Amelia Rayno blog: Three recruits to visit Minnesota on Friday ... and other notes

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3 recruits on official visits Friday, Sept. 7 pp(link)

"Coach Tubby Smith is still planning on hosting Whitmer High School (Ohio) forward Nigel Hayes, Findlay Prep High School (Nev.) forward Gavin Schilling and Coral Reef High School guard (Fla.) Cedric Hankerson on Friday. They will tour the campus and attend Saturday’s football home opener against New Hampshire at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota is looking to get its first oral commitment in the 2013 class.

The 6-7 Hayes is the most highly regarded prospect of the visiting players. He also has scholarship offers from Ohio State, Stanford and Wisconsin. The 6-9 Schilling has offers from schools such as Illinois, Vanderbilt and Southern California.

Hankerson, who has only one other major conference offer from Virginia Tech, told GopherIllustrated.com that he might give an oral commitment to the Gophers if he enjoys his visit.
"
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers...-of-the-running-for-states-top-2013-prospect/
 

Nigel Hayes - F (2013) updated June 4 2012(link)

"Nigel Hayes is the younger brother of an Ohio State football commit who has been tearing up the basketball court so far this spring. Toledo is typically a Buckeye stronghold when it comes to big-time recruits, but Wisconsin upped the ante in May, following in the footsteps of early offers from Cincinnati, Dayton, and Xavier. Hayes claims Wisconsin is recruiting him the hardest (as of late July) and also sticking out to him the most, along with Stanford and some powerful Ohio programs who are coming on strong. Unfortunately for Badger fans though, Ohio State was the latest program to offer Hayes, just before the calendar flipped to August. Some think he's an automatic commit for the Buckeyes, but as of now Hayes will still take his visits to his top schools.
"
http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/pages/nigel-hayes
 

Q&A: Florida Guard Cedric Hankerson (GH 08-13-2012)

Q&A: Florida Guard Cedric Hankerson Has Gophers Offer and U Visit Upcoming
Florida Guard Cedric Hankerson Has Gophers Offer and U Visit Upcoming
By Chris Monter

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_artic...rrer_id=331171


Cedric Hankerson, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard from Miami (FL) Coral Reef, averaged 22.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per game as a junior and shot 43% from the field, 29% from three-point range and 77% from the line. The Barracudas finished 20-7, losing to Miami Columbus 75-69 in the state playoffs. Hankerson, who is also an excellent student, has received interest from several top programs, including Minnesota and plans to visit Dinkytown next month.

GopherHole.com recently caught up with Hankerson and his Gold Coast AAU coach Jarrod Lazurus to learn the latest on his recruitment.

Hankerson played alongside Ransom Everglades guard Sam Singer in the backcourt for the Gold Coast AAU program this spring and summer. Minnesota had offered Singer, but he recently released a list of his top eleven schools and he did not include the Gophers.

Hankerson is the younger brother of former Alabama guard Charles Hankerson, who transferred to Wyoming after the 2011-12 season. His father, Charles Sr, played basketball at Hampton and is second all-time in assists in school history and helped coach the Gold Coast program.

Lazurus said that Hankerson is hearing from a strong list of schools.

“Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Boston University, Tulane and Wyoming, said Lazurus. “Hankerson is very good in the class room. He is a high academic student-athlete, so academics are going to play a big part.”

Gopher Hole: What is the latest on schools you are hearing from right now?

Cedric Hankerson: I’ve gotten offers from Minnesota. I picked up that new offer. I am planning on visiting Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Boston University, Tulane and some of the Ivy Leagues (Penn, Yale, Brown and Harvard). I received interest from Marquette, Oklahoma State, Boston College and some others. It is going pretty well.

Gopher Hole: That has to make you feel pretty proud.

Cedric Hankerson: Yes. I am extremely excited.

Gopher Hole: When did you first start hearing from the Gophers?

Cedric Hankerson: As soon as I got back, they offered me a scholarship, so I was extremely excited.

Gopher Hole: Had you heard much from them before that?

Cedric Hankerson: I was in contact with the assistant coach (Coach Ron Jirsa) before I got back and I talked to him when I got back and he told me that they really enjoyed watching me and I talked to Tubby Smith and they said that they would offer me a scholarship.

Gopher Hole: What do you know about Minnesota?

Cedric Hankerson: I know that it has a very good business program, the Carlson Business school. I want to major in the business area, so that is why they are pretty high on my list.

Gopher Hole: Have you set up any dates for your visits yet?

Cedric Hankerson: So far, I am visiting Minnesota the weekend of September 7th. I am visiting Boston University the weekend of September 14th and then Virginia Tech the weekend of September 21st.

Gopher Hole: What is going to be the main thing that is going to make you pick School A over School B or C?

Cedric Hankerson: How I enjoy the environment of the school, really and how the academics really connect with me. It is really whether I get a good feeling for the atmosphere and the environment of the school.

Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from Wyoming? Your brother will sit out the season at Wyoming after transferring from Alabama.

