The Kentucky basketball team – always super-selective in its distribution of scholarship offers – has now officially joined the recruiting fray for five-star Georgia point guard Kobi Simmons. Simmons, a 6-foot-5 player for St. Francis High in Alpharetta who’s rated No. 5 nationally in the 2016 class by ESPN.com, received an offer Monday night from UK coach John Calipari, Simmons’ dad, Demond Stephens, confirmed.
» Kobi Simmons, 5-star ’16 PG, gets UK offer
Virginia has added some depth to one of its biggest need areas with a commitment from running back Tre Harbison. Harbison, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior from Crest High in Shelby, N.C., is the first running back to commit to U.Va. for its 2016 recruiting class. Harbison also has scholarship offers from South Carolina, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, N.C. State, Boston College, East Carolina, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest, according to Rivals.com.
» Tre Harbison becomes Virginia’s first running back commitment for its 2016 recruiting class
Offensive tackle Liam Smith, No. 13 in the NJ.com Top 50, has committed to Duke over finalists Rutgers, Virginia and Syracuse, he told NJ Advance Media on Monday. “I just thought Duke was the perfect fit for me,” said Smith. “It had everything that I wanted in my school — the great academics. I know I’ll get a great education there and the program is really exciting, right now.”
» Red Bank Catholic tackle Liam Smith picks Duke over Rutgers, Virginia and Syracuse
This week’s Poster of the Week winner is Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) forward Harry Giles III for the vicious dunk he threw down this past weekend at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League in Hampton, Va. Giles, who runs with the CP3 All Stars (N.C.), caught an alley-oop on the break over a defender who realized he shouldn’t have jumped much too late. The defender tried to stop the poster by pulling Giles’ arm on the way down but the damage had been done.
» Harry Giles III’s insane poster dunk at Nike EYBL highlights this week’s awards
Most of the hype surrounds Thon Maker, already touted by some as a potential NBA lottery draft pick, and Kitchener’s Jamal Murray, who scored a game-high 30 points and was named the MVP in the World Team’s 103-101 victory Saturday over the U.S. in the Nike Hoop Summit, a game that featured the best high school players in the world.
» BioSteel all-Canadian basketball game to showcase country’s top high school talent
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