Andre Drummond, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2012, plans to release a list of potential colleges after the AAU Nationals next month.
“After Nationals in Florida I’ll let out a list of schools that I’m interested in. There’s no Top 5,” Drummond said by phone Monday from San Antonio, Texas after he was named to the 12-man roster for the USA U17 National Team.
The 6-foot-11, 265-pound Drummond is a rising junior at Oakdale (Conn.) St. Thomas More, where he plays for head coach Jere Quinn.
There has been much speculation that Drummond could wind up at UConn because he lives and attends school in Connecticut, but Drummond says people shouldn’t assume that.
“That’s not the case,” Drummond said. “I go to some of their games. Other than that I don’t really go up to UConn for anything.”
He added: “I live in Connecticut and UConn calls my coach and says I’m one of their main choices to get on their team but other than that it’s not a set deal that I’m going to UConn.”
It is still early in his recruiting process, but Quinn says Drummond likes several Big East schools.
“He seems to be most intrigued by the Big East schools, UConn, West Virginia and Villanova,” Quinn said recently in a phone interview. “Pitt called [last] week. I can’t say anybody’s working harder than anybody. Theyr’e all giving it a pretty good effort.”
A Mount Vernon, N.Y. native who now lives in Middletown, Conn., Drummond also visited North Carolina and Duke unofficially during the Bob Gibbons event.
“I played at both of them,” Drummond said. “They’re both beautiful schools. I don’t really know much about them.”
For now, Drummond is more concerned with winning another gold medal with USA Basketball.
Drummond played a year ago when the USA won the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
Now the same core of players will compete in the inaugual FIBA U17 World Championship for Men in Hamburg, Germany July 2-11.
“It would mean the world to me to win two gold medals,” Drummond said. “I won the 16s. To win it again, that’s just incredible.”
SHOWALTER PLEASED WITH ROSTER
Named as members of the USA Basketball U17 World Championship Team were ’09 U16 gold medalists Justin Anderson (Montrose Christian School, Md. / Montross, Va.); Brad Beal (Chaminade College Prep H.S. / St. Louis, Mo.); Quinn Cook (DeMatha H.S. / Bowie, Md.); André Drummond (St. Thomas More School / Middletown, Conn.); James McAdoo (Norfolk Christian H.S. / Norfolk, Va.); Johnny O’Bryant (Eastside H.S. / Cleveland, Miss.); Tony Parker (Miller Grove H.S. / Lithonia, Ga.); Chasson Randle (Rock Island H.S. / Rock Island, Ill.); and Adonis Thomas (Melrose H.S. / Cordova, Tenn.), while Michael Gilchrist (St. Patrick H.S. / Somerdale, N.J.), Marquis Teague (Pike H.S. / Indianapolis, Ind.), and Anthony Wroten, Jr. (Garfield H.S. / Seattle, Wash.) top off the roster.
“I think we are a really good shooting team. Everybody can really shoot the ball from our post players inside the lane and then our guards are really good shooters. I think our defensive unit is going to be very good with our bigs. We have several kids who can play different positions and I think that is big for us,” said USA U17 World Championship Team and Mid-Prairie High School (Iowa) head coach Don Showalter.
“We found out last year that when you go to a foreign country a lot of things can happen – foul trouble, some sickness could come on, or somebody’s not playing very well one night, just whatever, so your seven-eight-nine-ten players are very, very important to what you’re trying to accomplish. If you can get energy off the bench, if you can get some production off the bench with those kids, then you’re set pretty good. Hopefully we have that as an advantage when we play the international teams and we have a better second five then maybe our opponents do.”
The following players were cut: Sterling Gibbs (Seton Hall Prep / Scotch Plains, N.J.); Kyle Anderson (St. Anthony H.S. / Fairview, N.J.); Brandon Ashley (Bishop O’Dowd H.S./ Oakland, Calif.); K.C. Caudill (Brea Olinda H.S. / Brea, Calif.); Angelo Chol (Herbert Hoover H.S. / San Diego, Calif.); Norvel Pelle (Price H.S. / Long Beach, Calif.); and L.J. Rose (Second Baptist School / Houston, Texas).
(Photos courtesy USA Baskeball)
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