- 7 De’Aaron Fox: Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville or LSU
- 13 T.J. Leaf: Oregon, San Diego State or UCLA
- 4 and North Carolina State Commit Dennis Smith Jr. and International Recruit Thon Maker Join the Show
- ESPN.com’s Recruiting Nation Provides Coverage All Week
ESPNU will televise the college announcements of two ESPN 100 top 15 college basketball recruits — No. 7 De’Aaron Fox (Cypress Lakes High School, Texas) and No. 13 T.J. Leaf (Foothills Christian High School, Calif.) — during a one-hour ESPN Recruiting Nation: Basketball Signing Day Special on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. ET. Fox, a 6’3’’ point guard, is expected to choose among Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, and LSU. Leaf, a 6’9’’ power forward, is expected to choose among Oregon, San Diego State and UCLA.
Point guard Dennis Smith, Jr. (Trinity Christian School, N.C.), No.4 in the ESPN 100 and a North Carolina State commitment, and center Thon Maker (Ontario, Canada), the former No. 1 in the ESPN 60 and who remains uncommitted, will also join the show. Now an international recruit, Maker is not eligible to be ranked on the ESPN 100. Additionally, he is not expected to make his college announcement on the special. Matt Schick will host and be joined by national recruiting director Paul Biancardi.
Schick and Biancardi will also look at various schools’ recruiting classes to date and project on the 2016-17 freshmen class
Biancardi on Fox
“With the ball in his hand, Fox has blazing speed with the ability to put pressure on opponents. Over the summer, Fox found the balance between scoring and distributing, elevating his performance to an elite level. More impressively, he then separated himself with his defensive prowess. Because of his outstanding play on both sides of the ball, he ascended into the ESPN 100 top 10 as the no.7 overall player and the nation’s second ranked guard.”
Biancardi on Leaf
“Leaf is a highly skilled power forward with finishing ability in the paint, using his soft touch at the rim, making him a major scoring threat in the paint and from the high post taking his defender off the bounce. He is also a very underrated passer. As a result, his versatility and skills make him a matchup headache for opponents.”
ESPN.com Recruiting Nation
ESPN’s online destination for college basketball recruiting news will have comprehensive coverage this week. Highlights:
- Tuesday, November 10
- Class rankings expanded from top 20 to top 40 teams
- Jeff Borzello and Adam Finkelstein: Five points of debate for the early signing period
- Wednesday, November 11
- Biancardi with a Kentucky head coach John Calipari question and answer
- Thursday, November 12
- Fox and Leaf: News and reaction
- Class rankings updated in real time
- Borzello conducts live chat on @ESPNRNHoops at 7 p.m.
- Friday, November 13
- A look at the uncommitted players outside the ESPN 100
-30-
Media contact: Derek Volner at 860-384-9986; Derek.Volner@ESPN.com and @DerekVolner
Recent Comments