I Bleed Blue and White

Adam Zagoria updates the recruitment of 2010 prospect JayVaughn Pinkston, who had an in-home visit from Jay Wright on Tuesday. According to Zagoria, the visit went great, and the Wildcats have now have put themselves in the lead for the 6′6″ forward from New York.

“[Coach Wright] talked about how Jay would fit in and what they’re doing. He talked about the success he’s had with guys from New York City, Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter, Jason Fraser, and now with Corey Fisher and Antonio Pena.

“He talked about how at a place like Villanova it’s important how well they do academically. A kid like Curtis Sumpter was a future NBA first round pick and then had two torn ACLs. Now he’s an average player overseas but he has his Masters degree and has a  future in the finance world. You can’t say that would’ve happened at other schools.

Pinkston is also due to have in-homes with Seton Hall and Marquette next week, but at this point it looks like Villanova has thrown itself out in front.

…Interesting, I was convinced they were taking a wait-and-see on Pinkston until Mike Gilchrist decided…but maybe they are ramping up the pressure…I said it in a previous post but Pinkston strikes me as a Reggie Redding type…more of an inside game for now but his ball-handling is pretty decent for a guy his size and with some work he could definitely be a perimeter player with an inside game…

I was just reading NBE’s latest Big East Recruiting Notebook and there was some curious news about 2010 commit Markus Kennedy nestled in there. According to NBE, Kennedy is expected to come back from injury and get back to playing hoops soon.

“Winchendon’s Markus Kennedy (6-9 C/Yeadon, Pa.) is supposed to come off crutches today and hopes to be back on the floor shortly. Staff from Villanova are expected in to visit him again this week.”

I had no idea he was hurt, much less on crutches. That’s a little concerning, although it may have just been an oversight on my part. But in either case, it sounds like he is nearly healthy again and should get back on the court in short order.

…If you read NBE’s report start-to-finish you’ll also notice they mention that ‘Nova has had some contact with 2011 SF Angel Nunez from The Bronx…probably a backup plan to Mike Gilchrist for now, but it’s good to see the staff continue to be thorough in recruiting…

ZagsBlog is reporting that Villanova is one of 8 in-home visits that Cory Joseph has on the docket in the next few weeks. According to Zagoria, Jay Wright and staff will be in to see him sometime next week.

Joseph is a 2010 combo guard. Villanova’s 2010 class already has James Bell and Markus Kennedy in the fold.

…I like it, but I’m still kind of torn on what is happening with our recruiting…Joseph is a great, great player and as a guy who can play the point and the wing, he’s got a lot of value…so I guess if he wants to come, you celebrate…but how does that affect 2011, or even James Bell for that matter?…

…A lot of this depends on what happens with Corey Fisher I suppose…

…Oh the problems of a well-established program…

Clever title, I know.

In a report to North Star BBall, Alex Schwartz discusses the consensus #1 prospect in 2011, Michael Gilchrist. The article talks about Gilchrist’s game, his accomplishments, and his modesty through it all.

Gilchrist has been considered the top basketball prospect in the country since last year, regardless of age, and while many have predicted that he’ll end up with John Calipari at Kentucky, that’s not written in stone just yet.

“It’s a foregone conclusion that he will be a Wildcat one day, right? Yes, pretty much. Yet, it might be that he ends up as a Villanova Wildcat. Two well-informed independent sources with knowledge of the situation have told me that it is their opinion that, at the end of the day, Michael Gilchrist will be going to VU and not UK. While they are not citing any specific knowledge of this and are not saying it’s a done deal, they are commenting that they think “Gilly” will choose to stay closer to home and go to the surging Big East power. It it nearly a definite yes that Michael Gilchrist will be a Wildcat, but the question is this: What type of Wildcat will the world’s best prospect be?”

We’ve been hearing for months and months now that it’s Kentucky and Villanova for Gilchrist. What will he do? He doesn’t strike me as the Derrick Rose type of kid that wants to be pushed right to the NBA while World Wide Wes puts cash in his family and friend’s pockets. Gilchrist has his head on straight and in more than one interview has been described as shy even.

…A commenter yesterday basically gave up on Gilchrist in a ‘Nova uni…I say we still have a big chance…

Jeff Borzello of the NBE Basketball Report brings us the latest update on 2011 prospect Sterling Gibbs and it appears that Villanova is continuing to fade with the guard. Gibbs is taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to Villanova, citing he needs to see what they do in 2010 if they are to remain an option.

“Villanova is in the mix,” he said. “I am looking to see what they end up doing as far as the 2010 class. Right now I don’t have any favorites,” he added. “All of the schools are equal right now.”

This shouldn’t come as any shock considering Jay Wright and his staff have stepped up their efforts to woo 2010 combo guard Cory Joseph. While that may not work out for ‘Nova in the end, it’s a safe bet to say the ship has probably sailed with Gibbs.

