two years after making his pledge to become a Jayhawk. A 5-foot-11 lead guard who attends Uplift Community High School, Jacobs played for the Mac Irvin Fire grassroots program on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer.

In the aftermath of Jacobs’ decision the four-star point guard received offers from Florida State and Nebraska.

The news leaves Kansas without a commit in the 2019 class for the time being, but there’s obviously plenty of time left for the program to evaluate other point guard options. All three of Kansas’ current scholarship point guards, sophomores Marcus Garrett and Charlie Moore and freshman Devon Dotson, are underclassmen.

Texas’ Andrew Jones continues to make progress in fight against leukemia

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By Travis HinesAug 23, 2018, 9:04 PM EDT
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Since being diagnosed with leukemia in January, Texas’ Andrew Jones has steadily battled his way back to health. He’s undergone treatments, gotten back to working out and even enrolled in online classes.

The next chapter has him returning to campus.

Jones will be enrolled in the fall semester and living in the dorms when school starts next week at Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

“I’m on schedule to finish up this current round of treatment on Friday in Houston and then head to Austin to move back into the dorm,” Jones told the American-Statesman. “I plan to begin classes next Wednesday for the fall semester, and I’m really excited and looking forward to being back on campus at UT with all the other students.

“I’ve still got some treatments down the road,” Jones added, “but I want to let everyone know that I’m feeling better and better every day. I can’t thank everyone enough for their support and prayers.”

Jones, who recently was the subject of a Players Tribune documentary, was averaging 13.5 points while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor and 46.3 percent from 3-point range before his diagnosis midway through his sophomore season.

He is still uncertain of his status for Texas’ upcoming season, but more importantly he continues to make progress against a disease that upended his life less than a year ago. Returning to a supportive community – both his teammates and his classmates – is undoubtedly a huge step for Jones.

 

Baylor’s Jake Lindsey out for season after hip surgery

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By Travis HinesAug 20, 2018, 8:03 PM EDT
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Jake Lindsey’s senior season is going to be delayed a year.

The Baylor guard will miss the upcoming season after undergoing hip surgery, he announced Sunday.

“I will be redshirting this season as I recover from hip surgery,” Lindsey wrote on Twitter. “I can’t wait to help the team this year in a different role as I recover. I want to say thank you to everyone who has been helping me in this time, whether you know it or not.”

The 6-foot-5 guard has averaged more than 20 minutes per game the last two seasons as a 3-point shooting specialist and distributor. He averaged just 4.5 points per game last season, but dished out 3.4 assists while shooting 34.1 percent from distance (down from 40.4 percent as a sophomore). He will have one season of eligibility remaining in 2019-20 after sitting out this season.

Lindsey, whose father Dennis is the general manager of the Utah Jazz, battled the hip injury throughout much of last season, but did not miss any games as a result. His loss will be acute for the Bears, who lost four seniors off last year’s No. 1 seed NIT team including point guard Manu Lecomte.