By Jeff Borzello

It’s been an interesting and unpredictable several months for Willie Cauley.

He blew up on the spring and summer circuit after a solid school season, nabbing offers from a long list of high-major schools. Once Kentucky came into the picture, it looked like the Wildcats were the favorites for Cauley’s services. However, over the past two weeks or so, Kansas State, the local school, seemed like it became the leader for Cauley.

On Monday morning, Cauley ended his recruitment – by picking Kentucky.

In addition to Kansas State, the other two schools on his final list were Florida and Alabama.

The 6-foot-11 Cauley is the big man that John Calipari desperately needed in this class, providing an immediate defensive presence and shot-blocker in the paint. His offense is still raw, but he has very good athleticism and is developing his low-post game.

Interestingly, Cauley is also a star football player for Olathe Northwest (Kan.) and has expressed interest in playing wide receiver in college. His length and coordination make him a tough matchup on the gridiron and hardwood.

Cauley, the No. 46-ranked prospect in 2012, joins five-star guard Archie Goodwin in Kentucky’s 2012 class.

Photo: Lawrence Journal World

By Jeff Borzello

Despite fielding interest from North Carolina, UNLV , Oregon and others, Rosco Allen said he never wavered from Stanford.

“They have always been my leader and I just decided on Friday,” Allen said Monday morning shortly after pledging to the Cardinal.

Allen, a 6-foot-9 forward from Bishop Gorman (Nev.), visited the Palo Alto campus in September and it seems the trip really put Stanford over the top. He constantly commented on the atmosphere and how the campus stood out.

When it came down to it, Allen liked what Stanford offered.

“It was just a great fit for me, both from an educational and athletic side,” he told CBSSports.com.

Allen ranks No. 82 in our top 100. He is an excellent face-up forward and can pose a matchup problem for most defenders. Allen possesses good shooting range and improved his ability to attack the rim over the summer. Due to his skill set, Allen could develop into a star for Stanford.

“I’m just excited to be a part of a great league, which has a style of play I fit into,” he said.

Allen joins center Grant Verhoeven and guard Christian Sanders in Johnny Dawkins’ 2012 recruiting class.

By Jeff Borzello

Recruiting needed to change. Everyone knew it – including the NCAA.

On Thursday, the NCAA Board of Directors adopted a new recruiting model for men’s basketball, changing or adjusting six major rules. More importantly, the rules will go into effect within the next several months, meaning we won’t have to wait two or three years for the changes – like most of the NCAA’s changes.

The two biggest changes, according to most people, are the deregulation of contact between coaches and recruits, and the fact official visits can now begin January 1 of a prospect’s junior year. Other major adjustments included opening up April for two weekends to coaches, while trimming July into three four-day periods. On-campus evaluations during official visits and contact at a recruit’s high school during their junior year are also permitted under the new model.

The changes will affect everyone, from college coaches to AAU coaches to high school coaches, as well as high school players and their parents. All of the changes seem geared towards speeding up the recruiting process and making it more involved at an earlier age. With the number of recruits making early decisions nowadays, it makes sense – too many kids were committing without going on official visits or getting enough evaluation time from coaches.

While the feedback has been generally favorable from all the parties involved – although many said nothing touched on agents and runners – not everyone is happy with each of the rule changes. To get a true feel of what each party thought, we reached out to 10 people – college coaches, AAU coaches, high school recruits and parents – to see what they think. Here are the interviewees:

• Jamie Dixon, head coach, Pittsburgh
• Josh Pastner, head coach, Memphis
• Paul Hewitt, head coach, George Mason
• Chris Walker, No. 5 prospect in 2013
• Brannen Greene, No. 16 prospect in 2013
• Dinos Trigonis, AAU coach, Belmont Shore
• Matt Ramker, AAU director, Florida Rams
• Marland Lowe, AAU coach, Texas PRO
• Arisa Johnson, mother of Jaylon Tate, No. 73 prospect in 2013
• Kelana Rivera, mother of D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, No. 38 prospect in 2012 and Georgetown commit

We went rule-by-rule with each person to get a brief response or thought on the rule.

Contact is mostly deregulated starting June 15 after a recruit’s sophomore year. Coaches will be allowed to send unlimited text messages, make unlimited phone calls and send unlimited private messages via social media websites.

Dixon: “We already had unlimited email, so it won’t be that much different. The monitoring of it was the basis for it. The lost time allotted for it was becoming endless. We were having violations where a kid texted you, but you thought it was an email, and you responded with a text.”

Pastner: “95 percent of kids would rather text than talk on the phone. You find out earlier who’s interested in you. I’d rather the kid tell us he’s not interested. It puts some responsibility on the kid. There needs to be honest communication.”

