Bill Self in good company at L.A. tourney

By Gary Bedore     Apr 21, 2013

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self, who last week said he’d like to sign an additional two or three players in the Class of 2013, is also recruiting for future classes during this current spring evaluation period.

Zagsblog.net reports that Self on Sunday was in Los Angeles watching Rashad Vaughn, a 6-foot-5 junior from Cooper High in New Hope, Minn.

Vaughn, who is the No. 6-rated player in the Class of 2014 by Rivals.com, scored 31 points off 13-for-20 shooting with seven assists and five rebounds in a Nike EYBL contest witnessed by Self, North Carolina’s Roy Williams, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Minnesota’s Richard Pitino, Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg, Baylor’s Scott Drew and many other head coaches.

“I don’t really pay attention to them, but it’s good to see all of them there,” Vaughn told Zagsblog.net.

“I don’t really have a deadline, but I’m still working on it,” he added of cutting down his massive list of schools. “Everybody’s showing love, really.”

Victor hits the glass: No. 24-rated Craig Victor, a 6-8 junior power forward from St. Augustine High in New Orleans, tells Rivals.com that he’s being recruited by KU, Arizona, LSU, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Miami and others. He competed in an adidas tourney in Duncanville, Texas, last weekend.

“Sometimes seen as a bit of a cruiser in the past, Victor put in serious work on the glass Saturday,” wrote Eric Bossi of Rivals.com. “He attacked the rim and got to the free-throw line in his first game and started hitting jumpers in his second.”

Mission on tap: Payton Dastrup, a 6-9 junior center from Mountain View High in Mesa, Ariz., tells Rivals.com he will take a Mormon mission and will not play college ball until 2016. He has a list of KU, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Florida, BYU, Virginia, Texas A&M and others.

“I’ll sign everything, but I’ll defer my scholarship for two years,” the No. 52-ranked Dastrup told Rivals.com at the EYBL Los Angeles tournament.

KU in top 10: Justise Winslow, a 6-5 junior small forward from St. John’s High in Houston, who is ranked No. 10 in the Class of 2014, has a list of 10 schools: KU, Baylor, Arizona, Duke, Florida, Houston, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Stanford and UCLA. Winslow, who averaged 29 points and 15 rebounds a game his junior season, made unofficial visits to KU, Duke and Arizona last winter.

McLaughlin likes KU: Jordan McLaughlin, a 5-11 junior point guard from Etiwanda (Calif.) High, who is ranked No. 33 in the Class of 2014, revealed a top seven to Rivals.com at the Los Angeles tournament: KU, USC, UCLA, San Diego State, UConn, Indiana and Gonzaga.

Upcoming visits: Tyus Jones, a 6-1 junior point guard from Apple Valley (Minn.) High, told Rivals.com in L.A. that he had in-home visits with Duke, Baylor, Ohio State and Michigan State last week, with KU coaches to enter his home Tuesday. He’s ranked No. 3 in the Class of 2014. Today, KU coach Self will visit Jahlil Okafor, 6-10 junior from Whitney Young High in Chicago and the No. 1-rated player in the Class of ’14.

Diamond eyes KU: Diamond Stone, a 6-10 sophomore from Dominican High in Milwaukee who has KU on his list, played on the Young Legends team that fell to KC Run GMC in Sunday’s 16-and-under title game of the NY2LA tourney in Minnesota. He’s ranked No. 4 in the Class of 2015. Jimmy Whitt, a 6-foot point guard from Columbia Hickman, had 15 points for KC. Another Run GMC standout is Kevin Puryear, a 6-7 sophomore from Blue Springs South High. Rivals.com’s Robin Washut says Puryear, “currently holds offers from Creighton and Miami (Ohio), but has been getting heavy interest from schools like Missouri (which he unofficially visited in January), Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Marquette, Wichita State and Arkansas.”

Wesley lives in Dooley country: Former KU phenom Walt Wesley likely will be one of the distinguished guests in attendance today when former KU assistant coach Joe Dooley is introduced as head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University. Wesley lives in Fort Myers, Fla., where FGCU is located.

Wesley, 68, told the Fort Myers News-Press that the university made the right call in hiring Dooley to replace Andy Enfield, who has departed for University of Southern California.

“It’s going to help (FGCU) continue to expand its horizons and keep its name out there,” Wesley told the paper. “They’re picking up a coach from an illustrious program with a winning tradition. It’s going to get them in recruiting circles in high schools all across the country. Coach Dooley has those connections.”

Wesley, who served as executive director of Fort Myers Police Athletic League from 1996 until 2011, told the News-Press he’s met Dooley but the two have not had “any extended conversations.”

“It’s wonderful; we have a great time every time we go back,” he said of attending KU games. “Coach Self always takes care of us. We get great seats. We even get to meet the players. We still have a lot of ties with people in the city of Lawrence itself. It’s a special place. It never gets away from you.”

Wesley told the paper he plans to attend more FGCU games with Dooley on board.

“I think I will. It’s definitely going to be interesting,” he said.

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