This week in Mizzou recruiting: A Q&A with E.J. Liddell, Malik Hall to cut list
So it was a bit of a slow week recruiting-wise, compared to past weeks. No commitments, but list cut season rolled through.
Liddell cuts things down
Missouri’s top 2019 basketball target, E.J. Liddell, cut his list to five schools on Monday and the Tigers made the cut along with Ohio State, Illinois, Kansas State and Wisconsin.
He plans to take an official visit to Ohio State on Aug. 31, Missouri on Sept. 8, Kansas State on Sept. 28, Wisconsin on Oct. 6 and Illinois on Oct. 12.
Liddell responded to a text message Tuesday to talk about his recruitment, but I was in the middle of the best bowling game of my life.
I bowled a 177, with four consecutive strikes, seven overall, and led my team to victory. Liddell understood the situation, so we touched base on Wednesday.
Here’s an abbreviated version of the conversation, in which we recap his summer and get into recruiting.
You were at the Nike Skills Academy in Los Angeles the past weekend, what was that experience like?
“It was fun to be out there. Nice warm weather, not too hot. It was very nice. All the top guys in the nation, got to compete against them, got to meet a lot of NBA franchise players.”
Who were some of the NBA players you met and what was their message?
“LeBron James was in there, he was talking about how he came from nothing and he was still able to achieve everything. Paul George, Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, they all kept it short and sweet and said if you can separate yourself from the rest of the group you’ll succeed.”
What did you think of your last AAU season with Bradley Beal Elite and was there anything you did better in that may have been lacking during your high school season?
“It went by fast. I thought I finished it well. Had a great Peach Jam. Played great in Vegas and tried to win as many games as possible. I took a bigger leadership role since I was a veteran. Guys on the team hadn’t been there before and this was their first year on the circuit. So I stepped up as a leader and I felt like I rebounded very well.”
Anything you’re really putting an emphasis on with your last high school season?
“My body. I need to get my body a lot more in shape and my ball skills down pact. I can handle the ball but I want to be very smooth to where I can play any position on the court.”
On Sunday you said your top five was coming that night. Then you postponed it and said it would be a top six. On Monday you said right before the announcement that you were going to stay at five. What was your thinking Sunday going into Monday?
“It was hard to narrow it down because a lot of coaches have been recruiting me for a long time. It was just, I had a different thought and my parents talked it over. And they were like, if you want to keep it five, keep it five because only one school is going to be happy at the end of this.”
Wisconsin is one of your finalists and they only offered you last month. What did they do to establish themselves so quickly with you?
“Their honesty. They were really honest with me. They said I was behind some recruits because a couple of guys bounced on them and they also have three forwards leaving after this year and that’s a great opportunity for playing time.”
Your first official visit is to Ohio State at the end of the month. They already have five-star Alonzo Gaffney committed. You two are similar players. How are they selling you on being able to coexist with him?
“They’ve been saying how we’d fit in great together. I compliment him because I post up easy and he needs to get better at posting up and he compliments me because he can shoot and I need to be able to be able to closer to shoot and get better at dribbling. That’s what they’ve been telling me.”
Illinois and Missouri have been at you since the beginning. What’s your take on both programs?
“(Illinois has) been at me for a while. I’ve known Jamall Walker for a long time and I love their fanbase and their offense. That would be a good fit for me because I’d be positionless.
“Coach Cuonzo has been recruiting me ever since he got to Mizzou and when he was at California he checked out a couple of my games. He’s been there for me a long time. He and Coach Hollender text and call me all the time and it’s not just about basketball but a person. I like Missouri’s program.”
When I saw you at Peach Jam and Mario McKinney told us you two were planning on playing together, he seemed adamant about it while you were a bit more cautious with it. What’s your stance on it?
“It would be great to play with Mario. We have to go where it fits the both of us. We can’t force anything. With us being best friends, we want to play with each other, but we have to think about what’s best for the both of us.”
When do you plan to decide by?
“I don’t know when I plan to decide. Hopefully I’ll be ready to make a decision by the start of my season.”
My thoughts are that this is a two-way battle between Missouri and Ohio State. But watch out for Wisconsin. Liddell is nowhere near making a decision. If he comes out of the Ohio State visit uncommitted, that’s good news for Missouri, but I’m not even sure he would commit while there.
Both of Liddell’s parents played college sports and they know the process. I think they want him to take all five visits and enjoy the process before having to make a decision. But they’ll defer to him.
Malik Hall to cut to five
Sunrise Christian Academy star Malik Hall tweeted that he will announce his five finalists this weekend.
Hall had a breakout AAU season and holds offers from essentially every school in the country.
Picking a top five for Hall is very hard, but I expect Purdue and Oregon to absolutely be on the list. He just visited Michigan State and I think the Spartans make the cut as well.
As for the last two spots? Definitely not Kansas. He said at the Peach Jam that the Jayhawks haven’t reached out much.
I think Missouri is a candidate to make the cut, as is Oklahoma. But there is still competition. He has a Villanova offer and he’s built for Jay Wright’s system.
Going out on a limb, I think Missouri makes the cut. I can’t really say more than that. We’ll go into his final five in next week’s edition.