Arizona State and Indiana appear to be the schools working hardest for 7-footer Thon Maker at the moment.
ASU head coach Bobby Hurley and two assistants — Levi Watkins and Brian Merritt — watched Maker Friday at the Under Armour event in Atlanta. Hurley flew to Atlanta after seeing Payton Pritchard and De’Ron Davis Thursday night in the adidas game at Rucker Park in New York.
Indiana also appears to be in hot pursuit of Maker, who recently announced he would be a member of the Class of 2016 and wouldn’t reclass
Ed Smith, Maker’s guardian, recently told SNY.tv that Indiana and Arizona State were among the schools offering an option whereby Maker would enroll at the Christmas break in 2015 and spend a year-and-a-half or more on campus. But Maker opted not to go in that direction.
Meantime, Kentucky has reportedly backed off its recruitment of Maker, but could always opt to jump back in the mix.
“I don’t really like too much badgering,” Smith told the Courier-Journal. “I don’t need to be recruited like that. When it comes closer to the time, then we need to start. I don’t need you to call me every day and tell me how much you love me and this and that. Once he starts getting closer to what he wants to do, everybody will jump in the race and then it’ll get really serious.
“Yeah, (the Cats) have a shot at him, because they’re a good program. It all depends on recruiting.”
