NEW YORK — Junior forward Billy Preston has cut his list to four schools: Arizona, Kansas, USC and Maryland.
The 6-foot-10 Preston is ranked No. 7 on ESPN’s Top 60 for the Class of 2017.
“I got kind of tired of the recruitment process,” he said Saturday at the Nike EYBL stop in Brooklyn where his RM5 team played Phoenix Family. “I kind of already had in mind a couple of schools I wanted to go to so I figured there was no point in wasting coaches’ time. I might as well get it out the way, and if any other schools want to offer me, I’ll definitely take it.”
Terrance Ferguson, Preston’s teammate at Advanced Prep International, recently committed to Arizona and is trying to recruit Preston to join him.
“He’s been recruiting me early before he was even committed,” Preston said. “So, I talk to him about that all the time.”
Arizona received verbal commitments from guards Rawle Alkins and Kobe Simmons, and signed forward Lauri Markkanen this year in what will be one of the best recruiting classes in the nation.
He took unofficial visits to Maryland twice and plans to eventually take his official.
“Coach [Mark] Turgeon is a great coach, and he’s definitely a player’s coach,” he said. “He told me since I’m a versatile player, I could play anywhere on the court that he sees is best for me.”
Preston also plans to visit Arizona and Kansas. A Los Angeles native, Preston said he’s already familiar with USC’s campus. He said he visits it frequently when he is home, and has an in-home with the USC staff next week.
The junior has above average ball handing skills for his size and is a good rim protector. Preston battled against Marvin Bagley III, the No. 1 recruit in ESPN’s Top 30 for the Class of 2018, on Saturday.
“He’s a great player,” Bagley III said. “He does a lot of things well. He drives the ball. He scores the ball, rebounds extremely well, so it was a good experience to go up against guys like that.”
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2016-04-16T19:45:52-0400N