…To me, Gibbs is probably the guy who goes to Seton Hall or Pittsburgh and ends up killing us for 4 years…

There’s a new name on the recruiting map for Villanova, and from the sound of it, he’s still a little unknown at this point. Bill Kipouras of The Salem News pens an article on 2011 G Michael Carter-Williams from Hamilton, Rhode Island, and it’s all good news for Villanova fans. Carter-Williams is receiving attention from all around the country, but one school currently stands out to the 6′4″ prospect. According to Kipouras, it’s Villanova.

“Jay Wright is the Villanova coach, and Michael likes the way he coaches and treats his players,” said his mother. “Academically, it’s a great school. Michael’s only seen Villanova on TV, but he’s read up on the school, and he loves the graduation ratio there.”

Carter-Williams has never visited Villanova’s campus, but will be making an unofficial visit shortly.

…’He’s only seen them on TV’…that is right along the lines of what we’ve discussed all offseason and how the national exposure was going to pay big dividends in the next few recruiting cycles…

…I like the description of the kid, and he sounds like exactly the type of player that would thrive in Wright’s system…but he’s still just getting on the radar so right now he’s probably not at the top of the board, but definitely a kid to keep an eye on…the only thing that concerns me is how his mother says he wants to commit by November…

Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog just twittered that 2010 PG Cory Joseph will be making two visits this weekend. The first will be on Saturday to Villanova before making the trip up to UConn on Sunday.

Joseph, who plays for Findlay Prep in Nevada, is ranked the 7th best player in 2010 by Rivals, and is currently on the East Coast for the Boost Mobile event being held in New York City.

…Great to see he is stopping by for an unofficial while he’s out East…we’ve mentioned before that 2010 recruiting is likely closed up save any defections, but of course the door has to be left open in case there are any early NBA-entrants (i.e. Corey Fisher)…

…That would leave a hole in the backcourt, which is an area that somebody like Kyrie Irving or Cory Joseph could fill…so if Joseph is squeezing in a visit, his interest in ‘Nova has to be real…

Things keep getting better and better in the Tony Wroten recruitment. ZagsBlog chatted with him yesterday at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game at Madison Square Garden. Wroten talked about his recruitment, and about how he loves the Big East style of play in general. But right now, he revealed two schools were at the top when asked if he had any favorites.

“‘Nova and Syracuse, they’re the top two,” he said.

Wroten added that he likes “Villanova’s guard play and how they get after it.” Wroten had planned on visiting both UConn and Villanova on his trip to the east coast, but couldn’t find the time. Wroten also added he will be trimming his list of schools down as he starts to plan visits.

…Obviously a long way to go in this one but after reading his comments about ‘Nova, you can’t help but get excited…

We just made our first post on 2011 SG Achraft Yacoubou yesterday, and now Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog comes through with another update about the Long Island product. According to Zagoria, Yacoubou named his Top 3 schools via a phone conversation.

“My top three is UConn, Villanova and Kentucky. They are showing me the most love equally,” he said Monday by phone.

Zagoria goes on to say that when he saw Yacoubou play this past season vs. Dominic Cheek and his St. Anthony’s squad that Yacoubou was the most impressive player on the floor, netting 23 points in Lutheran’s upset victory.

…If you go back and read about Yacoubou’s performance against St. Anthony’s, you’ll see that Zagoria mentions that UConn was solely at the top for him…fast forward 6 months and now there’s a 3-way tie at the top…2011 has the potential to be a haul similar to (or possibly bigger than) the recently enrolled Class of 2009…

Jeff Borzello of NBE Basketball Report gives everyone an introduction to Class of 2011 SG Achraf Yacoubou. As Borzello says, it’s odd that there is little to no information out their for the Top-40 prospect.

Yacoubou has been offered by a host of schools from around the country, including Big East stalwarts UConn, Pittsburgh, and Villanova. Despite a recent ankle injury that has slowed him down, Yacoubou raised some eyebrows this past spring and summer when he played at several tournaments around the country. Yacoubou cited his shooting ability and defense as his biggest strengths, while admitting his ball-handling needs the most work.

When asked what he’s looking for in a school, Yacoubou had this to say:

“I’m looking for a place when I can really learn,” said Yacoubou, who wants to get a business degree. “I want a big campus and a team that can get me to the next level. I mostly like the Big East and the ACC,” he said. “The Big East is a tough conference and very competitive. And the ACC is the same thing, just a little more up-tempo.”

Yacoubou is planning 3 visits before the upcoming school year, to Villanova, UConn, and Kentucky. He has already been to see both ‘Nova and UConn before.

…I’d never even heard his name before this article from NBE…but he sounds and looks like a similar player to Trevor Cooney…if they both have offers, it could be that the staff would take whichever wanted to come first to fill that shooter role in 2011…