Nick King to Alabama
Memphis transfer Nick King is heading to Alabama,
Memphis transfer Nick King is heading to Alabama,
Here’s a few quick notes from the early AAU recruiting period.
**V.J. King, a 6-foot-6 SF from Fairfax (VA) Paul VI, told reporters at the Nike EYBL stop in Lexington he will take an official visit to Louisville on May 19. Louisville assistant Kenny Johnson is a former assistant at Paul VI.
“We’ve gotten really close,” King told Ben Roberts of NextCats.com. “It’s definitely a great relationship.”
King also took an unofficial to Virginia this past weekend, Paul VI coach Glen Farello told SNY.tv.
**Malik Monk, a 6-3 SG from Bentonville (AR), went for 39 points, including 6-of-8 from deep with five assists, on Friday night with Kentucky coach John Calipari watching. Arkansas and Kentucky are considered the frontrunners for Monk, who has also had home visits with Kentucky, Oregon and Arkansas in recent weeks, per Roberts.
With the first Nike EYBL session in Lexington, the Kentucky staff and players didn’t have far to travel to watch and recruit some of the biggest stars in the Class of 2016.
Assistant coach Kenny Payne sat with returning players Tyler Ulis, Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee Friday night to watch targets Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Malik Monk.
“I talked to Devin Booker before the game,” Giles told Ben Roberts of NextCats.com. “It’s cool seeing them all around here. Seeing the public, and being able to talk to everybody.
Braeden Anderson, a 6-foot-9 forward from Fresno
Mark Tollefson, a 6-foot-9 center from San Francisco, committed to Arizona on his visit and will be eligible immediately, a source confirmed to SNY.tv.
“It just felt right,” he told Evan Daniels of Scout.com.
Tollefson averaged 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds last season with the Dons.
He will provide frontcourt help for Arizona, which has lost Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Brandon Ashley to the NBA, but will return center Kaleb Tarczewski for his senior season.
Chris Walker has declared for the NBA Draft but is far from the player he was originally projected to be.
“I want to thank the coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at Florida for my experience here,” the 6-foot-10 Florida sophomore said in a statement. “I’m excited to continue pursuing my dream of playing professionally.”
“Chris has been a pleasure to coach,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “He is a great kid with a lot of potential, and everyone here wishes the absolute best for him.”
With Malik Newman’s commitment to Mississippi State, the SEC now features three of the top four projected picks in the 2016 NBA Draft next season according to DraftExpress.com.
Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere is projected as the No. 1 pick, with LSU’s Ben Simmons at No. 3 and Newman at No. 4.
“Newman will be rated as the top point guard going into the draft next year, a scoring point guard,” one NBA scout told SNY.tv. “Skal will be the top big man and in the running for the No. 1 pick alongside Ben Simmons. Skal is a skilled big man that needs to get stronger but a big-time talent. Simmons is the best forward in the draft next year. He could actually be a point forward at the NBA level. He needs to develop a consistent perimeter jump shot but he could be the most complete all-around player next year in college.”