Cedric Hankerson: Yes. They are still looking at me pretty hard. They are one of the schools that I might visit after the three that I already have confirmed.

Gopher Hole: How does your brother like it so far?

Cedric Hankerson: He says he loves it. Great people. Great environment. He is really enjoying himself.

Gopher Hole: It sounds like from the schools that you are thinking about visiting that being close to home is not a big factor. Is that pretty accurate?

Cedric Hankerson: Yes. Not at all. I am just going to take the best opportunity for me. The opportunity that I feel most comfortable.

Gopher Hole: What things have you been really working on to continue yourself as a player?

Cedric Hankerson: My pull-up game. My pull-up game right now is good, but I want to get it to the next level.

Gopher Hole: How about your high school team? How did you do last year and what are the expectations for the upcoming season?

Cedric Hankerson: Last year, we won districts for only the second time in school’s history. Since my brother won a state championship three years, I want to get one before I leave.

Gopher Hole: Have you talked to your brother about the possibility of playing together?

Cedric Hankerson: We have always wanted to play together, but my thoughts are up in the air right now.

Gopher Hole: Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet?

Cedric Hankerson: I took both. I got a 25 on the ACT and on the SAT, I got a 1750.

Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a player?

Cedric Hankerson: My first step. My quickness. My ability to get to the basket and get my teammates involved.
http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/bo...kerson-Has-Gophers-Offer-and-U-Visit-Upcoming
 

Gavin Schilling July 12, 2012 (link)

""I met the coaches at a (AAU) tournament in Oakland," said Schilling, who spent his freshman year at Loyola before attending an elite school in Germany as a sophomore. "They liked the way I played. They called me the next week and gave me an offer. It was something I really couldn't pass on."

Schilling, who has about 15 scholarship offers, is the second Division I prospect to leave De La Salle in the last few weeks and the third in the last two summers.
"
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-delasalle-schilling-transfer,0,4302522.story
 


Jon said:
"Nigel Hayes is the younger brother of an Ohio State football commit who has been tearing up the basketball court so far this spring. Toledo is typically a Buckeye stronghold when it comes to big-time recruits, but Wisconsin upped the ante in May, following in the footsteps of early offers from Cincinnati, Dayton, and Xavier. Hayes claims Wisconsin is recruiting him the hardest (as of late July) and also sticking out to him the most, along with Stanford and some powerful Ohio programs who are coming on strong. Unfortunately for Badger fans though, Ohio State was the latest program to offer Hayes, just before the calendar flipped to August. Some think he's an automatic commit for the Buckeyes, but as of now Hayes will still take his visits to his top schools.
"
http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/pages/nigel-hayes
Click to expand...

The bolded part is weird. Nigel Hayes' older brother is Kenny Hayes, who was on the OSU football team in 2011. He was redshirting and now he's transferring to Toledo.
 

There were a bunch of Gopher BB players at the FB game today I think I saw Hayes and his parents... Hope we have good news on Monday -- Tubby was there but all the palyers left early... I think they have seats in section 146 mid rows...
 

Trev, EE, Oto and Halverson showed up together. Only noticed because EE is so danm big.
 

Nigel has been tweeting during his entire visit, pics, little comments, etc. Nothing earth shattering but he appears to be enjoying himself.

Go Gophers!!
 



Tweet from Marcus: "Heard SG Cedric Hankerson got a scholarship offer from Oklahoma St.Wondering if that means no commitment after Gopher visit this weekend."

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Nigel has been tweeting during his entire visit, pics, little comments, etc. Nothing earth shattering but he appears to be enjoying himself.
Click to expand...


Hayes also did a lot of tweeting during his visit to Madison last weekend. He seems to enjoy keeping people updated on what he's doing, as well as re-tweeting mentions of himself. Unfortunately for UW (and Minnesota), I still believe he's headed to Ohio St. and will commit on or shortly after his official to Columbus (Oct. 6th). The best hope seems to be Ohio St. getting a commitment from another 2013 forward prior to Hayes making a decision, and Buckeyes have a few guys they are in the mix for (e.g. Kyle Washington, Jordan Mickey, Devin Williams).
 

Hayes info --RyanJames twitter. Marcus twitter

RT @RyanJamesMN Minnesota assistant Ron Jirsa and Stanford Head Coach Johnny Dawkins were in Ohio to watch PF Nigel Hayes work out today.

RT @RyanJamesMN Nigel Hayes will be taking his official visit to Stanford this coming weekend.

RT @AdamZagoria Jon Shurna, former Northwestern star, signed a 1-yr partially guaranteed deal w/ the #Knicks


From Marcus's twitter
http://twitter.com/GophersNow
 

Jon said:
RT @AdamZagoria Jon Shurna, former Northwestern star, signed a 1-yr partially guaranteed deal w/ the #Knicks
Click to expand...


Good for him. I can't see him ever playing legitimate minutes in the NBA (especially with the low release that will get eaten alive by bigger, faster defenders), but he's always seemed like the type of kid who would be incredible for a team's chemistry. I wish him the best.
 



