PC received some good recruiting news minutes after the final buzzer sounded in Dallas on the 2013-2014 season Monday night – Kyron Cartwright announced he was going to be a Friar next season. His commitment adds more depth to the point guard position for PC next season. Kris Dunn was the only point guard on the roster and coming off a second shoulder surgery it was crucial for Ed Cooley to have some insurance. To read more about Cartwright’s commitment and some quotes from him, click the links below.
More interesting recruiting news came about on Tuesday this week when coveted 2014 point guard Devonte’ Graham announced on Twitter that he got a release from his National Letter of Intent to App State by new coach, Jim Fox. Graham is now officially one of the best available players left on the board in 2014 after having a break out year under Jason Smith at Brewster Academy. A number of high majors are involved and have already spoken to Graham since his release. Thursday night had Cooley joined by Nebraska’s Tim Miles and Virginia’s Tony Bennett at Brewster for a workout. Friday it will be Kansas’ Bill Self along with coaches from Cincinnati, Florida and Virginia Tech. Graham would be a great fit at PC because of his shooting and playmaking abilities but the competition is obviously stiff. Ed Cooley and Providence has a legit chance with Graham and will likely be one of the teams on his final list before deciding.
2014 PG Kyron Cartwright was on campus over the weekend for an official visit. From reports, he liked the campus and the visit went well but it seems that he left Rhode Island without an official offer. My guess is the staff is being more picky with 2014 HS players at this point and focusing their efforts more strongly on 5th year transfers and JUCO player that will be eligible immediately. Reasons for that would be a) balancing classes b) a bad call will only affect the roster for a year or two vs. four c) need quality contributors right away for 2014-2015.
2015 SG Donovan Mitchell spoke with Rob Howe of HawkeyeInsider.com, an Iowa Scout.com site. He has offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Creighton, Florida, Fordham, Iowa, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall and St. John’s. He also said that Kansas and Xavier have been showing a lot of interest. On what he needs to work on: “I have to improve my jump shot.” On what he is looking for in a school: “I am looking for a school where not only can I have a great basketball career but a great academic career.” Kevin San (aka Undercover Friar) posted an article on Mitchell on the ScoutFriars.com site last night. Mitchell talks about how Cooley being front and center at Brewster games and practices “sends a message.” He also mentions that he believes his game fits how they play at PC and that he and his family have a good relationship with the coaching staff in Friartown.
I’ve added a Recruiting Updates (see below for the permanent location on the home page) page which will be dedicated to recruiting info and recruiting targets. For the offseason, I’ll be keeping a list of all PC targets for 2014 that either get a release because of a coach firing or if a player wants to play his 5th year somewhere else and PC is recruiting that player. Make sure to check it out.
2014 PG Kyron Cartwright recently got his release from Loyola Marymount after their coach, Max Good was let go. The left handed lead guard is currently visiting Providence. Craig Belhumeur of FriarBasketball.com spoke with Cartwright and his HS coach, Anthony Thomas. Thomas has a relationship with PC Associate Head Coach, Andre LaFleur from their days playing AAU together for Slam n Jam out on the West coast in the early 1980’s. Make sure to check out Craig’s article for quotes from both Thomas and Cartwright. Cartwright talks about what he likes about PC so far and what he would do if Cooley extended an offer. Great stuff from Craig B!
Another name for 2014 point guards is Malik Pugh. He committed to UNC Wilmington in February but a coaching change has caused him to open up his recruitment. PC is checking up on him and he is a potential candidate to fill out one of PC’s remaining scholarships for 2014. Pugh is a scoring guard who put up 20 ppg this season for Dyer HS in Tennessee including going for 37 in his final HS game. The knock on him is his size but he seems to like playing with that chip on his shoulder.
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