Longhorns hosting two top targets during alumni weekend
For the first time as head basketball coach at Texas, Shaka Smart will host an official visitor during a home football game as the Longhorns work on one of their top 2016 targets Javin DeLaurier. But DeLaurier won't be the only top target making a visit, and those prospects won't be the only basketball players scheduled to be around the Texas program this weekend.
Irving MacArthur 2016 point guard Andrew Jones is scheduled to be on campus for an unofficial visit, his third to Texas, Saturday and the Longhorns are also hosting their basketball alumni weekend. Not a bad weekend to get key recruits on campus when NBA players are around, right? A preview of a pivotal weekend for Texas basketball recruiting:
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THE VISITORS
Position - Forward
Rivals.com national overall ranking - 42nd
Size - 6-8, 215 pounds
School - St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, Virginia)
AAU team - Team Loaded Virginia (Adidas circuit)
Twitter - @javelin_22
The skinny - DeLaurier emerged as one of the nation's top forwards after putting together productive performance after productive performance on the adidas circuit (13.1 points per game on 49.5 percent from the floor and 8.1 rebounds per game) and events like adidas Global Nations (9.2 points per game on 58.9 percent shooting and 7.6 rebounds per game). Rated as a three-star at the bottom end of the Rivals150 at one point, the Virginia native's loud performances pushed him nearly 100 spots up the rankings list.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, they jumped in on the 6-8 prospect early. In fact, DeLaurier told Orangebloods.com in early May that he might have been Smart's first Texas offer, after he called to congratulate the head coach on the coaching move. Smart and his staff recruited and offered DeLaurier early at VCU as well.
Recently, the four-star prospect released a top six (in no particular order) of Notre Dame, Texas, North Carolina, Duke, Stanford, and Arizona. He visited Notre Dame for an official visit last weekend, and the chatter behind the scenes is that the Irish and Longhorns are the two teams at the top of his list right now, although Duke is lurking and starting to strongly come on. In early August, DeLaurier told HokieHaven.com the following about official visits:
"I'm not against committing on or right after one of my visits if that's the best fit, but the plan is to schedule all five."
This is DeLaurier's second official visit. Academics will play a key role in his decision.
Prospect Breakdown - Of all the top prospects in the country, DeLaurier has arguably the best motor. He's a relentless competitor that plays with an extreme toughness on both ends of the floor, and with intelligence on the court. He's also ridiculously intelligent off of it, and just scored a 32 on the ACT.
DeLaurier has a developing skill-set, and has the ability, thanks to those skills and a high-level work-ethic, to eventually develop into a player that can play on the wing in college in addition to filling aspects of a traditional four-man. He often beats guards up the floor and runs the floor well, especially for his size, and he's one of the better rebounders in the country.
A perfect example of DeLaurier is a sequence we saw during a game in Las Vegas:
Team Loaded Virginia presses and traps a lot, and DeLaurier played multiple positions in the press, including the middle; on one play, he sprinted from the middle of the press to crash the defensive glass, led a fast break up the floor, and dished it off to a teammate for an easy assist.
OB in-person look - Adidas Uprising Summer Championships (three games)
Position - Point guard
Rivals.com national overall ranking - 38th
Size - 6-4, 180 pounds
School - Irving MacArthur (Irving)
AAU team - Pro Skills Elite (Nike circuit)
Twitter - @IAmAJ_10
The skinny - Like DeLaurier, Jones' strong performances in circuit competition led to a meteoric rise up the rankings as well. In fact, the product of the Lone Star State was a relative unknown and unranked prior to emerging as a star for Pro Skills Elite. With Marques Bolden banged up some to end July, Jones was his team's best player, and a star in most games. When the 6-4 guard, who is being recruiting as a point guard, erupted for 30 points in a win against Houston Hoops at the Peach Jam, during a July evaluation period, the offers immediately followed. He finished the Peach Jam performance of 19, 12, and 23 points, and finished 10th at 18.4 points per game.
Now, Jones has gone from a player with little interest to a prospect highly-coveted by so many top programs that he's since had to release a list of seven, which includes (in no particular order) Arizona, Baylor, SMU, Texas, Louisville, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. Recently, Jones embarked on a seven-day excursion that included Texas, Louisville, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Arizona. He's coming off an official visit to Arizona, and visited Baylor on another unofficial visit just before that. This will be the third time Jones visits Texas for an unofficial visit, and the Longhorns just made an in-home visit to the Jones house on Wednesday. Currently, it seems like Arizona, Baylor, and Texas have the most buzz surrounding them when it comes to Jones' recruitment.
Prospect breakdown - It's hard not to immediately notice the poise Jones showed on the floor to end July. He doesn't seem to get rattled, even by aggressive, trapping teams that threw a lot at him because he was the team's only real ball-handler. The four-star guard shows a strong feel for the game, and balances aggressiveness as an attacking guard with the ability to play the role of distributor. As a pick-and-roll guard, Jones is a handful because of his ability to manipulate the defense, passing ability, and scoring ability.
At the end of July, Jones started to show improved range from beyond the arc, which is an aspect of his game, along with his confidence, that really improved since we first saw him in early May at the EYBL session in Houston. At 6-4, he has a developing body that could grow some more, and possesses impressive athleticism. In a game we saw him play at the Great American Shootout, he threw down three big dunks against Howard Elite, including one that was probably just a couple feet in front of the free-throw line. Defensively, Jones shows the ability to develop into a solid on-ball defender, and one that could really create problems for opposing teams as a presser thanks to his length and quickness.
OB in-person look - EYBL session three in Houston (two games); Great American Shootout (one game); Las Vegas Fab 48 (two games)
ALUMNI WEEKEND
The hoops prospects and the current Texas players won't be the only basketball players around the Texas campus and program. And these guys carry a bit more star power.
When Smart was first hired at Texas, he made it a point to reach out to as many former players as he could to invite them to come around, and be a part of the Texas program as much as they'd like. The message was received well as Smart was able to connect with a ton of former players, including the biggest of the big names. This weekend, a lot of them will return to campus to participate in the festivities, which include some runs in an open gym. According to one source, the following players are expected to be in Austin this weekend:
Tristan Thompson
P.J. Tucker
Daniel Gibson
Royal Ivey
T.J. Ford
And more will very likely attend as well. Not too shabby.
THE POSSIBLE EFFECT
Ultimately, we'll have to wait and see. But it feels like the new energy around the hoops program hasn't faded a bit, and that could be on full display this weekend as former players, current players, and top recruiting targets are all on campus at the same time. You'd have to think that if DeLaurier and Jones' visits go well, the Longhorns could emerge in good to great position for both.