Former Arizona commit Emmanuel Negedu of Brewster (N.H.) Academy will make his decision Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Brewster head coach Jason Smith.
The 6-7, 230-pound Negedu will choose from among Memphis, Indiana, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
“He’s had a chance to visit all four schools and all of them offer great opportunities,” Smith wrote in an email message.
Here are Smith’s comments on each school:
“Indiana has tremendous tradition and passion for basketball. The previous staff recruited Emmanuel, so he was familar with the University, but it was a great chance for him to get to know Coach (Tom) Crean and hear about his style and track record of player development. They are rebuilding and would offer a shot at immediate playing time. He is very familar with Bloomington, since he lived theer and played for Indiana Elite. A few of his former teammates at IU definitely make it an attractive option. Emmanuel enjoyed getting to know Coach Crean.It’s very evident he’s a high-energy, upbeat coach who Emmanuel reports works non-stop….constant motion.
“Georgia Tech was his 2nd visit and most definitely did a great job of presenting their program and university. Emmanuel really clicked with Coach (Paul) Hewitt and liked the city of Atlanta, which is the largest city of the schools on his list. He liked the idea of being in a more urban area, since he was in Wolfeboro, NH the past 4 years. Also, Georgia Tech has a couple of current players of Nigerian heritage (Alade Aminu and Gani Lawal.). A nice touch was serving him Nigerian food on his visit, which Emmanuel said was ‘just like home.’ Initially, Georgia Tech was viewed by most as a curious addition to Emmanuel’s list, but Coach Hewitt and his staff did a tremendous job of making up ground.
“Tennessee was the 3rd visit. Prior to Emmanuel’s verbal to Arizona, he was closely considering Tennesse. He had a relationship with Coach (Bruce) Pearl, but it was nice to visit campus and see the faclities. All of Tennessee’s players were on campus, which was great, because Emmanuel got an opportunity to get to spend a lot of time with potential teammates. Previously, Tennessee was a consideration because of style of play. Emmanuel had a chance to spend a lot of time hearing more about their system.
“The final visit was Memphis. Obviously, the initial connection to Memphis is former Arizona assistant coach, Josh Pastner. Emmanuel has a close relationship with Josh. He was the first college coach to contact him upon his arrival in the USA. However, the reason Emmanuel is very interested in Memphis is their winning tradition. People talk negatively about Conference USA, but Coach (John) Calipari has always had a spectacular out-of-conference schedule and will play anyone. When he got off the plane, he had many television crews waiting for him to de-plane. Right away, Emmanuel saw how serious they take their basketball in Memphis. More importantly, Emmanuel had a chance to get to know Coach Calipari and learn about his system and coaching style.”
Stay tuned for the decision….
