BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: LOUISVILLE

July 29, 2008

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Josh Langford, (2010) 6'6, Small Forward from Huntsville (AL)


Projected 2008-2009 Roster


Seniors: Andre McGee (PG), Terrence Williams (SF)
Juniors: Edgar Sosa (G), Jerry Smith (G), Earl Clark (G/F), Reginald Delk (G)
Sophomores: George Goode (F), Preston Knowles (G)
Freshmen: Melquan Bolding (G), Samardo Samuels (BF/C), Terrence Jennings (C), Kyle Kuric (G/F), Clarence Holloway (C), Jared Swopshire (SF)
2009 Commitments: Mike Marra (G), Rakeem Buckles (F), Peyton Siva (PG)
2010 Commitment: Josh Langford (SF)


Class of 2010 small forward Josh Langford has been dropping strong hints the last couple weeks that Louisville was the clear leader for his services. Once an official scholarship offer was made, Langford wasted little time in making his decision, meaning U of L Hoops Adds a Commitment (Louisville Courier-Journal), their first for 2010.

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Rick Pitino continues to stay well ahead of the game on the recruiting trail as the Louisville coach ha snow added a 2010 commitment to the three verbals already secured for the class of 2009. Josh Langford of J.O. Johnson High School of Huntsville (AL) is the latest to make the pledge to the Cardinals. Louisville staff members have been very visible at his AAU games this summer during the open evaluation periods for the Alabama Lasers. Recently, i95ballerz.com had a very good story as Hard Work, Skill Building Nettes Langford his Dream Offer from the Cards.


Back in May coach Pitino picked up his third commitment from the class of 2009 when Peyton Siva out of Seattle (WA) made the Cardinals his college choice. Siva has long been considered Louisville's to lose on the recruiting trail after a visit this past season for their game with Georgetown. In the end, Louisville did not lose and scored a very good commitment from their point guard of the future.

Siva is an extremely quick and lightning fast point guard with the ball in his hands. He is also an above-average perimeter shooter who can also explode at the rim with a dunk when the time is right. As he matures, his decision making continues to improve and he always seems to be calm and cool on the floor, a trait that is a must for the most successful point guards in the game.

Siva joins previous 2009 commitments Rakeem Buckles and Mike Marra. Buckles is a wiry and raw forward prospect who is just touching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his potential. At 6'8, he has explosive athletic ability that you see in an NBA small forward, however his game is still transitioning from a skinny big man to the wing and is a process that is just beginning. However, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino definitely believes it is a project worth undertaking as he aggressively courted the Miami Pace junior and landed an early verbal commitment from Buckles in February. Local Miami and West Virginia were also closely monitoring his progress, but Louisville easily took the most attention in Buckles.

Buckles and Siva join Mike Marra, a 6'5 native of Smithfield (RI), as coach Pitino's 2009 commitments. Marra is an athletic shooter for Northfield (Mass.) Mount Hermon School. According to his coach, John Carroll, Marra averaged nearly 28 points per game and has hit 55% from 3-pt range over an 11 game stretch late last season. Marra was also considering Providence, Massachusetts, Gonzaga, Wake Forest and Michigan, but after coach Rick Pitino came to watch him play last winter, Marra decided to end the process early and commit to the Cards, who had been his leader for some time. Marra visited Louisville and Freedom Hall in December and they have been on his mind ever since.


Also in the class of 2009, Louisville has been making a strong push forward for Rice HS and NY Gaucho do-everything guard Durand Scott and also reportedly offered Aaron Dotson, a shooting guard from Seattle (WA) who attended the same high school as current card Terrence Williams. Noel Johnson of the Atlanta Celtics has been watched often by the UL staff and his long-range shooting ability is a strength UL is intrigued by. Another Alabama high school player has picqued U of L's interest as Bawa Muniru, an African import who is a legitimate 7-footer now playing in Madison (AL).

We will continue to monitor the UL recruiting developments as they happen.

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LOUISVILLE OFFERS TOBIAS HARRIS

Class of 2010 prospect racks up offers

Tobias Harris, 6-foot-8 small forward from Half Hollows Hills West High School on Long Island (NY), had an impressive showing with the Albany City Rocks AAU program earlier this week at the Nike Peach Jam. This followed a very good effort at the Reebok All-American and has led to schools such as Wake Forest, Florida State, Texas, Louisville, Miami, and Syracuse extending scholarship offers, according to his father, Torrel Harris Sr.

Here is what Brian Crownover saw from Harris at the Reebok All-American Camp his News & Notes From Camp Week for the NBE Basketball Report:

While the big man (Sidney) can move well, he wasn't quick enough to handle the multi-talented Tobias Harris. Tobias took him off the dribble time and time again.

Tobias is a solidly built player in his own right. When I first saw him dominate as a freshman, I wondered how much better the youngster could get. He already had good size and great skill. He did alot of the same things at the Reebok Camp, but this time against a very high level of competition and with many players being a year older than him. The east coast has already been all over this talented forward, but look for the rest of the country to get involved in Tobias now.

Tobias has already made several unofficial visits to Big East schools this summer, including a trip to Louisville.

“Tobias’ visit was great,” his father, Torrel Harris Sr. told the NBE Basketball Report following the visit. “He got to see the campus, …meet some players, played pick up games and he had a chance to talk to Coach (Rick) Pitino. He is a great guy and a good person. Tobias just had a great time out there in Kentucky,” Mr. Harris said.


Harris has also visited Rutgers, St. John's, Marquette and West Virginia and hopes to see Syracuse and Connecticut this summer as well.

Contrary to some previous reports, the Harris' have not begun to narrow the recruiting scope as of yet and their list is in the neighborhood of 15-209 schools long. "Tobias doesn't have a leader in his recruiting process," Torrel Harris said.

Next up for Tobias Harris and his Albany City Rocks teammates is a trip to Orlando for the AAU Nationals and Super Showcase.

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LOUISVILLE AFTER FLORIDA DB

July 14, 2008


According to the State.com, South Carolina's home page, defensive back Mywan Jackson (6-0, 180) of Seffner, Fla., has Louisville recruiting him the hardest. Jackson, who plays quarterback for his high school team, will visit North Carolina, Illinois and Michigan this month, and he might stop by South Carolina. Jackson also has offers from the Cardinals, Rutgers, Auburn and West Virginia. Jackson is being recruited as a cornerback.

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NOEL JOHNSON PLANS LOUISVILLE VISIT

July 1, 2008



Noel Johnson, a 6-foot-7 class of 2009 small forward prospect from Fayette County (GA) High School has had the attention of college recruiters for a long time. His play this spring and early summer with the high-powered Atlanta Celtics has done nothing but increase that as Johnson is Drawing Attention on the Court (NBE Basketball Report).

Johnson has the bloodlines to be successful in basketball. His father is Lynbert 'Cheese' Johnson, a former star at Wichita State who accumulated over 1,900 points and 1,000 rebounds, being named to the 1st team all-MVC conference twice and 2nd team once in his four year career with the Shockers. He is a member of Wichita State's athletic Hall of Fame.

Now it is Noel's turn to be the family basketball star and colleges are lining up to bring the versatile forward into their program. Since a successful run at the NBA Top 100 camp at the University of Virginia recently, Johnson has continued to hear often from schools such as Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Louisville, USC and Wake Forest. For now, he is not quite tipping his hand of a leader.

"No, I'm still wide open," Johnson said. Buit, he did offer up a couple planned visits in the future. "I plan to visit USC and Louisville in the fall."

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