Kentucky head coach John Calipari and two assistants watched 6-foot-11 big man Nick Richards on Tuesday at the practice facility for St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth (N.J.).
A native of Jamaica who has only played organized basketball for about three years, Richards already holds a Kentucky offer, along with many other high-major offers.
“Anytime you have Coach Calipari come into a gym with two assistants and spend half an hour after an open gym explaining to Nicholas Richards what ball, life and school is like at UK, it’s very impressive and speaks volume for their interests,” St Pat’s coach Chris Chavannes said. Assistant Tony Barbee was in last Wednesday. “All the kids were excited to have an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of one of the most iconic figures in basketball. ”
Kentucky has had great success recruiting New Jersey in recent years, landing current freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe out of Roselle (N.J.) Catholic and big men Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (St. Pat’s) and Dakari Johnson (St. Pat’s/Montverde Academy). Both Kidd-Gilchrist and Johnson are currently in the NBA.
Calipari’s visit came after all 30 NBA teams watched the Kentucky Pro Day on Sunday and ahead of Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness on Friday night which will be televised on the SEC Network.
Richards is not expected to make a college decision anytime soon, sources said, and told me last week he’s “not sure” if he will visit Kentucky down the road. For now, the native of Jamaica is working on improving his game.
“I’m working on my face-up game right now,” he said. “Whatever I need to do for us to win, I’ll do it.”
Duke associate head coach Jeff Capel was in last Wednesday and UConn head coach Kevin Ollie came in Tuesday.
For more on Richards, read this feature.
TRAE YOUNG ENJOYS KANSAS, LIST COMING
Trae Young, a 6-1 2017 point guard from Norman (OK) North, was among those who visited Kansas this past weekend for Late Night in the Phog.
“Kansas was great,” his father Rayford Young said. “We got a good feel from the coaches and the program.”
Trae will also visit Kentucky this weekend and Oklahoma State the weekend of Oct. 23.
After that, Young will “focus on putting his list out,” his father said.
Young has long talked about playing in college with his Mokan Elite teammate, Michael Porter Jr., who also tripped to Kansas.
BOLDEN TALKS KANSAS, FUTURE PLANS
Marques Bolden, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound center from DeSoto (TX) High School, also visited Kansas and told JayhawkSlant.com he’s seriously considering them.
“I wouldn’t have made the trip to Kansas if I wasn’t serious about going to Kansas,” Bolden told the site. “I’ve always had a lot of interest in Kansas and that hasn’t changed. Coach Self has made it clear that he wants me at Kansas and during my visit, we talked about how Kansas would use me in and we talked about what role I would play if I decide to attend Kansas.
“I was able to attend a practice, so I got a good look at how Kansas does things on the court,” he added. “Being able to attend practice was good for me. Just being able to see how Coach Self works with his players and to see how they use their big men, it was good for me.”
Bolden has already visited Duke and Kentucky and is slated to visit Oklahoma State Oct. 23 (when Young will also be there).
He said he’s uncertain if he will visit Kentucky and/or Duke this weekend for their Midnight Madness events.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to visit Duke and Kentucky this weekend or not,” he told JayhawkSlant.com. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do next. I’ve got some important decisions to make, so I need to sit back and think about what I’m going to do next.”
GEORGIA TECH ADDS GUARD
Josh Okogie, a 6-5 shooting guard from Snellville (GA) Shiloh, committed to Georgia Tech on Tuesday.
Tennessee and Kansas State were also involved for Okogie, the No. 30-ranked shooting guard in the Class of 2016 according to 247Sports.com.
Okogie joins shooting guard Christian Matthews and power forward Romello White in Tech’s 2016 class.
NJIT PICKS UP ST. ANTHONY GUARD
Shyquan Gibbs, a 6-foot point guard from St. Anthony’s in Jersey City and the son of St. Peter’s great Shelton Gibbs, committed to NJIT on Tuesday.
Gibbs is the third St. Anthony’s player to head to NJIT, following current junior forward Tim Coleman and freshman Mohamed Bendary.
“Gibbs is a rarity in high school athletics now,” St. Anthony’s assistant Eric Harrield said. “He stayed at the same school for four years and played freshman, JV and varsity. He worked every day on the court and in the classroom and has a 4.2 GPA in the classroom. He is the definition of what a student-athlete is and should be.”
FREE THROWS
St. Joe’s will watch 2016 PF Arnaldo Toro on Wednesday at St. Benedict’s Prep. Toro is also considering GW and Kansas State, while Indiana has also expressed interest….New Mexico is the latest to offer 2017 St. Raymond’s PG Isaiah Washington.
