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.
**John Calipari, St. John’s coach Chris Mullin, Indiana’s Tom Crean and Louisville’s Kenny Johnson were among those watching the NY Rens featuring Rawle Alkins and Mustapha Heron on Saturday morning in Indianapolis, according to Jeff Borzello and Jeff Rabjohns. UConn’s Kevin Ollie and Maryland’s Mark Turgeon watched him the afternoon, according to Jason Jordan of USA Today Sports.
Two weeks ago, the 6-5 Alkins told Chip Miller of 247Sports.com that seven schools were working the hardest for him: Duke, Kansas, Indiana, St. John’s, Villanova, Cincinnati and N.C. State.
Alkins said he plans to commit in the spring of 2016.
“Oh yea, I’m late, real late,” Alkins stated. “I feel like I am going to commit real late. I want to be one of those guys where, ‘I’m Rawle Alkins and this year I will committing to …’ on like national television.”
Rens coach Andy Borman told SNY.tv this week that both Alkins and Heron, who decommitted from Pitt, might package together but remain wide open.
“Mustapha Heron and Rawle Alkins are wide open,” he said. “They want to be recruited. They do not have any leaders in the clubhouse at this point in time. Anyone who says these kids are leaning toward a school doesn’t know. They want to be recruited.”
**Georgetown’s John Thompson III, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Wake Forest’s Danny Manning all took in Bruce Brown’s 29-point, 8-rebound, 3-steal, 2-assist game in BABC’s win over Seattle Rotary in Lexington. St. John’s, Georgetown and Xavier are the latest schools to offer Brown, with St. John’s offered him at halftime of a game on Saturday.
**St. John’s coach Chris Mullin also watched 6-7 2016 wing Kassoum Yakwe of PSA Cardinals on Saturday in Lexington. Yakwe is being recruited hard by St. John’s, Syracuse, Iowa State, Villanova and Kansas, a source recently told SNY.tv. He may also reclass or attend prep school next year.
“It’s good for me to go to college or go to prep school to work on my game,” he recently told the Ames Tribune. “I can go to college and redshirt and make sure I’m going to play or go to prep school. Me and my guardian are making the decision.
Photo: Kelly Kline / Adidas
