COOK/WELLS: Texas hands out new hoops offers over the weekend
By: Campbell Hoops
With the college basketball season over for several weeks now, the focus of college coaches shifts entirely to recruiting as the live evaluation period gets underway. Texas coach Shaka Smart and his staff have wasted no time making their presence felt on the trail. For the second weekend in a row, Shaka and his staff were courtside to watch the best players in the country compete in Session II of the Nike EYBL circuit in Indianapolis, IN.
Where else can we start than perhaps the most important recruit for this cycle in Oak Hill PG Matt Coleman (team name: Boo Williams) who was offered by UT days after Smart took the Texas job. Coleman was his team’s leading scorer in every game this weekend while averaging around three assists per contest. His offensive game consists more of a mid-range/driving to the bucket game than a true shooter a la Trae Young. The fact he was his team’s leading scorer with so few assists per game as a pass-first PG could be cause for concern, but if his team could hit the open shots Coleman provided them, his stats would be that much better and Boo Williams could be looking at a winning record after Session II, instead of sitting at 3-4. Moreover, Coleman’s best attribute is his quickness and length. He’s easily the fastest PG in the country and he knows how and when to go from a standstill to full sprint, and back to a standstill on a dime. Add in the fact that he’s a willing defender with his 6-foot-7 wingspan and you have a guy that would be hellish in Smart’s system. He’s certainly in the argument for the best PG in the country.
Jordan Goodwin. (prephoops.com)
One recent Texas offer I’d like to touch on quickly is SG Jordan Goodwin (St. Louis Eagles) who continues to blow up on the EYBL circuit. He capped off another strong session with two of the best games of any player in Indianapolis. Last night, in an OT loss to the New York Rens, the 6-foot-4 Goodwin had a monster 25 points (10-18) and 18 boards. Then to finish off his strong showing in Indy, Goodwin capped off his weekend with 20 points, 14 boards, and 4 assists in a 76-51 win over BABC (Boston, MA). This guy is quickly becoming one of the best players in the country. Plays with a motor and toughness that rivals that of Marcus Smart who is actually an apt comparison for Goodwin.
The 6-foot-6 wing, Charles O’Bannon (Las Vegas Prospects), is a name that Texas fans should be familiar with by now as he has held a Texas offer for some time now and is widely considered to be one of the best wings in the country. O’Bannon isn’t necessarily a guy that will do a ton of ball handling in college, but he is an elite off-the-ball wing. On a loaded Las Vegas Prospects team, O’Bannon is their go-to guy and for good reason. Yesterday against the undefeated PSA Cardinals (NY), the Prospects came up short, but O’Bannon was arguably the best player on the court. He finished with 26 points (8-8 FT). He also finished the session with 25 points (6-10 from three) against the Alabama Challenge.
There are few players helping their case more than Team Penny Combo Forward PJ Washington. Listed at 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, he’s actually stated that he’s now 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, and he looks every bit of it. He’s as physically ready to play in college as anyone in the country. His last two games in Indy go as follows: 21 points (9-11 FG) and 10 boards, and 30 points and 15 boards in a game where he was tasked with guarding 5-star PF Marvin Bagley III, and boy was he up for the challenge. Washington, who I liken to a more polished Damion James, can score from anywhere and he’s averaging a double-double so far on the EYBL circuit. He’s making a strong push for the Top 10 as he’s currently 6th in scoring in the EYBL.
Jarred Vanderbilt. (courtesy of VYPE)
- 5-star Wing Jarred Vanderbilt of Houston Hoops has been great at times this summer, but he’s also struggled this weekend. Style-wise, this Lamar Odom-like player is perfect for Shaka’s system. He has all the talent in the world, but a motor that is either running at full throttle or not at all. I watched him score 22 points and pull down 15 boards in one game, only to follow that up with an abysmal 9-point, 6-board effort where he shot around 25% from the field. Not sure what to make of him yet, but he does indeed have a ton of talent.
Lastly, while I watched Vanderbilt and waited for the light to come on, I was consistently more impressed with his Houston Hoops teammate Royce Hamm. Hamm is a 6-foot-8, 210-pound bouncy PF with a developing outside game. While I doubt he will ever be the true scoring threat Vanderbilt can be, he affects the game in so many more ways than Vanderbilt because of his impressive motor. While his offensive game is still developing, he does have a decent offensive skillset with nice touch and good rotation on his jumper so the shot will eventually come around. With a few years under Smart, this is a guy who could be an all-conference player by the time he’s done at Texas.