The Chase for Tyreke Evans
The chase for Tyreke Evans is on and the biggest names in college basketball are in pursuit: Rick Pitino, Jay Wright, Rick Barnes, John Calipari, Jim Calhoun and Bobby Gonzalez.
Reggie Evans, Tyreke's older brother and guardian, said Pitino and Louisville assistant Steve Masiello were in for an in-home visit Monday night. Calipari is on his way tonight and Barnes comes on Thursday.
Reggie seemed impressed with Pitino's pitch.
"They already put on the table what they'll do for 'Reke and how they want 'Reke to come in and produce," Reggie said. "They want him to be a freshman and play a lot of minutes and be a big impact for Louisville."
Reggie said Pitino has known 'Reke since he was 13.
"He's probably the only recruit that Rick Pitino has put this time and effort into," Reggie added. "Hearing that was strong."
Next up comes home visits from Calipari and Barnes and then an unofficial visit to UConn this weekend. The family will also take a visit to Texas sometime in October.
Villanova and Seton Hall are also in the mix, and Reggie continued to talk about how impressed he was with Gonzalez, the Pirates coach.
"He said a lot of stuff that was eye-opening," Reggie said of Gonzo. "'Reke didn't have them on his radar until Bobby Gonzalez started speaking. He was never really considering Seton Hall before, but to hear the guy talk, he had a lot of love and a lot of energy fro 'Reke.
"The fact that Bobby Gonzalez speaks from the heart and was being a real dude is going to touch a lot of kids. It touched me. I'm reading this guy's mouth and lips. I got a lot of love for Bobby Gonzalez.
Reggie added that the new Prudential Center in Newark would be a major attraction for recruits.
"That new facility is off the hook," he said. "That's going to be amazing. That's going to land them a lot of recruits."
Hi, Adam,
Really enjoy your blog. As you probably know, fans in Louisville are obsessing over whether Tyreke is coming to the Ville or not. What's your best guess?
Posted by: sweetcard | September 11, 2007 at 03:30 PM
Sweetcard:
Well, at this point, I'd say Louisville is the favorite. We all know 'Reke is tight with Samardo Samuels and Rick Pitino is Rick Pitino. Reggie sounded impressed with Pitino's pitch.
That said, don't discount Villanova, which is local, or Memphis, which has Calipari and can be a national contender. Reggie said he still had to get a feel for Calhoun and Barnes, so I'm not sure UConn and Texas are in the mix as much, but they could always make a late push.
Seton Hall, meanwhile, is hanging around as a possible option. The school is close to Philly, has a new arena and 'Reke seems intrigued by Gonzo's pitch.
Posted by: Adam Z. | September 11, 2007 at 03:56 PM
Simply the fact that Seton Hall is getting looks from guys like this is outstanding; Gonzo clearly has this program headed in the right direction...
Posted by: Hall-Ball | September 11, 2007 at 04:06 PM
now all we need to do is win the next few years and get an NIT and NCAA berth and we will be landing guys like Reke.
Posted by: pat | September 11, 2007 at 07:42 PM
Wait until he get a look at the FedEx Forum. One of the top 5 basketball arenas in the world. Unfortunately he couldn't go to Beale which the FEF is built.
Posted by: Jerry | September 12, 2007 at 11:24 AM
For all that don't know the FedEx Forum is in Memphis and is where the Tigers and Grizzlies play. No college has that type of arena!
Posted by: Jerry | September 12, 2007 at 11:26 AM
Jerry,
You forgot to mention how much salary cap room Calamari freed up when the Morris twins decommitted. The Squid now has plenty of $$$ available for Reggie.
Posted by: CardInCharge | September 12, 2007 at 01:37 PM
Typical of Looserville fans! Yes Reggie is bringing his brother Tyreke to Memphis. Get over it!
Posted by: Jerry | September 12, 2007 at 02:55 PM
If Reke were smart, he would go play for Jay Wright at Villanova.
Posted by: Headpainter | September 12, 2007 at 05:21 PM
I'm an avid Cards fan but I know some tuned-in people in the Northeast and they tell me he's probably stayin home and goin to Nova. He was a heavy UL lean for a while but the delay in signing and pressure to stay close to home for 1 yr appears is going to win out.
Posted by: uoflcards | September 13, 2007 at 01:08 AM
I can't see Tyreke Evans going to nova with corey fisher, corey stokes and malcolm grant there. He won't be able to run the point because of grant and fisher and stokes shoots everytime he touches it. He would be featured until his sophmore or junior year depending how long the previous class stays. Louisville might be the best place for him especially since they don't have a guard in that class and Pitino has proven to give the reigns over to a freshman in sosa. Memphis has Derrick Rose coming in as a freshman and Tyreke is nowhere close to being as Roses right now so he would definitely play second fiddle to him unless he willing to play the two. Which wouldn't be a bad look with rose, evans, and robinson and calapari can make you a pro like pitino.
Im still going with the ville and a added bonus is samardo.
Posted by: torrence | September 13, 2007 at 10:19 AM
whats up with the "salary cap"????? are you saying college players are getting paid???
Posted by: nana12 | September 13, 2007 at 12:19 PM
whats the matter!!!. no one wants to comment on getting paid to play college ball. I guess a free education isn't enough.
Posted by: nana12 | September 14, 2007 at 04:05 PM