Articles by Category
PADUCAH — Coaches John Calipari of Kentucky, Bill Self of Kansas and Mark Gottfried of North Carolina State all came here to watch Callaway (Miss.) guard Malik Newman play. They are three of many schools recruiting him.
Newman had 35 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in a win Saturday over Huntington Prep with Calipari and Gottfried watching. On Friday, he had 34 points in a win over Chicago Currie with Self watching.
Newman, the top-ranked guard in the senior class, said he didn’t have a final recruiting list yet.
“Everyone is just out there,” he said. “I am not sure when I will make a list. I may not even make a list.”
However, then he revealed he would take his first official visit to Ohio State Jan. 24.
He said he didn’t know what other official visits he might take.
“Maybe Kentucky, N.C. State, Kansas. I don’t know who else,” he said.
He said there was no school recruiting him the hardest. He did reveal that Louisville recruited him “in the beginning” but backed off and has not since then.
He also said he would have “no interest” in Louisville trying to re-recruit him.
Here are some other UK-related recruiting tidbits left over from Mustang Madness:
— Chicago St. Rita guard Charles Matthews, a UK signee, had 32 points and seven rebounds in a 77-51 win over Arsenal Tech, the Indianapolis team that UK freshman Trey Lyles led to a state title last year. The game was part of Mustang Madness, but was not played at McCracken County. Instead, it was played just across the Illinois border at Massac, Ill.
The next night he played against Jayson Tatum of St. Louis Chaminade, one of the top three juniors in the nation, and helped his team win 77-75 despite fouling out late in in overtime. Matthewes had 31 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Tatum, a UK target, finished with 34 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and nine turnovers.
— Our Savior (N.Y.) forward Cheick Diallo had 21 points and 14 rebounds in a 74-72 loss to Prime Prep (Texas) Saturday night with Calipari and Kenny Payne watching. The night before Kansas coach Bill Self watched him play.
— Calipari apparently made sure that he let those close to Huntington Prep center Thomas Bryant, who had 33 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in the loss to Callaway Saturday, was high on UK’s want list. The 6-9 Bryant is also a five-star prospect.
— Orangeville Prep (Canada) junior standout Thon Maker had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks Saturday night with Calipari watching. Maker will know by the end of January if he will re-classify to the 2015 recruiting class according to his guardian, Ed Smith. That was the same plan Smith said Maker planned to follow when he played at the Marshall County Hoop Fest.
Calipari watched Maker, the top-ranked player in the 2016 class, play Saturday night. Orangeville coach Larry Blunt said Maker is a solid student with no grade issues after transferring from Carlisle School in Virginia to Orangeville this year. Both Smith and Blunt said Orangeville’s next semester lasts until late June — meaning Maker will not be on any college campus in early June like many signees are.
— Calipari also watched Prolific Prep (California) junior guard Josh Jackson play against Maker. Jackson had 16 points. He said Friday night he had a UK offer even though his mother said there was no offer.
KSR Twitter Feed