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News, notes on UT's 2019 hoops targets after first July evaluation period

The first July evaluation period is in the books, which means the spring/summer AAU season is quickly winding down to a close. It also means the Texas coaching staff was on the road watching targets, and evaluating, which led to a couple new offers. A recap:

The Longhorns extended two scholarship offers in the 2019 class, and one is a familiar name.

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Donovan Williams continued his rise, and played some of his best basketball at AAU basketball’s most prestigious event, the Nike EYBL Peach Jam. For Houston Hoops, Williams, listed at 6-5, averaged 12.6 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Williams shot 52.0 percent from the floor (70.0 percent at the free throw line and 33.3 percent from three-point range), and although he’s been categorized somewhat as a “three and D” player, Williams showed the ability to put the ball on the floor, beat defenders, and finish with authority.

Expect him to continue to move up rankings lists, and expect Texas to be a major player for his services. Williams visited a few weeks back, and has known Texas assistant coach Jai Lucas since childhood.

As for C.J. Walker, he’s another player that could keep shooting up rankings lists. Scratch that. He will rise in the rankings. Walker was a popular 2019 prospect as he reeled in some big-time offers with his performance at the Peach Jam. Texas just offered, so hard to tell at this point if it’s a player or not, but Walker’s talent is definitely worth the attention. Walked erupted at the Peach Jam against Nike Team Florida for 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting (4-of-6 from the free throw line and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc) with 10 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and four blocks.

Will Baker recently switched AAU teams and performed well this past weekend.
Will Baker recently switched AAU teams and performed well this past weekend. (USA Basketball)

Westlake (Austin) product Will Baker made a move from Basketball University on the adidas circuit to Texas Hardwork on the Under Armour circuit. Although the five-star prospect's averages – 13.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds – won’t blow anyone away, he was extremely efficient (71.4 percent from the floor, including 5-of-11 from three-point range) and caught the attention of Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans, and rightfully so. He showed his impressive skill level, which included bringing the ball up the floor on the break, knocking down three pointers, facilitating half-court offense, and scoring with his back to the basket.

“Will Baker made the switch to the Under Armour circuit this month and he started the weekend off with a bang, showing off parts to his game that had never been seen before,” said Evans. “The lefty has battled through injuries this spring, but now fully healthy and unleashed, Baker showed off his entire repertoire. He facilitated his team’s half-court offense, ran high-ball screen sets and knocked down jumpers to the perimeter. It was all impressive considering his height.”

Unsurprisingly, Pearce (Richardson) 2019 big Drew Timme was one of the most productive players at the Peach Jam. He averaged 16.4 points per game (66.1 percent form the floor), 10.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks with just 1.6 turnovers per game. Timme has taken a political approach to speaking about recruiting publicly, but look for him to release a list soon. He’s visited Texas, and a ton of big-time programs are in the hunt. Some believe Gonzaga and Virginia could pull him away from Big 12 country while in-state programs have his attention as well. Keep an eye on Duke potentially making a move to jump into the recruitment.

Isaiah Stewart was another highly productive big man that’s a top Texas priority. The five-star prospect from New York finished the Peach Jam averaging 19.0 points, and 12.7 rebounds. Maybe most impressive was his performance at the free throw line: 22-of-26 (84.6 percent), which is indicative of his improving shooting touch from the mid-range.

Pretty much every big name in college hoops is after Stewart, who should begin the process of scheduling visits soon. Stewart is rated the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2019 class. Texas remains firmly in the hunt.

Running with Team Felton on the Under Armour circuit, Texas target Greg Gantt, Jr., who has already stated he plans to take an official visit to Texas showed a little bit of everything, which included making 3-of-6 three pointers. Perhaps his best performance came when he scored 11 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out five assists, and blocked a shot.

Omar Payne is another 2019 big that remains on UT's radar, and Kai Jones could be a name to follow as well. Here’s what Eric Bossi, who mentioned Texas is among the schools “solidly entrenched” in the recruitment, wrote about Payne after seeing him in New York this past weekend:

“One of the best combinations of athlete, rebounder, rim protector and long term prospect in the class of 2019 is power forward Omar Payne. With plans to cut his list in early August and start setting up visits, schools are hustling to make a last ditch effort to crack his top schools.”

Samuell Williamson has a natural feel for scoring and playmaking.
Samuell Williamson has a natural feel for scoring and playmaking. (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

At this point, it’s obvious Texas really, really wants to add a bigger guard/wing to its 2019 recruiting class, and especially one that can knock down shots from anywhere on the floor. Samuell Williamson might fit that description better than any player in the country. Listed at 6-7, Williamson was at his best when he scored 22 points in back-to-back games to open the Peach Jam, but then cooled off with 21 total points over the next three contests. Make no mistake, he’s a big priority for Texas with a terrific feel for scoring, playmaking, and he shot 88.4 percent from the free throw line in 20 EYBL games.

Jaden McDaniels again impressed those that saw him, and he’s clearly one of the best prospects in the country. A rare blend of size (listed at 6-10) and scoring talent, McDaniels, who is No. 4 overall in the 2019 Rivals150, shows the ability to do it all offensively. Now that one July evaluation period is in the books, the question still lingers: will programs like Kentucky and Duke make a move for him? Texas was one of the first big-time high-major programs to offer, and did an early in-home visit.

He doesn’t talk much at all, and there’s not a whole lot known about his recruitment. However, we do know Patrick Williams can fill it up offensively, and has deep range. He scored 12.5 points per game in the Peach Jam, and shot 39.4 percent from beyond the arc during 21 EYBL contests. Texas is showing Williams a lot of interest, and although he’s linked most to schools on the East Coast, he’s more wide open than people think.

With an all-around solid game and ability to impact a team in a variety of ways, Malik Hall again filled up the stat sheet for MOKAN Elite during the Peach Jam. Expect Texas to be in consideration for an official visit, although Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi believes Purdue, Oregon, and Oklahoma are in front of the pack right now. Texas remains in the picture for Isaac Okoro, who, like Hall, put up some impressive numbers at Peach Jam, including a 30-point outburst with eight assists and eight rebounds. Like Hall and Okoro, Jae’lyn Withers remains another wing/forward-type of player Texas has a lot of interest in. Withers told OB a few weeks back he hears from the UT staff often.

As players and coaches get closer to the final evaluation period, the recruiting pictures for both will come even more into focus.

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