Hewitt: “I think anything you can do to put college personnel in the lives of these kids helps. Not that everyone needs that type of guidance, to explain to them what eligibility means, classes, official visits, rules. Those types of things, if we can have college personnel in the recruiting process, it definitely take some of the mystery out of it.”

Walker: “I think it’s going to be good, plus crazy. I’m going to get blown up everyday – all day now. I don’t care though, I ignore people half the time but it will be alright.”

Greene: “I’m really going to see who wants me, but it might get a little overwhelming.”

Trigonis: “I think it’s a dumb thing. Instead of unlimited contact, should give parents power to decide contact. Form where parent sets up parameters for contact. It’s a recipe for disaster. I don’t mind the more contact, I think they needed to give more. But how can you go from no contact to unlimited contact?”

Lowe: “I think that all the kids and parents better make sure they have an unlimited texting plan. It’s good for the coaches to be able to communicate with the kids, establish an initial relationship. You have to be careful, though, kids have to put their phone down sometimes.”

Johnson: “It’s a bit excessive because it can be overwhelming when you have multiple coaches calling. It’s going to get out of control; it’s going to be too much for the kids to keep up with. It’s going to get to a point where a lot of these coaches are going to be ignored. They’re starting to feel a little annoyed. The attention at the beginning, they welcome it. But after awhile, it gets irritating. The relationship will start to break down.”

Rivera: “I think there has to be some sort of cut-off times or maximum number of calls with the player. Maybe unlimited contact with parents. They would likely tire of the recruiting process quickly, if they are constantly fielding calls. They may become more distracted and consumed with that as opposed to school, practices, family, church, etc.”

Two weekends in April will be opened up to college coaches.

Dixon: “I was a huge proponent of that. Certain coaches prefer to not have April, because they get to see kids during the year that no one else sees.”

Pastner: “I think it’s good, it’s all positives. You can see more prospects at once. Evaluate.”

Hewitt: “I think it’s a very smart move. You look at a guy taking over a job. I think it helps a coach to go out there. It will help on cutting down on transfers. You watch a kid throughout his high school, highest level of competition with their travel team. Now you may have him go against another 3-4-5 division-I players. It’s a more accurate evaluation, and that hopefully leads to fewer transfers, which will help APR.”

Walker: “It’s good because the people without offers and much exposure could get more exposure and offers and opportunities, so that’s a good look.”

Greene: “I really like that addition. I think it’s positive because kids get two extra chances to impress the college coaches.”

Ramker: “I personally like having just July. It was more of the true essence of summer basketball. April will be better for coaches, evaluations heading into July. I don’t think it’s a bad change.”

Lowe: “There won’t be as many transfers as there have been in the past. I think it’s a great opportunity for the schools overall. It’s too easy to make errors when you can watch them in July only.”

Johnson: “When they all have to wait until July, and they all come out at one time, it can be overwhelming. At those tournaments, to see all those coaches lined up against the wall like that, it can be intimidating and uncomfortable. It takes away their concentration and focus. They’re trying to figure out which coaches are there, and who’s there to see me. The kids will be a little more focused and less distracted.”

Rivera: “That way, the players aren’t feeling the need to be in every single event in July. Trying to fit everything into a couple of weeks in July adds stress to families and on the players’ bodies. Not to mention, it would likely be better for coaches and their families as well.”

July will be trimmed to three four-day periods, as opposed to two 10-day periods

Dixon: “I think it’s far better. If people saw how few evaluations we had other than July, people are often times surprised. They’re few and far between, and not to the level of July. A high school game, you’re not always going to see someone playing against someone at his level, and that’s your evaluation. Offers are being made in April, and as head coaches you’re seeing them even more rarely.”

Hewitt: “I think it’s a very positive step for the kids that are playing. When they start playing 10 days in a row, it leads to injuries. Overuse, stress-related injuries.”

Walker: “It causes us to get more rest because last summer I was tired as hell from all the back-to-back tourneys.”

Greene: “I think it’s beneficial to the college coaches and their health and well-being. For us players, I think it’s an OK rule. But I personally like the two-period July better. I just liked continuously playing in front of college coaches.”

Trigonis: “You’re going from 20 to 12 days. How does that help the smaller schools? That’s a big advantage for the bigger schools. Why not just make it four straight days? Ultimately what they’ve done, they’ve killed the smaller, regional events. Why does it have to be, I give so I have to take? It’s childish. It really is.”

Ramker: “A lot of the tournaments we do to keep kids busy. This will give us three tournaments, won’t have to play just for the sake of playing. Teams will be sharper, kids won’t be as tired.”

