The college basketball recruiting scene has changed this week as high school blue-chippers, including Kansas University targets, make official campus visits in advance of the Nov. 12-19 early signing period.
Chester Giles, a 6-foot-10 forward from Seattle, Wednesday eliminated North Carolina from consideration, according to a report on theinsiders.com.
Giles, the son of former KU player Chester Giles, now is apparently down to three schools — Arizona, Kansas and Miami. Giles will visit KU Sept. 26-27. In the past few months, Giles had also received scholarship offers from Oregon, Washington and USC.
Tuesday, Alexander “Sasha” Kaun, 6-11 from Melbourne, Fla., eliminated Michigan State. Kaun, who will attend Kansas or Duke, will make a decision shortly after his trip to Durham, N.C., Sept. 26-27.
KU coach Bill Self watched Kaun in an open gym workout Tuesday in Florida.
“No other coach has made that type of trip yet, so that impressed Alexander a lot,” Florida Air Academy coach Aubin Goporo told rivals.com. “Alexander knows how much Kansas wants him and the staff is making a great effort to show that as well.”
Also this week, Al Horford, 6-9 from Grand Ledge, Mich., eliminated Kansas, Florida, Ohio State and Michigan State, orally committing to Michigan.
“Michigan is the school for me because I like the coaches, the players and what the school offers in academics,” Horford, the son of former NBA player Tito Horford, told the Detroit News.
KU prospect A.J. Price, 6-1 of Amityville, N.Y., saw his list shrink this week when Syracuse received a commitment from Utica, N.Y., prep Josh Wright. The Orangemen dropped Price, meaning he’s down to KU, UConn, St. John’s and Florida State. He’ll visit UConn this weekend and St. John’s Sept. 26-27.
“There are two teams,” he said about which teams he’d like to have played for besides Los Angeles (Clippers), Atlanta, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Utah, Dallas and Detroit. “It didn’t have to do with the players that were there during my time, but playing on the Lakers and Celtics would’ve been great. Both teams have great histories.”
Asked his greatest thrills, he said: “In college, it was winning the national championship. Professionally, it was winning the Sixth Man Award or being named an All-Star. But probably most of all, it was being able to play for so long after three knee surgeries.”
