Category: Insider! News Written by Scott Burgess
More and more news continues to break on the recruiting trail after week one of the April live period. Here are a few tidbits from the first half of the week.
Offers Going Out
Marian Catholic 2014 point guard Tyler Ulis keeps racking up the high major offers after a stellar weekend in Los Angeles for Meanstreets. He received offers from Northwestern and USC on Wednesday night. Look for his recruitment to continue to rise.
Sandburg 2014 power forward Malek Harris has seen his stock go up this spring. The four man has improved his athleticism and perimeter skills. Wednesday he added an offer from Oregon State out of the Pac 12.
Decatur MacArthur 2014 point guard Marcus Bartley is seeing his recruiting skyrocket. The long and lanky point guard who plays with the Peoria Irish on the circuit added an offer from Rice on Wednesday.
St. Charles North 2013 shooting guard Quinten Payne remains one of the top unsigned seniors in the state after his asking to be released from his commitment to Loyola. Payne received a scholarship offer from the new Ball State staff on Tuesday. This is his second offer to go along with one from Eastern Illinois that he received about a week ago.
St. Viator shooting guard Ore Arogundade is a well-rounded wing in the 2014 class. On his high school team he does a little bit of everything. Arogundade ranks as one of the better shooting guards in the state. He picked up an offer from Drake out of the Missouri Valley Conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Bolingbrook power forward Kenny Williams is a physical four man that has shown some potential on the circuit this spring for the Illinois Wolves 17U. Tuesday he received his first offer from Chicago State.
Plainfield North 2013 point guard Marcus Fair remains uncommitted. He has picked up two offers courtesy of NAIA programs Cardinal Stritch and MidAmerica Nazerene. Fair ran on the circuit with the Illinois Wolves during his prep career.
Visits and Visitors
St. Rita guard Charles Matthews is one of the elite 2015 prospects nationally. When you are one of the top players in the nation that usually that means you get recruited by Kentucky. On Tuesday Wildcats Head Coach John Calipari watched the super sophomore workout in an open gym. Matthews opened up Nike EYBL play averaging 10 points per game for Meanstreets in three games. The Wildcats are a new school showing interest in Matthews.
Seton Academy senior power forward Alex Foster is one of the top prospects left in the state. The former Minnesota commitment visited Texas Tech on Wednesday. The Red Raiders recently hired former Minnesota coach Tubby Smith as their head coach.
Commitment News
Monticello 2013 power forward Matt Kruse has committed to play at McKendree University. Kruse is a big bodied post that ran on the circuit with the Illinois Bears. He told me that he liked how it was close to his family in St. Louis as well as having a great athletic training and physical therapy program.
SWIC got a signature from Sikeston High School (MO) guard Vashawn Ruffin. The senior averaged 16 points and 6 assists per game this past season while capturing 4A Missouri State Player of the Year.
Bronson Verhines of Rend Lake College gave a commitment to SIU on Wednesday. Verhines was a key player in Rend Lake’s national championship run.
Connor Wheeler of John A Logan College has committed to attend Central Missouri next season.