Johnson: “When you just have those couple of opportunities, it adds more pressure. It creates more pressure. You think, ‘this is my chance, this is my shot.’ You really lose the concept of team ball. It’s not about team anymore; it’s about the individual player, because you’re looking at limited opportunities.”

Official visits can begin January 1 of a recruit’s junior year, with travel expenses for the recruit and his family being paid for by the school

Dixon: “The influence of third-party people was magnified by unofficial visits. From the end of the high school season to visits were a six-month period where it was all the paying for scouting services, paying for exhibition games, paying for campers – all based around trying to get kids to their campus. Now you can bring both parents. We were empowering the middleman. I had hoped the official visits would start in April. We wouldn’t want one of our players to visit NBA teams during our season.”

Pastner: “A lot of that has something to do with strategy. When do you bring him in? Is it too early? You don’t want to bring him in too early, if he’s not ready to commit. And if he does, that’s a long time to keep him committed. Kids change their minds a lot these days.”

Hewitt: “That will benefit the highest-profile programs. I think what will happen is that the highest-level programs will be more able to get a kid to commit early. As for the parents, that’s the best thing they ever could have done. Bringing them into the process, that’s a huge step in the right direction.”

Greene: “I absolutely love that part of the new rule. I was planning on deciding in mid-December, but now I’m going to push it back a month so I can take a few official visits.”

Ramker: “It’s very necessary for parents to go on the visits with their kids. Low socioeconomic backgrounds, parents need to be involved in the decision. Need to sit with the coaches, help their kids make their decisions. That’s the best of all of them. It will cut down on a lot of shadiness. Kids can make decisions earlier; if they know where they want to go, they can get that out of the way.”

Johnson: “I have mixed feelings about that. Kids are being recruited earlier and earlier, and the kids are feeling the pressure that they need to commit early. We’ve had coaches ask us, ‘are you ready to commit today?’ – on an unofficial visit. And we feel it’s still a little early. Kids are committing sooner because they’re afraid another kid is going to commit sooner. It’s part of the whole recruiting process – and we’re kind of getting away from that. Years ago, it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t all this big rush and pressure to commit so early in your high school years and career. You lose out on something, the process where I feel you should be able to be recruited, you should be able to get a chance and visit schools and develop relationships, and get a good sense of what the schools have to offer. You could compare different schools and campuses. You could compare and get a feel, hopefully find a school that’s a good fit. You’re not going off the name or reputation of the coach, that’s all a part of the process. If you have this pressure, you’ll miss out. That will help if you can move it up and do it sooner.”

Rivera: “We had a very short time to get officials in this year before practice and everything started. Had we been given the option, we would have definitely gotten a couple in last winter or spring.”

On-campus evaluations during official visits will be permitted

Dixon: “It takes out another rule that was very hard to monitor. It’s almost ridiculous. My office overlooks the floor, so we had three different types of shades put in. There was a push to have actual tryouts, and I was really against it. I thought that would be bad press.”

Hewitt: “I think it’s good to watch them, and it’s not exactly a tryout. Watching a kid workout against your team, it will help reduce misses and fewer transfers.”

Greene: “Sure, why not? I would love for a college coach to be able to see the hard work I put in.”

Ramker: “I didn’t really see a reason why they couldn’t do that in the first place. They all play pick-up anyway, the coaches just couldn’t watch. The coaches could do everything else with them; I don’t know why they couldn’t watch them play pick-up. The changes cut out a lot of the shadiness.”

Lowe: I think it’s fine if the kid wants to do it. You’ll have kids that want to see how they fit in; other kids don’t want to expose themselves. I think it’s good if they want to do it, but not mandatory.”

Johnson: “I think that helps with being able to assess and evaluate. When coaches come out and see you practice or with the AAU teams, that can pique or develop your interest even more. But to be able to watch them and have them come on campus and play with the team – that adds another perspective on how to evaluate the player. And it gives the player a better feel for it as well. I see benefits and advantages on both ends. You can see where you need to be, ultimately, when you leave high school. This is what you’re preparing for.”

Rivera: “That may help the player with making his decision, by having a good feel for the players they could possible be playing with.”

Some contact at a recruit’s high school will be permitted beginning during a prospect’s junior year

Dixon: “It’s a sign of things, of where they are now. Kids are committing during their junior years often times, and so now you’re going to be starting with contact their junior year. The monitoring of it was a gray area. What one school considered a casual greeting, another considered a 20-minute sit-down.”

Pastner: “It will eliminate some of the gray area.”

