By CHIP MILLER & ADAM ZAGORIA
FRISCO, Texas — After nearly committing to North Carolina during a recent visit, Rashad Vaughn says he remains open in his recruitment.
“I went down there with my family and my coaches,” Vaughn told SNY.tv at the Nike EYBL stop here, reiterating comments he first made to Scout.com. “I liked the atmosphere of the Duke game and I have a good relationship with all the coaches. But I got back home and me and my parents talked about it, and we decided to just wait.”
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Robbinsdale (MN) Cooper is the Rivals No. 6 player in the Class of 2014 and one of the most sought after recruits in the nation.
He said his current list includes Minnesota, Iowa State, Baylor, Louisville, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, UConn, Tennessee and others.
“Everybody is coming pretty hard,” Vaughn said. “I haven’t narrowed my list yet because it’s hard. But everybody [is] really coming had at me.”
New Minnesota coach Richard Pitino has made Vaughn a very high priority and recently had him on campus.
“I went down there and met with him,” Vaughn said. “We talked a lot. He’s a great guy. I feel he’s going to change the program around. I like how he plays and stuff and I’ve got a good relationship with him already and the whole staff.”
Ironically, Vaughn is being recruited by both Pitinos, with Louisville coach Rick Pitino also in the mix.
“I’m being recruited by [Richard’s] dad, too,” Vaughn said. “So that doesn’t help him [Richard] that much. But he’s been under his dad and the coach from Florida [Billy Donovan]. That helps him that he’s got all of that experience.”
Kentucky is among the schools on Vaughn’s list, to nobody’s surprise.
He said he speaks with coach John Calipari and assistant Orlando Antigua.
“I talk with them a lot so I’ve got a good relationship with them, too,” he said.
New UCLA coach Steve Alford and his staff have also reached out to Vaughn’s father.
“They talked to my dad and then dad texted me,” Vaughn said. “So I don’t really know what coach he talked to. I just know it was a UCLA coach that had contacted me.”
UConn remains in the mix despite getting a pledge from 2014 wing Daniel Hamilton of California.
“No, that doesn’t have any impact at all,” Vaughn said.
There has been talk about Vaughn transferring for his senior season, possibly to Andrew Wiggins’s former school, Huntington (W.V.) Prep, but Vaughn said nothing is set as of now.
“No, not anything right now,” he said. “I don’t know where I’m going. For now I will probably be at the same [school]. But I don’t know where I’m going right now.”
And that is the case for both high school and college.
