Border War moves to Southern front as old rivals chase same recruit in South Carolina
Julian Phillips, a small-forward basketball star from Blythewood High School in Blythewood, South Carolina, has received scholarship offers from both Kansas and Missouri, he reported via Twitter.
Phillips, the No. 51-rated player in the recruiting class of 2022, according to Rivals.com, also reported receiving scholarship offers Monday from Arizona State, Florida, LSU, Texas Tech and Xavier.
Monday was the first day college coaches could initiate contact with players in the class of 2022. He’s also heard from Wichita State, Oklahoma State, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Mississippi, Wake Forest, DePaul, Nebraska, Texas A&M and others.
“I think I am a versatile four (small forward) because I’m a good rebounder,” the a 6-foot-7 junior-to-be told 247sports.com. “I’m a good shot-blocker. I can score, get to the basket anytime that I want. I can knock down free throws, and when I’m at my best I’m getting my team involved and just making sure that we get the win.”
Phillips moved from Texas to South Carolina when he was in grade school.
Of Phillips, Blythewood coach Zeke Washington said: “Julian is a relentless competitor who hates to lose. His uncanny athleticism, length, ball skills and unselfish nature allow him to be a matchup nightmare.”
Phillips is in no hurry to pick a school as two old Border War combatants — and others — make a run for his services post-graduation.
“I guess the next step is waiting to see when I can go visit schools for unofficial visits right now since it’s still early,” he told Rivals.com. “Whenever the quarantine and virus is over I’ll start back talking with some of the other schools and see when I can go there.”
KU pursues Roddy Gayle
Roddy Gayle, a 6-4 junior-to-be shooting guard from Lewiston-Porter High in Youngstown, New York, received calls or texts Monday from coaches from KU, UConn, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Ohio State, Syracuse, Penn, Bryant, Georgia, Louisville, Oklahoma, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Alabama and Rutgers, he told Stockrisers.com.
Gayle is ranked No. 52 in the recruiting class of 2022 by Rivals.com.
“He just wants to get better,” Lewiston-Porter coach Matt Bradshaw said of Gayle in an interview with the Buffalo News. “I think he knows he has a future in this game if he continues to work.
“Those coaches coming are just a result of his hard work. He keeps setting a higher standard for himself. He’s a four-star, he wants to be a five-star. He wants to be looked at by the U.S.A. (Basketball) developmental team. He has personal goals that keep him motivated, not just the offers.
“Roddy is a rare kid and I just don’t mean that athletically,” Bradshaw added. “He’s gifted. He’s a smart kid. He’s a well-mannered kid. He’s got the whole package and that’s what a lot of people see in him also when he plays his AAU games, how unselfish he is.”
Smith contacted by KU
Colin Smith, a 6-foot-7 junior-to-be small forward from St. Mark’s High in Dallas, was pleased to receive a recruiting call from Kansas’ Bill Self Monday.
“He was just calling in just to let me know that he is heavily interested in me,” Smith told Zagsblog.com Tuesday.
“We were just talking about everything that’s going on in the world and he asked me how I’ve developed as a player over the break. We just started talking about what’s going on at Kansas and that was about it.”
Smith — he was offered a scholarship by KU in October 2019 — was offered by Texas Tech Monday. He also heard from coaches from Auburn, Memphis, Michigan, Florida State, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Texas Tech, Baylor, Arkansas, BYU, Texas, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Miami, Purdue, Columbia, USC, Butler, UCLA and Stanford.
“The fanbase is crazy (at KU). I haven’t been down there to check out the school or any games, but I know the atmosphere there is pretty good,” Smith told Zagsblog.com. “They’re pretty good at developing players and getting players to the league (NBA), so that’s definitely a good-looking school.”
Taylor, Tharpe to play for OSU in TBT
Former KU guards Tyshawn Taylor and Naadir Tharpe have been added to the TBT roster of the Stillwater Stars, a team of former Oklahoma State players.
KU, which had an alumni team in the TBT last season, losing in the first round, did not organize a team for the event this year.
The tourney will be held July 4-14 in Columbus, Ohio, with all games televised on ESPN’s networks. This year’s tourney will consist of 24 teams.
The Stillwater Stars are seeded 21st. Former Cowboys on the team include Le’Bryan Nash, Markel Brown, Jeffrey Carroll, Thomas Dziagwa, Lindy Waters and Phil Forte.
Vitale picks Gonzaga No. 1
ESPN’s Dick Vitale chose Gonzaga as his preseason No. 1 team in the country Tuesday.
“My pre season # 1 @ZagMBB GONZAGA is going to give future Hall of Famer Mark Few a milestone W as his next W will be win 600 . Trust me many more will come !” Vitale wrote on Twitter.
KU No. 7 in ESPN preseason poll
KU has dropped a spot from No. 6 to No. 7 in the preseason poll kept and updated by ESPN.com’s Jeff Borzello.
Gonzaga kept its No. 1 spot, followed by Villanova, Baylor, Virginia, Iowa, Wisconsin, KU, Michigan State, Duke, Tennessee, Kentucky, Creighton, Texas Tech, North Carolina, Arizona State, Oregon, West Virginia, Texas, Stanford, Ohio State, Florida State, Rutgers, Houston, Florida and Arkansas.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 11:08 AM.