Recruit Nigel Hayes is seeking in a school is the ability to “win multiple championships in my college career.”

And so far, he hasn’t eliminated the University of Minnesota as a provider of that goal.
After officially visiting Minnesota last weekend, Hayes – a Toledo, Ohio native -- left impressed overall.

None of the three recruits in for the weekend -- Gavin Schilling and Cedric Hankerson were the others – gave a verbal commitment, according to a source.

“I came in thinking Minnesota was a nice program,” Hayes said. “My impression was they’re nice, but my impression afterward was that they have a lot more to offer than I previously knew.”

In particular, he was interested in the Gophers’ strength and conditioning program – which focuses more on speed and power than raw heavy lifting. He like the team’s ideology about an up-tempo style of play (the Gophers haven’t always succeeded in that, but coach Tubby Smith has long stated that they want to play that way), the style that fits his skills, he says. Even though Hayes didn’t visit the Carlson School of Business, he likes the possibility (“When it’s all said and done I want to be a CEO,” he said. “I don’t know of what yet, but that’s my goal”). He said Smith had a good sense of humor. And the raised court in Williams Arena that creates so many complaints? ......... http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/169336586.html - More in the link
 

PP talks Hankerson and recruiting... (links)

“Hankerson told the Pioneer Press he’s taking his second trip to Boston University on Sept. 14. The Miami native said “anything can happen” after that as far as him making a decision. But it’s “probable” right now that he still visits Virginia Tech (Sept. 21) and Pennsylvania (Sept. 28).
“
– Next week’s official visitors scheduled right now are 6-8 forward Tory Miller from New Hampton Prep (N.H.) and 6-8 forward Alex Foster from Seton Academy (Ill.). DeLaSalle (Ill.) guard Alvin Ellis moved his visit from Sept. 21 to Sept. 28.

– The Gophers don’t have any official visitors scheduled for this week. But they are expecting to unofficially host several top local players from the 2014 and 2015 classes, including Cooper guard Rashad Vaughn, DeLaSalle forward Reid Travis, DeLaSalle guard Jarvis Johnson and Grand Rapids forward Alex Illikainen. Rice Lake (Wis.) forward Henry Ellenson, the brother of Gophers freshman Wally Ellenson, could also join that group. Apple Valley’s high profile junior guard Tyus Jones, the No. 2 player in the 2014 class, might make an unofficial trip to campus on Sept. 22, according to a 1500ESPN interview.


http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers...on-said-anything-can-happen-after-next-visit/
“Minnesota Assistant Coach Vince Taylor was in Chicago tonight getting a good look at 2015 stud PG Prentiss Nixon who plays with Ben Moore. “ from below link
http://twitter.com/GophersNow
 

Damn, we got all of the top 2014-15 recruits coming in, minus Tyus of course. Having them all in together has to be positive, they can see what kind of home town talent they could be playing with.
 

Amelia Rayno blog: Hankerson: "Minnesota definitely jumped to the top of my list."

But the highlights stuck with him: the “beautiful, beautiful, beautiful” campus; the Carlson School of Management (Hankerson wants to major in business); and his experience at TCF Bank for the Gophers football game on Saturday.

One sticking point? The weather, although it wasn’t as bad as he thought it might be, apparently holding the all-too-common perception that Minnesota is just snowy all the time.

“I thought I would be freezing because you know, Minnesota is traditionally cold,” Hankerson said. “I thought the weather would have a bad effect on me, but I really loved it. But I heard it gets like 30 below.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/169625826.html

Go Gophers!!
 

LOL @ the freezing comment. Unless he counts mid 60s as freezing, which honestly he might being from Florida. I can't blame him I guess, but man we got a perception issue with southern kids haha.
 

Down in Miami it barely even goes below 80,” said Hankerson

I'll take MN weather any day over that furnace
 

Monty519 said:
Unless he counts mid 60s as freezing, which honestly he might being from Florida.
Click to expand...

Remember when Wisconsin played Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl a few years back? The temp was in the friggin upper 40s and all the Miami players were bundled up, shivering on the bench in front of giant space heaters.
 

Gavin Schilling update (link locked)

From Rivals front page summery of locked story
"
by Ryan James
Gavin Schilling took his official visit to Minnesota last weekend and enjoyed the Twin Cities life for a few days. Schilling, now at Findlay Prep for his senior season, is expected to take his time with his recruitment and likely to play through his national schedule this winter before making a college decision. ...
"
http://minnesota.rivals.com/
 

PP Schilling (link) & Vitto Brown to Wisconsin (link)

"
“Coach (Vince) Taylor and Coach (Tubby) Smith have been recruiting me for a pretty long time,” Schilling said. “So I just said, ‘Why don’t I just go out there and visit them?’ I haven’t really been on another campus. They’re definitely a school that’s worth considering. But I really don’t have any schools in the lead.”
"
http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers...schilling-waiting-after-the-season-to-decide/

Vitto Brown to Wisconsin
http://rivals.yahoo.com/wisconsin/basketball/recruiting/commitments/2013
 



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