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The Tucker Topics: Oct. 29

29, Oct 2014

The Tucker Topics: Oct. 29

Garrett Tucker unloads his notebook with tidbits from some of the top available prospects in the South. Which program will add Chris Clarke, a prospect heads to a school that may not exist and Central Florida decided to go big. Very big.

BIG VISITS TAKING PLACE IN THE BLUEGRASS

Plenty of recruits will be on the road taking visits this weekend, but arguably the two most important visitations will occur in the state of Kentucky at a couple of the country's top programs.

Kentucky will host former Louisville-commit Antonio Blakeney for an official visit over the weekend, and Louisville will bring in South Carolina guard P.J. Dozier, who could take Blakeney's spot at the Ville.

This will be Dozier's fifth and final official visit. He has previously visited Michigan, North Carolina, Georgetown, and South Carolina. Many believe this recruitment will come down to the Carolina schools, but with a good visit, Louisville could make a positive impression and get back into the game.

With an announcement coming on National Signing Day on ESPN in a few weeks, it sounds like South Carolina currently holds the edge over the remaining schools in Dozier's recruitment.

On the other hand, it may be a little while in the Blakeney recruitment. In what has turned into another wild recruitment, the 6-foot-4 scoring machine probably won't sign early, as he wants to take more visits and see more college campuses.

Nevertheless, UK is at the forefront in Blakeney's recruitment. There have been discussions of him playing alongside either Isaiah Briscoe or Malik Newman, and Kentucky presents that option. Missouri, LSU, USC, and NC State are other schools involved right now, but this will be an important weekend for the Blakeney-Kentucky relationship.

It is also worth noting that Blakeney visited Kentucky earlier in the fall.

DECISION COMING FOR CLARKE

One of the biggest risers from the AAU season was 2015 Virginia Beach (VA) Cape Henry School guard Chris Clarke. The four-star prospect is scheduled to announce his decision Thursday.

This recruitment has been played close to the vest all along, but the schools in the running for Clarke's services are Creighton, Tennessee, UConn, and Virginia Tech. Really, all of the coaches involved are currently in the dark with where they currently stand.

Virginia Tech seems to be generating the most buzz, as new head coach Buzz Williams has made some strides on the recruiting trail since taking over the reins in Blacksburg. It also doesn't hurt that the Hokies already have a commitment from Clarke's AAU teammate, Justin Robinson. If Virginia Tech could bring in Clarke, they would have a nice nucleus for the future behind Clarke, Robinson, and Kerry Blackshear.

SKAL LABISSIERE HEADED TO PREP SCHOOL?

Skal Labissiere's situation has turned into a circus and his college eligibility could suffer in the future, but on the bright side, it looks like the talented 6-foot-10 big man will play high school basketball this season.

Labissiere announced via Twitter that he would be playing for Reach Your Dream Preparatory Academy after being ruled ineligible at Lausanne (TN). RYD Prep currently does not exist, and the contact number on the "school" website is a direct line to Labissiere's guardian, Gerald Hamilton.

There is a lot of junk to cut through in this situation as to explain what is exactly going on, so in a perfect world, this is what Hamilton is looking to accomplish: Skal would still be enrolled at Lausanne and ultimately graduate from there this spring, but he would play basketball for RYD Prep to stay eligible for special accolades, such as the McDonald's All-American Game.

That would be the perfect scenario, but of course, things will be a lot more difficult than what is described there, and because of Labissiere's foreign descent, it could be even tougher to get around this situation.

It looks like this is just another wild turn in a very memorable recruitment. Either way, Labissiere's eligibility will be up in the air with this and more. Memphis and Kentucky have always been the leaders, but at this point, one has to wonder if Skal will ever suit up and play college basketball. He has also been open to foregoing college and playing overseas.

UCF ADDS HUGE RECRUIT

Donnie Jones and Central Florida made a huge splash - literally huge - on the recruiting trail Tuesday with the commitment of 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. By no means does the word 'huge' do Fall any justice, but that is an appropriate word for UCF's win in the recruiting game.

UCF was able to beat out high-major programs and top academic institutions, as Georgetown, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest were also involved.

He joins an impressive recruiting class that is being assembled by the Knights. Jones and his staff have done a great job of keeping the talent in-state, as Fall will team up with forward Chad Brown and guard Chance McSpadden and JUCO wing Tanksley Efianayi.


Garrett Tucker
State Editor

Garrett Tucker is a senior content producer for HoopSeen. He has been a member of HoopSeen.com since 2014. Specializing in basketball in the South, Garrett has helped grow the HoopSeen Alabama network from the ground up. He also provides stories and information from players all across the country. His GTuckerScouting recruiting service is a notorious product in the Southeast, as he has been in contact with numerous college programs across the country. You can follow Garrett on Twitter at @GTuckerHoops.

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