Rick Pitino returned to his old stomping grounds in the New York/New Jersey area Thursday night to watch 2016 combo guard Tyus Battle of Gladstone (N.J.) Gill St. Bernard’s.
The 6-foot-6 Battle went for 16 points and 9 rebounds in a 72-36 beatdown of Montgomery in a game also watched by Villanova assistant Ashley Howard and Notre Dame assistant Martin Ingelsby. Notre Dame head man Mike Brey is due in to watch Battle later this month.
“[Pitino said] they would play him similarly to how they play Terry [Rozier],” Gary Battle said, referring to Louisville’s sophomore combo guard. “They love his size and athleticism.”
Battle visited Louisville (along with Kentucky) over the summer, and has also tripped to UConn, Duke and Michigan, among others.
The five-star combo guard is also looking to cut his list from 11 at some point in the future.
Battle has cut his list to 11 schools, but his father said the time off during Tyus’ recent stress fracture injury has allowed them to watch a lot of college basketball and “hone in” on several schools.
Several schools remain strong in the mix.
“We still got Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State is strong, Michigan is strong,” Gary Battle told SNY.tv. “We’ve been in constant contact with those schools.”
**For more on Tyus Battle, watch our SNY.tv documentary “The Battle Plan” here.
Photo: Keith A. Muccilli | For NJ Advance Media
