Reggie Evans on Gonzo's Visit

Bobby Gonzalez continues to work hard to get Tyreke Evans, the star guard out of American Christian considered among the best players in the Class of 2008. On Tuesday night, Gonzalez and assistants Derm Player and Scott Adubato met with Tyreke and his brothers, Reggie, Pooh and Doc for a couple of hours at the Tri State Sports complex in Aston, Pa. where 'Reke works out.

Reggie and 'Reke continue to be impressed with Gonzo's pitch.

"It went good," Reggie said. "That guy, he's full of energy. He's so sincere. He's a good dude. I wish him nothing but the best, turning pro or staying in college.

"It was a great visit. He pulled out a lot of things that a lot of guys didn't even attempt to do. He said how appreciative he would be to have a guy like 'Reke, how ('Reke) should be utilized. He was keeping it real, saying 'Reke can contribute to the University but he'll be doing me a favor.

"(Gonzo said), 'I'm hungry. I'm not a millionaire. I'm not established. Tyreke Evans can help me get to where I want to go, so I can be mentioned in the same breath as those other guys.'

"He went over how he thinks 'Reke can make an impact on the school and he can prepare him for the next level. He knows what he can do that they (other coaches) won't do. He'll be with him every step of the way, being involved with him every day at practice. He'll be right there physically."

So where does this leave 'Reke?

"It leaves a good thought in his mind," Reggie said. "We're still going to go and look at Texas in October and Memphis in November."

Evans also took an official visit to UConn this past weekend and Reggie told Jody Demling it went "great." As for Louisville, Reggie said: "Louisville has been there since he was 13 years old and they're the school that has recruited him hardest (the entire time) and we'll never forget that. (Rick) Pitino is an NBA guy and they set the bar."

Speaking of Louisville, American Christian will play twice this season on the Louisville campus: on Dec. 7 vs. IMG and on Feb. 16 against Findlay Prep of Nevada.

Villanova is also in the mix with Evans.

Meanwhile, Gonzo is off to pitch Kevin Jones tonight.

**Indiana received a commitment from 6-8 forward Tom Pritchard, who becomes the fourth member of the Class of 2008 to commit to Kelvin Sampson. Devin Ebanks, the former Rutgers target, is also on board. The question, of course, is how does this impact Mount Vernon forward Kevin Jones, who still has about 8-10 schools in the mix? In talking to a fellow reporter who covers that beat, he says Indiana has two ships left and is still actively pursuing Jones. And speaking of Indiana, firecoachsampson.com is a good read.

**6-9 Devin Hill of Trinity (Conn.) St. Luke's enjoyed his visit to DePaul last weekend, and will next go to see Rick Majerus at St. Louis this weekend, according to Scout. UMass, Bradley and Seton Hall are also involved with Hill, who played on the Gauchos with Jordan Theodore (Seton Hall), Kemba Walker (UConn) and Truck Bryant (West Virginia.)

**Point guard Nurideen Lindsey of Overbrook High in West Philly has committted to La Salle, where he will team with the Paterson trio of Jerrell and Terrell Williams and Kimmani Barrett, as well as Ruben Guillandeaux of St. Patrick. Lindsey averaged 25.6 ppg last season.

Comments

[Jeanne]

The Kevin Jones recruitment seems like a classic example of a tangential family member seeking to call attention to their family during the limited time when their opinion/voice is heard until the kid actually commits, either verbally or signs an LOI..at which point no rabid fan or media member will care what opinions they are blathering about. Patrick Patterson (Tywanna Patterson) was last year's model. The year before was Monte Montgomery/Lance Thomas.

[Adam Z.]

Tangential family member? Gerard is his old brother and is handling the recruitment so Kevin can focus on high school and his life.

[Zionn]

lol....SH and Coach Gonzo will better prepare 'Reke for the NBA more so then his other options? That is almost silly and we are basing that on what exactly?

[SPK145]

Zag,

It's Scott Adubato, not Steve Adubato.

Steve is too busy working on his broadcasting skills to worry about Seton Hall basketball!!

What are YOUR feelings after conducting the interviews? Is SHU a real player for 'Reke?

Thanks in advance.

[Adam Z.]

I think he ends up at Louisville, thus making that announcement more exciting because some other schools were in the mix. That said, Gonzo has made a real believer out of Reggie Evans at this point.

[PiratesFan]

Zag, if this Adubado guy is already making home visits as an SHU coach, why hasn't SHU announced that he's on board?

There has been no press release and he's not listed as a coach on the SHU site.

[Adam Z.]

Don't know the answer, only that SHU moves very slowly in making announcements. Reggie did say he was at the visit though.

[NJHoops]

Adam,
Has Scott really accepted the position? There are plenty of doubts. I think you were premature on this annoucement. Can you try and nail the school down on this? There is a lot of mystery around this hiring. I think it's the case of Gonzo hoping for the best, so he is not pressuring Scott. Scott obviously brings a lot of experience and connections. He has been raised to be a coach his whole life. I would not be surprised to hear this deal falls through. Having said that, I hope Scott does come on board and I think he would do well to become part of the SHU staff and forget about the NBA for awhile.