Former Maryland commit Sam Cassell Jr. is down to Louisville and UConn, sources confirmed to SNY.tv.
The news was first reported in a Tweet from NextUpRecruits.com.
It remains unclear when Cassell Jr. will announce.
The 6-foot-3 Cassell Jr., the son of the former NBA guard and current Washington Wizards assistant, previously considered Marquette and Missouri.
Louisville is looking at Cassell Jr. as a possible replacement for JaQuan Lyle, who recently decommitted.
“They’ve been a fan of Sam’s for a while, and I think the decommitment (of Lyle) definitely opened up a spot that allowed them to pursue Sam,” Chipola (FL) coach Pat Blake told The Courier-Journal. “…His game is very similar to his dad’s. He’s really crafty, a big-time shooter … Where he’s really developed with us is being able to get other people shots. He’s always been able to score, but his ability to create for others has really elevated his game.”
UConn, meantime, is looking to add to a backcourt that will lose Shabazz Napier and possibly Ryan Boatright next year.
After committing to Maryland, Cassell Jr. was ruled ineligible last September due to courses he took at Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame Prep. Maryland appealed the ruling but it was denied.
Cassell Jr. redshirted at Chipola last year and will have three years of D-1 eligibility beginning in 2014.
“The great thing is he could play on the ball or off the ball,” Blake previously told the Baltimore Sun. “He scores it so well and has a great feel and can get other people shots. He’ll primarily be our point. He’ll also play off the ball some as well. I imagine him handling the ball.
“If you need to find someone that young that kind of has that older man’s game, [Cassell is your guy]. He’s a very heady, high-basketball IQ [player], with that kind of poise and knowledge for the game. I knew he had that. I just didn’t know he had such a high level.”
