By Jeff Borzello

NEW HAVEN, CONN. – Aaron Ross was set to head to Arkansas in the fall, but a hang-up with his ACT test results forced him to prep school.

After enrolling at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy (Wisc.), Ross reopened his recruitment.

Per a source, Arkansas has had limited contact with Ross recently and several other schools have entered the picture.

Missouri, Washington, Nebraska and Dayton are all showing interest to the 6-foot-6 small forward from Little Rock, Ark.

Ross has a learning disability and he needs to take his tests with special circumstances. He never took the untimed and verbal test while at Parkview (Ark.). At SJNMA, he has received the proper accommodations and is on track to be cleared.

However, the source said Ross will be at SJNMA and will not look to enroll at a college during the semester break.

Former Hofstra commit impresses

During his original recruitment, Malik Nichols only saw one place – and he signed there.

However, after rethinking everything, he reclassified to the class of 2012 and decommitted from Hofstra.

“They were the only place I looked at,” Nichols said. “I wanted to see my other options.”

Nichols, a 6-foot-6 forward originally from Boys and Girls (N.Y.), had an impressive summer with the New York Panthers. He has continued that with Bridgton Academy (Maine), scoring 13 points in a win over St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy (Wisc.).

As a result, some new schools are in the mix. St. John’s and South Florida are showing interest, while Hofstra is hanging around.

Nichols has no timetable for a decision.

Photo: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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

If SMU indeed moves to the Big East in the next couple of years, the Mustangs will need Big East-level talent.

They started the process on Friday, getting a commitment from Blaise Mbargorba. The news was first reported by Scout.com.

Mbargorba is a 6-foot-11 Cameroon native, who burst onto the scene in 2009 as a relative unknown. The Peddie School (N.J.) product is very strong and athletic, and he moves fairly well for someone his size. He knows how to get position inside, and he has soft hands. Mbargorba’s offense is still somewhat raw, but he continues to improve.

He was considered a Vanderbilt lean for most of his recruitment, but the Mustangs made a late run to snag him. Mbargorba also held offers from Temple, Virginia Tech, Saint Joseph’s, West Virginia, George Mason, Northwestern, Clemson, Charlotte, Cincinnati and Columbia.

Commitment Catch-Up:

• D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown
• Jordon Granger, Auburn
• Ashauhn Dixon-Tatum, Auburn
• Jordan Hare, Rhode Island
• Brett Boese, Washington State
• Richard Longrus, Washington State
• Mychael Qualls, Arkansas
• Ryan Rosburg, Missouri
• Clyde Smith, TCU
• Charles Hill, TCU
• Kyle Molock, Saint Joseph’s
• Zach En’Wezoh, Columbia

Important Visitors:

• Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona
• Willie Cauley, Kansas State
• Phil Nolan, Clemson
• Alex Poythress, Memphis
• T.J. Warren, Georgetown
• DaJuan Coleman, Ohio State
• Gary Harris, Kentucky
• Amile Jefferson, Kentucky
• Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame (2013)
• Allerik Freeman, Villanova (2013)
• Keith Frazier, Arizona (2013)
• Stephen Domingo, Arizona (2013)

Decision Time:

- Dermarquise Johnson, a 2012 wing from Arizona, will choose Saturday between Washington, Washington State, Gonzaga and UNLV.
- Ioannis Papaetrou will choose between Texas and Kansas on Saturday
- On Monday, Terry Henderson will decide between NC State, Georgia, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami (Fl.), Rutgers, George Mason and Richmond.


News and Notes: 2012 point guard Josh Gray decommitted from Mississippi State. 

By Jeff Borzello

Zena Edosomwan was one of the fastest-rising players on the spring and summer AAU circuit.

Despite the attention it has brought him, Edosomwan is glad that the grind is finally over.

“I’m just happy I’m done with AAU because it’s crazy,” he said. “You play so many games in such a short period.”

Edosomwan, a 6-foot-7 power forward from Harvard-Westlake (Calif.), made an impression in the spring and then solidified his standing by holding his own against the cream of the crop. He runs the floor well and is excellent at finishing in transition. Edosomwan is willing to do the dirty work in the paint, but is athletic and skilled enough to make plays on the glass and above the rim.

The next step for him will be recruiting, which has heated up in a major way lately.

“It’s going really well,” Edosomwan said. “I just have to cut down my list soon.”

He picked up offers in the past couple of days from UNLV, California and Wake Forest, adding to a collection that also includes Harvard, Georgia Tech, Washington State, USC, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Maryland, Gonzaga and Arizona State. Edosomwan, who ranks No. 68 in CBSSports.com's Top 100 and also holds a 3.4 GPA, has strong interest from UCLA, Texas, Vanderbilt, Washington and Virginia Tech.

While Edosomwan has taken visits to UCLA and USC, he is not ready to make a decision about his future just yet.

“I’m going to enjoy the visits and the whole process,” he said.

Edosomwan has certainly earned a break.

Photo: LA Daily News

By Jeff Borzello

After playing alongside incoming Arizona freshman Nick Johnson last year, Nigel Williams-Goss knows his time to shine is coming up.

“We’ve had great players in the past, and I think I played well last year,” Williams-Goss said. “I wouldn’t say I was overshadowed. I’ll have my chance this year.”

Williams-Goss, a 6-foot-2 guard from Findlay Prep (Nev.), committed to UNLV last December, but decided to open up his recruitment after head coach Lon Kruger left the desert to go to Oklahoma.

With Dave Rice coming on board, Williams-Goss said the Runnin’ Rebels are still under consideration.

“They’re definitely in there,” he said.

The talented lead guard has good size for his position and is also adept at finding teammates in areas where they can score. He has good basketball IQ for someone his age, and uses his strength to finish through contact at the rim.

Williams-Goss ranked No. 48 in CBSSports.com’s 2013 rankings, but he is sure to move up when they are updated in August.

“I’ve been playing pretty good, but there’s always room for improvement,” he said.

In addition to UNLV, Williams-Goss said Washington is also in heavy pursuit. He is hearing from Oklahoma, Miami (Fl.), Georgia Tech, Harvard, Saint Mary’s and the entire Pac-12 besides California and Stanford.

Williams-Goss will likely take his time with his second college decision.

“Definitely, I have to be there for four years,” he said.

Photo: MaxPreps