Dozier could make good U of L class great

The University of Louisville men's basketball team will find out Wednesday if its 2015 recruiting class will go from really good to really great.

The Cardinals, who already have three highly regarded verbal commitments, could add a fourth at 12:45 p.m. with the decision of tall, skilled guard P.J. Dozier of Columbia, S.C., on the first day of the fall signing period.

Dozier, a 6-foot-6 player rated No. 24 nationally by 247Sports.com and No. 33 by Scout.com, is down to U of L, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgetown and Michigan, and the Cards are one of the presumed favorites along with the hometown Gamecocks.

"All the talk about P.J. Dozier is surrounding Louisville and the local school, South Carolina," Scout.com analyst Evan Daniels said. "I think Louisville heading into the day is the favorite and the school in the best shape to land him, but it's also not a shoo-in."

Dozier's is one of the most anticipated decisions of the weeklong signing period that will also feature ESPNU announcements from five-star University of Kentucky targets Skal Labissiere and Isaiah Briscoe on Thursday evening.

U of L made Dozier's final list this summer, then briefly ceased recruiting him after receiving a commitment from five-star guard Antonio Blakeney in September. After Blakeney withdrew the pledge just 11 days later, the Cards immediately renewed contact with Dozier, and he put them back on his list.

He took what his father described as "a wonderful" official visit to Louisville on Oct. 30, and the Cards have been seen as major contenders since. Unlike his other finalists, the U of L staff declined to conduct a final home visit with Dozier last week after feeling confident it had already made a full, solid pitch.

"I would be surprised if it's not Louisville," 247Sports.com analyst Jerry Meyer said. "I think (the Doziers) loved the visit at Louisville. I think there were concerns about how he would fit in the system, but it seems like those concerns were taken care of on the visit."

South Carolina seems to be Louisville's main competition. Dozier's dad/high school coach, Perry Dozier Sr., played for the Gamecocks, and his sister is on the USC women's team. USC coach Frank Martin has recruited Dozier fervently.

But Dozier appears intrigued by U of L's offer to play primarily point guard and become coach Rick Pitino's first very tall lead guard at U of L.

"He's a tremendous passer," said Meyer, who think Dozier's ideal position is on the wing, not the point. "He's one of those guys who seems to be a step ahead of the action. As far as the fit at Louisville, he's not the quickest guy, so I think that was one of the concerns, but I think he makes up for that with his mental game."

If U of L misses on Dozier, its class will still be considered the third-best in the nation, behind only Arizona and Texas A&M, and arguably the best one Pitino has signed at Louisville.

Facing the departures of seniors Wayne Blackshear and Chris Jones and the possible early NBA draft entries of Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier, the Cards did strong work in landing three impact commitments this summer.

New England prep school guard Donovan Mitchell, Florida wing Deng Adel and Trinity High power forward Raymond Spalding each earned a five-star rating by at least one major recruiting website.

"Anytime you lose important pieces to your team, you've got to go out and replace them, and that's what's going on at Louisville," Daniels said. "They are about to lose some guys, and I think the saving grace for Rick Pitino is that he went out and got some guys who can help them immediately.

"Donovan Mitchell is physically ready to play in the ACC. Deng Adel will be physically ready to play in the ACC by the time he gets there. Raymond needs to add some weight, but his potential is through the roof."

Meyer thinks Mitchell, Adel and Spalding are all "Rick Pitino type players" who have the athletic ability and versatility to fit in the Cards' up-tempo, pressing system.

Now if the Cards get Dozier, especially on a quick recovery after losing Blakeney, Pitino's staff deserves great praise, Meyer said.

"It would definitely be an 'A' for effort and I'd say an 'A' for results," he said. "It's a great class."

Steve Jones can be reached at (502) 582-7176 and followed on Twitter at @SteveJones_CJ.