Kansas hoops recruiting targets stellar at Nike Summit

By Gary Bedore     Apr 12, 2015

Kansas University basketball recruiting.

Kansas University recruiting target Cheick Diallo, who was MVP of the April 1 McDonald’s All-America game, scored 12 points off 5-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds and three blocked shots in the World Select Team’s 103-101 victory over the U.S. squad in Saturday’s Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon.

“He treats missed shots (of others) as a pass to himself,” ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said of the athletic 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward from Our Savior New American High in Centereach, New York, who is ranked No. 7 nationally by Rivals.com.

Diallo, who went 2-of-2 from the line in 17 minutes, is expected to have in-home visits with KU coach Bill Self, Kentucky’s John Calipari and St. John’s Chris Mullin this week. He’s also considering Pitt and Iowa State.

“Cheick Diallo is still considering all five schools,” Eric Jaklitsch, assistant at of Our Savior New American, said, as reported by Zagsblog.com. “Any reports of leaders or schools being eliminated are false.”

KU target Brandon Ingram, who measured 6-91/2 in shoes prior to the game, scored 12 points off 5-of-7 shooting (2-of-2 from the line) while playing 31 minutes for the losing U.S. team. Ingram, whose No. 19 ranking is expected to improve significantly in the final ratings, is considering KU, Duke, North Carolina, UCLA and North Carolina State.

“I think I can play every position on the floor, 1 through 4,” the 195-pound Ingram told draftexpress.com. “I can take bigger guys to the basket and shoot over smaller guys. To reach my full potential I need to get stronger.”

No. 3-ranked Malik Newman, 6-3 from Callaway High in Jackson, Mississippi, scored 10 points off 4-of-9 shooting in 14 minutes. He hit two of five threes.

Newman, who is considering KU, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State and N.C. State, has received interest from pro teams in China and Spain, his dad, Horatio Webster, told RealGm.com.

“One time he asked me about what it would be like overseas and then another time, he says ‘No, dad, I’m not going to do that.’ Of course I’m not going to make him do it,” Webster told Real GM.

“We are talking around $1 million,” Webster added. “They’ll sell you on getting a shoe contract so you’d probably leave there with $1.5 or $2 million (before entering 2016 NBA Draft).”

No. 2-ranked Jaylen Brown, 6-61/2, 222, from Wheeler High in Marietta, Georgia, scored eight points off 2-of-7 shooting in 11 minutes. Brown has KU, Kentucky, UCLA, Michigan, North Carolina, Cal, Georgia and Georgia Tech on his list.

“Brown has all of the qualities of an elite wing scorer with his explosive athleticism, jumper and swagger. Brown has remarkable balance and a handle that lets him get anywhere on the floor he wants,” writes RealGM.com.

“Brown attacked the rim against the World Team in the halfcourt with fearlessness. Brown also played some power forward when USA went small, but he had an inefficient scoring performance and they went with Luke Kennard and Allonzo Trier instead of him down the stretch,” the website added.

No. 11-ranked Stephen Zimmerman, 7-foot, 235 from Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, had eight points off 4-of-6 shooting with two rebounds for the U.S. He added two steals and two blocks in 20 minutes.

“Zimmerman had a sequence in the opening minutes of the second half where he hit a runner off the bounce in the halfcourt, led the break with an assist and then hit a 15-foot baseline jumper. Zimmerman largely will be what he is at this point, but that’s an agile 7-footer with a good feel for the game,” Real GM wrote of Zimmerman, who has KU, Kentucky, UCLA, UNLV and Arizona on his list.

No. 5-rated Thon Maker, 7-foot, 218, from Orangeville Prep in Mono, Ontario, had two points off 0-for-5 shooting (2-of-4 from the line), 10 rebounds, one block and four turnovers in 12 minutes for the winners. If he qualifies academically, he’ll be in the Class of 2015 and thus is considering KU, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri and others. It could get complicated since he doesn’t graduate until August.

“On simple, instinctual plays to the basket, Maker looks unstoppable with his combination of length and athleticism. Maker lacks court awareness and is a beat slow with his decision-making, which causes him to struggle when he needs to have a countermove,” Real GM writes. “Maker can put the ball on the deck really well, but he’s more of a one-on-none workout superstar at this point. For a super long 7-footer, Maker has an extremely high motor and plays with the type of hustle associated with lesser talents.”

Maker’s high school teammate, Canada’s Jamal Murray, a 6-5, 205-pound point guard, led the way with 30 points off 12-of-23 shooting. Currently ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2016, Murray may reclassify. He has Oregon, Michigan, Michigan State and Syracuse on his list with several of the country’s powerhouse programs surely desiring to make inroads in recruiting.

This, that: No news is expected regarding Perry Ellis’ decision to return to KU or turn pro until Monday at the earliest. … Self and Calipari were spotted scouting a game of blue-chip high school junior center Harry Giles on Saturday morning at an AAU tourney in Hampton, Virginia. Giles, 6-10, 220 from Wesleyan Christian Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the No. 2-rated player in the Class of 2016, has a list of KU, Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Ohio State and UNLV. … Self later was seen at a game of Josh Jackson in Under Armour Grassroots League play in New Orleans. Jackson, 6-7 from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2016. … University of Washington sophomore point guard Nigel Williams-Goss, who is transferring after averaging 15.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds a game last season, tells the Seattle Times he’s heard from Texas, Gonzaga, UNLV, Michigan State, Georgetown, Arkansas and Providence. KU has not been mentioned as a possible transfer destination. KU soph Landen Lucas is a good buddy of Williams-Goss.

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