2017 guard David Beatty, who is ranked 96th in ESPN’s top 100 recruiting rankings, cut his list down to eight schools on Tuesday. Indiana, Temple, La Salle, Georgetown, Virginia, UCLA, Maryland and UConn are the finalists for the 6’3″ Philadelphia native who plays his high school basketball at St. Benedict’s Prep.
Beatty is a high quality offensive talent, who has great range on his jump shot. He still has to improve his efficiency from long range, but he is strong, has a great frame, is physical, can make plays in the lane, and is capable of finishing at the rim and in transition.
Beatty is a solid defender, although he could certainly improve in that area of his game. Passing is another element that could be developed at the next level.
Jordan Chatman transfers to Boston College
Chatman, who played his freshman season under Dave Rose at BYU, committed to Boston College on Tuesday. The 6’5″, 195 pound guard averaged just 2.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 10.3 minutes per game. He shot 38 percent from the field, 34 percent from beyond the arc and 70 percent from the free throw strike.
The Vancouver, WA native played point guard at Union High School, and was a two-star recruit who only received one quality offer (from BYU).
In an interesting case, Chatman is a graduate transfer (eligible immediately), but still has three years of college basketball remaining.
“Chatman left his high school in Vancouver, Wash., with an associates degree and served a two-year LDS Church mission to Taiwan before ever enrolling at BYU.”
Chatman gives Jim Christian a guard who has great size, can play both backcourt positions, has a strong frame, is a willing passer and is capable of getting in the lane.
The Eagles are losing their top scorer Eli Carter and youngster Sammy Barnes-Thompkins, but they do have rising sophomore Jerome Robinson, who should be the team’s best player this season.
Jeremiah Tilmon cuts list to six
2017 center from East Saint Louis, IL is down to Illinois, Michigan State, North Carolina, Texas and Kansas. According to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Tilmon is also receiving interest from Missouri and he has yet to cut Kim Anderson and company off his list.
Jeremiah Tilmon also just said that Missouri is still in the mix. @jeremiahtilmon_
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) June 28, 2016
Tilmon is a bit undersized for a center, however, he’s ranked 29th on ESPN’s top 100 list and is labeled as a four-star or five-star recruit on multiple sites.
Attending La Lumiere in Florida, Tilmon’s squad made the Dicks High School National Tournament final at Madison Square Garden, losing to Oak Hill Academy in overtime. The center suffered a shoulder injury in that game – he had surgery on it – and did not return.
The big man has great potential due to his widely built shoulders, good agility, excellent athleticism, and ability to run the floor. Tilmon is a solid rebounder, but will need to improve his competitiveness and post moves.
Recruit leaves UCLA before career begins
Class of 2016 recruit and three-star small forward, Kobe Paras, withdrew from UCLA after “academic conditions of his admission were not met.”
The 6’5″, 190 pound prospect held offers from UCLA, Arizona State, California, Portland State, Texas-Arlington, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara.
Paras was expected to give Steve Alford’s Bruins an athletic wing who plays with energy on both ends of the floor. He has a really effective first step that could have been dangerous in Pac-12 play, while his ability to attack the lane would have also been valuable for the Bruins.
Regardless of Paras departure, UCLA still maintains one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. Point guard Lonzo Ball is the best floor general in the class (he is an ELITE passer), T.J. Leaf is a skilled power forward who can score inside and out, and Ike Anigbogu provides toughness and length at center.
Paras, who played his high school ball at Middlebrooks Academy, will leave a bit of a hole at small forward, but the Bruins will be able to mix and match. Although Noah Allen is transferring to Hawai’i, the team returns Jonah Bolden and they can always move Isaac Hamilton to small forward with Ball and Bryce Alford taking command in the backcourt.
Remember it’s position-less basketball, so this is not a departure that the Bruins have to be concerned about.