Basketball Recruiting trail

[Mr. Krab]

April 8, 2009
Cousins makes the call Jerry Meyer
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst
Talk about it in Basketball Recruiting Board


As expected, DeMarcus Cousins ended his recruitment for a third - and hopefully final time - late Tuesday night when he decided to follow coach John Calipari to Kentucky.

Cousins will follow Calipari to UK.

Cousins, the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2009, first committed to UAB. Then it was Memphis. Now it is Kentucky for Cousins, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound post man from Mobile (Ala.) LeFlore High School.

"Well, basically I went home (from the McDonald's All American Game) and tried to figure out which coach out of all the coaches recruiting me could help me get to the next level," said Cousins. "The answer was Coach Cal. Then I asked myself what school was best to me. And what school is better than Kentucky?"

Cousins did note that Washington and Kansas State were the other two schools on his final list.

Cousins joins five-star big man Daniel Orton and four-star wing Jon Hood in the Kentucky recruiting class. More recruits are expected to follow.

"I'm working on John Wall and Xavier Henry right now," he said. "I think we have a chance to get them."

DeMarcus Cousins scouting report:

An impressively physical presence, Cousins has the ability to dominate the interior. He can score in traffic and rebound in a crowd. Defensively, he is extremely difficult to score against. Not limited to being effective around the basket, Cousins can also operate on the perimeter. Perhaps his most underrated skill is his passing ability. Maturing emotionally is his biggest challenge in the development of his game.

[Mr. Krab]

New player in Wall saga Jerry Meyer
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst
Talk about it in Basketball Recruiting Board

Just when things were starting to simplify for John Wall, things got a little more complicated for the No. 1 ranked prospect in the Rivals150. The coach of the school he was favoring took the Kentucky job, and now the hottest school in college basketball is joining the chase.

Wall will give UNC a look.

Over the Final Four weekend North Carolina head coach Roy Williams called Wall as his team was on its way to a national championship.

"He just called to check in," said Wall, a 6-foot-4, 184-pound point guard from Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Christian Academy. "He is supposed to meet with me after the tournament."

Wall has also spent some time on the phone with new Kentucky coach John Calipari. Before Calipari's departure from Memphis, Wall had the Tigers at the top of his list.

"Coach Cal told me the same stuff that he told me when he was at Memphis," he said. "He said its all the same - the system and everything - just a different school."

So will Wall, who is still scheduled to visit Miami the last weekend of April, squeeze in a visit to Kentucky before he makes a decision?

"I've visited there already," he said. "I know the school well enough that I don't need to take another visit. I have the information I need to make a decision."

With schools like Duke and North Carolina joining Wall's recruitment on the tail end, Wall now has most of the nation's elite basketball programs recruiting him.

"I think it is pretty good to have schools like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas recruiting me," he said. "Those are four of the top schools that you hear about the most. It's great that coaches from schools like those want to see me and recruit me. In the end this is my decision, so I'll definitely be looking at North Carolina."

[Pants]

I want the Scout #1 a lot more...

[sedated]

I was curious why NC wasn't on Wall's list, since he's from there.

That being said, if NC gets him, I hope he tears his achilles.

[Buehler445]

Why the shit would Cousins commit to UAB first?
Posted via Mobile Device

[CoMoChief]

I just want Xavier Henry

[ArrowheadHawk]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

I just want Xavier Henry

Him or Lance whichever but I want one of them.

[KevB]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Why the shit would Cousins commit to UAB first?
Posted via Mobile Device

He's been tight with Mike Davis for several years, but UAB wouldn't commit to releasing him from his letter if Davis were to move on or be fired.

[Mr. Plow]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

I just want Xavier Henry

I'd rather Lance commit than wait the 2-4 weeks it's going to be before X decides.