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Friday, July 11, 2008
South Atlanta basketball star Favors embarks on recruiting tour
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Like most of the top basketball recruits in the state, South Atlanta center Derrick Favors will travel around the country this month playing in front of hundreds of college coaches.
College coaches are allowed by the NCAA to watch players during a July evaluation period.
South Atlanta coach Michael Reddick said as soon as he can catch up with Favors, his 6-foot-9 All-American center, they will sit down to begin trimming his list of potential colleges. Reddick said they likely will trim to at least six schools before classes begin on Aug. 11.
He said that Georgia and Georgia Tech are still in the hunt for Favors, who averaged 23.7 points, 17.1 rebounds and 9.1 blocked shots last season.
“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” Reddick said. “We haven’t eliminated anybody so far.”
Favors is not the only top undecided player in the state. Between AAU tournaments and summer camps, we caught up with some of the area’s top prospects:
•Fayette County guard/forward Noel Johnson has Georgia Tech very high on his list, according to his father, Cheese Johnson, a former professional player.
In addition to the Yellow Jackets, the 6-foot-7 Johnson also is interested in Southern Cal, Louisville, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Cheese Johnson said they will narrow the list by the end of the summer.
“They are all kind of [in the running] right now,” Cheese Johnson said. “We like the way all those coaches have developed players. Location is not a problem. I went from growing up in New York to playing college ball in Kansas.”
•Miller Grove point guard Mfon Udofia said he probably will trim his list on July 22. The 6-foot-3 Udofia is rated the No. 30 prospect in the country by Rivals.com and the No. 5 point guard.
He said he is interested in Georgia Tech, Florida, Wake Forest, Texas and Virginia. He said Georgia backed off because it had enough point guards, but that he would listen if the Bulldogs called.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: After committing to play at Ohio State, McEachern junior guard Trae Golden has decided to re-open the recruiting process this summer.
Last week, he backed off the commitment and informed Buckeyes coach Thad Matta of his decision.
“I just want to see what else is out there,” Golden said. “I keep hearing the recruiting process is crazy.”
Ohio State, Florida, Georgia and Georgia Tech are under consideration. Although North Carolina and UCLA haven’t offered, Golden said he has talked with the schools and would be interested.
CHASING ANOTHER RING: Norcross senior Taariq Muhammad said he was happy with the school promoting assistant coach Jesse McMillan to the head coaching position after Eddie Martin left to coach at GAC.
“It makes for a smooth transition,” said Muhammad, a heavily recruited point guard on two of the school’s last three championship teams. “We are just going to stay consistent and do what we have to do.”
Muhammad is trying to trim his college choices between Auburn, South Carolina, Miami, Oregon, Southern Cal, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Penn State, Minnesota and Tennessee.
FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ONLY: Football season is around the corner, but basketball is a year-round sport. What player or team impressed you the most during the summer leagues? What player or team is poised for a real big year?
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