Hewitt: “I think that’s very intelligent. That’s a very smart rule. If that rule is in effect, Bruce Pearl is still at Tennessee. What it does is help demystify the recruiting process and what you have to do to get to college. It opens it up for the family to ask questions. The more you can have that conversation, the more you put at the front of a kid’s mind. In the past, you’ve seen a kid gets bad advisement from someone, he comes back and he got the wrong information or took the wrong class.”

Ramker: “I thought that was an awful rule, that college coaches could go to a kid’s high school and pretend like they don’t even know them. It will help build a rapport, coaches get a feel for the players, players get a feel for the coaches and parents get a feel. It will cut down on transfers, lead to better evaluations by the players and the coaches. That’s been needed. I think that’s a great change. Coaches need to talk to the kids; kids need to figure out what they want to do.”

Lowe: “It forms a relationship early on. It helps starting to develop a relationship early, as long as it’s not too much contact.”

Johnson: “I think when you want to start trying to get a good vibe from who this person is, who they are as a coach, as a man. You need to do that through interaction, you need to do that through communication. The sooner you can start that, the better. That way, you are able to start building that relationship. It can only enhance how both parties feel about one another, and it’s not limited to I can call you or I can text you, or tweet you. I can see you and talk to you, face-to-face. I like that. I think that works. I don’t see anything negative unless there are several coaches there and they’re all waiting to talk to specific players. I can see that getting out of control, a little uncomfortable, maybe a little intimidating. If there are seven coaches there and they’re all waiting to talk to this one player, I can see that being a turnoff. They really don’t want to talk to all these people right after playing.”

Rivera: “I don’t see anything wrong with that either. As long as there are limitations, which I’m sure there would be. Maybe how many times they can visit, which is already in place I believe. And how long or private the contact is. For instance, if a coach talked with a recruit 10-15 minutes after a big game in the gym, seems OK to me.”

Photo: Blue Devil Nation, US Presswire, Recruiting Spotlight

By Jeff Borzello

The NCAA revamped more than just its student-athlete requirements and aid on Thursday. The Board of Directors also adopted a completely new recruiting model for basketball.

The most important changes are:

• Contact is mostly deregulated starting June 15 after a recruit’s sophomore year. Coaches will be allowed to send unlimited text messages, make unlimited phone calls and send unlimited private messages via social media websites.
• Two weekends in April will be opened up to coaches.
• July will be trimmed to three four-day periods, as opposed to two 10-day periods
• Official visits can begin January 1 of a recruit’s junior year, with travel expenses for the recruit and his family being paid for by the school
• On-campus evaluations during official visits will be permitted
• Some contact at a recruit’s high school will be permitted beginning during a prospect’s junior year

These are changes that needed to be made by the NCAA. With prospects making their decisions earlier and earlier, the line of communication between a player and school needed to be enhanced. Official visits being permitted during a recruit’s junior year will allow prospects to get a better feel of the campus, at an earlier age.

Opening up April was a must. Cramming all AAU evaluations into July was too much in a short amount of time. Coaches can now track development of players during their school season, spring AAU season and summer AAU circuit. Moreover, it will be lessen the impact of middle men, who coaches need to rely on when they can’t watch players.

The unlimited contact makes sense, although it could become a problem if recruits are spending too much time taking to coaches during school hours. If prospects don’t get bogged down with the new contact rules, it will be a win-win for everyone.

Overall, these were changes that needed to be done. This will lessen the impact of unofficial visits, which has been a major problem in recruiting over the past few years. To me, the more communication there is between coaches and prospective recruits, the better.

This won’t solve all the problems in the recruiting process, but it’s a significant step.

INTERESTED TEAMS:



By Jeff Borzello

Landen Lucas is one of the top big men left on the board, but he seems to be closing in on a decision.

The 6-foot-8 Findlay Prep (Nev.) product has taken three official visits, to California, Stanford and Tennessee. Lucas is also planning his fourth – and final – trip for November 5, to Washington.

“Hopefully after it, I’ll have a good feeling about one of the schools and make my decision easier,” he said.

“My goal is to have one by the fall signing period.”

Visiting all four schools within a month of each other will allow Lucas to compare all four efficiently.

He said he liked the coaching staff at Tennessee, the entire team at Cal, and the campus at Stanford.

“Just a good fit on and off the court,” Lucas said of what he’s looking for in a school.

Lucas is an Oregon native who landed just outside CBSSports.com’s Top 100 after the July period. He is a good low-post scorer who has a variety of moves in the paint and knows how to get baskets with either hand. His hands and basketball savvy make him an asset as well.

While his rating has taking a bit of a hit in the past couple of years, Lucas is optimstic he will make an impact at the next level.

