Troy Williams Basketball Interview

BasketballElite.com has an interview with Troy Williams (SF, 6’7″, 2013), who has interest from Virginia, Virginia Tech and Georgetown. Williams is the nephew of Boo Williams, and he talks about what he’s working on his own game and what he thinks he will be able to bring to a college team.

Greg McClinton, ACC Basketball Target

Here’s some video of ACC target Greg McClinton (SG/SF, 6’6″, 2013), a high-flying player who has offers from Virginia Tech, Miami and Xavier, and is also considering Wake Forest. Watch what he does at the 1:10 mark. Wow.

Chris Paul Camp Scouting Report: Marquis Rankin

The Chris Paul Elite Guard camp is not a showcase event.

Players are looking to get better, not show off for college coaches or recruiters. That being said, it’s still interesting to see the players who attend and what they can show while working out with some of the best high school and college players in the country.

Marquis Rankin (PG, 6’0″, 2011) who committed to Virginia Tech in April, impressed with his ability to execute the drills, has a good floater and handles the ball solidly. In his group on the second day, he probably handled the ball handling drills the best, naturally keeps his eyes up while dribbling and has a lot of solid fundamentals.

He pushes the ball extremely well, is a tough player in transition and has a keen passing awareness. He should see extensive playing time at Virginia Tech and likely will contend for the starting PG spot.

Virginia Tech picks up two

Scout.com is reporting that Virginia Tech has picked up two commits, one in the Class of 2009 and another in the class of 2010.

Cadarian Raines (C, 6’8″, 2009) a big man from Petersburg, VA, committed to the Hokies, and then later in the same day Jarrell Eddie (SF, 6’7″, 2010) committed as well.

John Wall Watch

Despite recent reports that John Wall had narrowed his list to three, apparently Kansas is now in the mix, and NC State is still alive as a finalist.

Wall also is making it no secret that he’d like to be one-and-done, but he absolutely intends to finish his degree as a promise to his widowed mother:

Wall’s father, also named John, died seven years ago of liver cancer. The younger Wall felt he needed to take care of his mother, Frances Pulley, and his two sisters. Pulley said she wants her son to go to the NBA for himself. She also said she has harped on the importance of a college degree since Wall was an eighth-grader, and the message stuck. Wall watched NBA stars Vince Carter and Shaquille O’Neal return to college and finish their degrees, and if he makes it to the NBA, he intends to follow their lead.

NC Pro-Am

Word out of the NC Pro Am at North Carolina Central is that incoming Duke recruit Elliot Williams has looked really good, although summer league games are not the best way to judge players. Several UNC and Duke players are involved, including Ed Davis, Kyle Singler, Justin Watts and Larry Drew. Hopefully we’ll have an in-depth write up soon.

Dee Giger picks Harvard

Dee Giger (SG, 6’6″, 2009) a teammate of Duke commit Mason Plumlee, has decided to play for Harvard, where former Duke player Tommy Amaker coaches. Giger plays for Christ School near Asheville, NC.

Earnest Ross picks up Big 12 Offer

Earnest Ross (PG/SG, 6’4″, 2009), who is being watched by several ACC teams, has picked up an offer from Colorado.

Michael Snaer: Playing time is a factor

Michael Snaer (SG/SF, 6’5″, 2009), has been on the radar for some ACC teams but is ‘less visible’ to those of us on the east coast since he’s a California kid. And UCLA has been after Snaer, which is a pretty daunting recruiting challenge for any ACC school. However, Snaer says in this interview that playing time at UCLA is a concern:

“Yeah, it is, just with the guys they have coming in ahead of me.”

Snaer goes on to mention that Virginia Tech has expressed interest in his game, and that a lot of new schools are getting involved in his recruitment, but no mention of Miami or FSU.

Noel Johnson plans USC, U of L visits

Noel Johnson plans to visit Louisville and USC this fall, according to this story from NBE Basketball. However, he also still mentions interest from ACC schools Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.

DeShawn Painter chooses Florida

Scout.com is reporting that DeShawn Painter (6’9″, PF, 2009), who had offers from ACC schools Clemson and Virginia, has chosen the Florida Gators as his school.

Peyton Siva to Louisville

I mentioned a few days ago that Peyton Siva (5’11”, PG, 2009) was one of the point guards offered by Miami but wasn’t considering the Hurricanes, has decided to attend Louisville and is officially ‘off the board’ for the ACC.

Danny McElroy

A note on a player who already commited, Danny McElroy (6’7″, PF, 2009) had agreed to attend Cincinnati but has now backed out and is opening his recruitment back up. No idea if he is considering ACC schools yet.