JaQuan Lyle enjoyed his weekend visit to LSU with Antonio Blakeney and 2015 LSU commit Ben Simmons.
“It was great, I liked it a lot,” the 6-foot-5 Lyle told SNY.tv by phone Monday morning.
“The atmosphere at the football game [against Alabama] was crazy so it showed me that the fans are there. There were a lot of fans for the basketball game as well.
“I just liked the players, they’re real cool. The coaching staff was real cool. It was just a great family atmosphere there and I liked it a lot.”
The 6-10 Simmons, the projected No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, is lobbying hard for Lyle and Blakeney to join him at LSU next season.
“I mean, we talked about that a lot,” Lyle said. “Ben didn’t let us go 30 minutes without hearing anything about that, so we got a lot from Ben about that. If I decide to do that or if some of us decide to do that, it would be a great situation.”
LSU assistant David Patrick is the point man for all three, and already successfully landed Simmons, his God son.
Lyle, a former Louisville and Oregon commit, has no other visits planned for right now but said he’s also being recruited by Oregon, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio State and Xavier.
“I’m just pretty much taking my time right now,” he said.
Lyle, now at IMG Academy in Bradenton (FL), visited Indiana recently for their Hoosier Hysteria.
“The Indiana visit was great,” he said. “I got to talk to coach [Tom] Crean and me and him have always had a good relationship. I liked it a lot and it was a great time.”
As for Oregon, where he was taken off the roster this fall, Lyle said, “I’m still considering Oregon highly.”
At this point, Lyle will likely spend the year at IMG and go to a college in the fall of 2015, although he also mentioned possibly going in March.
“January’s out of the question but next fall or possibly March,” Lyle said. “I wouldn’t play until next year.”
As for the transfer to IMG, Lyle said he’s getting accustomed. They will play at the National Prep Showcase in New Haven, Conn., Nov. 21-23.
“IMG’s working out good,” Lyle said. “I like it a lot.”