“A bigger one than most people are expecting from me,” he said. “I’m very confident heading into my first year.”

Photo: Courier-Journal (Louisville)

By Jeff Borzello

It seemed like Mitch McGary was set to make his commitment last month – likely to Michigan – but he canceled his announcement and went back through the recruiting process.

Apparently he’s ready to announce once again.

“I’m planning to make my commitment next week sometime,” McGary wrote in his blog for ESPNHS.

The final three for him are Florida, Duke and Michigan. Maryland and North Carolina seem to be out of the picture.

“I love Maryland, but I just don’t think that it’s the best fit for me,” McGary said of the Terrapins.

As for North Carolina, he doesn’t think they have a scholarship available for him, and he hasn’t talked to the Tar Heels lately.

McGary is CBSSports.com’s No. 2-ranked player in the class of 2012. The 6-foot-10 power forward from Brewster Academy (N.H.) catapulted up the rankings with a dominant spring and summer performance.

He’s a player who everyone wants as a teammate, due to his infectious energy and nonstop motor. He can impact a game in a variety of ways, from scoring around the rim with either hand or knocking down face-up jumpers from the perimeter. The lefty is effective in transition and very active defensively.

As for his decision, it should be an interesting week for McGary. As Jeff Goodman wrote in September, McGary’s parents favor Duke, while his AAU coach with the SYF Players, Wayne Brumm, would prefer Michigan. Florida is still very much in the mix, though.

Photo: Nation of Blue

INTERESTED TEAMS:



By Jeff Borzello

I walked into a gym in central Maryland last spring for an AAU tournament, and the first player I watched was a 6-foot-6 guard who could do everything. He was handling the ball, running the break, knocking down shots – but there was no name for him in the roster book.

I went up to the coach after the game, and asked who that was. “Oh, that’s Brandon Austin.”

Well, that made sense. Austin is one of the more versatile perimeter players in the country, with the ability to play up to three positions. The Imhotep Charter (Pa.) product’s recruitment has been fairly quiet so far, but it will pick up soon.

“It has been going good so far,” Austin said. “Everything’s coming along well.”

He currently holds offers from Syracuse, Villanova, Rutgers, Penn State, Saint Joseph’s and Temple, with interest from Georgetown and Connecticut.

Austin has taken trips to Rutgers and Penn State. “I like them both very much,” he said.

Austin is ranked No. 75 in CBSSports.com’s Top 100 for 2013.

News and Notes: Anthlon Bell announced on Twitter that he chose Arkansas over Massachusetts . . . Arkansas hit the daily double by also nabbing a commitment from forward JaCorey Williams . . . Marquette dipped into Texas once again, this time for Aaron Durley . . . Beau Beach popped for North Florida. 

By Jeff Borzello

T.J. Warren is ready to making his college decision.

Warren said on Wednesday that he would be making his announcement next Wednesday. Per a text to CBSSports.com, he will choose between Georgetown and North Carolina State.

Warren also took an official visit to North Carolina, but the Tar Heels are out of scholarships and picked up forward Brice Johnson earlier Wednesday. Kentucky was in the mix at one point, but the Wildcats backed off and Warren trimmed them from his list.

Warren, a 6-foot-7 forward from Brewster Academy (N.H.), is ranked No. 32 in CBSSports.com’s Top 100. He is a big-time scorer who can get points at all three levels off the floor – around the rim, in the mid-range and from behind the arc. Warren saw his stock rise in the spring and summer due to his ability to create matchup problems with opponents.

News and Notes: Stefan Jankovic will announce his decision on Friday . . . Anthlon Bell will decide Thursday between Massachusetts and Arkansas . . . Virginia Tech picked up a commitment on Tuesday from Marshall Wood . . . New Hampton (N.H.) product Olivier Hanlon popped for Boston College . . . Venezuela native Anthony Joseph Perez Cortesia is headed to Ole Miss . . . Cole Huff is off to Nevada . . . Northside Christian (N.C.) prospects L.C. Cooks and Dionta Adams are both going to Hampton . . . Hawaii received a commitment from Caleb Dressler . . . Jordan Montgomery committed to Kennesaw State . . . Tilton (N.H.) guard Kevin Crezcenzi gave a pledge to Darmouth . . . Philly native Malik Garner is off to Maryland-Baltimore County, while Maryland Eastern-Shore picked up a commitment from Jarrod Davis . . . Saint Mary’s got a nice recruit in forward Chris Reyes . . . St. Francis (Pa.) nabbed shooter Ben Millaud . . . Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) product John Burke committed to UMKC.

Photo: High School Hoop