SPORTS

Who Louisville basketball is looking to add for 2015

Steve Jones
@stevejones_cj

College basketball's live evaluation period begins Wednesday evening with recruiters traveling the country to watch high school prospects. University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino said Wednesday that he is recruiting 10 players in the 2015 class for 3-4 slots (probably 1-2 guards, a wing and a big man) and expects to get some commitments as early as this month.

It's hard to peg exactly which 10 players Pitino was referring to, but here's our best guess, grouped by position, then placed in order by U of L's perceived strength with each. (Rankings via Scout.com)

Guards

BRYANT CRAWFORD

6-1, Washington, D.C., No. 57

Other schools: Indiana, Villanova, Maryland, Wake Forest, Connecticut, N.C. State.

Lowdown: Both a good scoring and distributing point guard, he became a target after Kenny Johnson, who's known him since middle school and used to help run Crawford's Team Takeover travel club, was hired as an assistant in April. He received a U of L offer during a visit on June 11, and the Cardinals appear very well-positioned.

Quotable: "Just the fact that someone (like Johnson) would keep recruiting you no matter which school they go to, the injuries you have, what you're doing, what your family's doing. He's always been there for me. It's just a great relationship there." – Crawford, in June.

ANTONIO BLAKENEY

6-4, Orlando, Fla., No. 20

Other schools: Florida, Kansas, Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, USC, Oregon, Providence.

Lowdown: One of the nation's most explosive scorers at the rim, from mid-range and on 3-pointers, U of L has made him a major priority since last summer. He visited for the Cards' Jan. 30 game against Cincinnati, and U of L figures to be one of his final options.

Quotable: "I feel like I'm their top priority," Blakeney, in June.

ISAIAH BRISCOE

6-1, Roselle, N.J., No. 16

Other schools: Connecticut, Villanova, Arizona, St. John's, Seton Hall, Rutgers.

Lowdown: The high-scoring lead guard recently cut his list to a group of regional schools, plus U of L and Arizona, and his father told ZagsBlog he wants to visit Louisville, Arizona and UConn by the end of the summer. Briscoe has not been interviewed by The Courier-Journal, but U of L is generally seen as needing to make up ground on Arizona and the New Jersey teams. He plans to cut his list to three after the summer and make a commitment in early fall.

ALLONZO TRIER

6-4, Henderson, Nev., No. 15

Other schools: Arizona, Memphis, Oklahoma, Maryland, Kansas, Georgetown, Baylor.

Lowdown: A sharpshooter and the top scorer in the Nike EYBL, Trier, who is transferring from a Maryland prep school to Findlay Prep, became a target of U of L after Johnson, who was recruiting him at Indiana, was hired. Cards seem well-positioned to get a visit from him, as they are with all the guards listed here.

Other possibility: Tyler Dorsey, 6-4, Bellflower, Calif.

Wings

DENG ADEL

6-7, Bradenton, Fla., No. 18

Other schools: Florida, UConn, Georgia Tech.

Lowdown: U of L is generally seen as the front-runner for Adel, a Sudanese native who grew up in Australia and now plays for coach Loren Jackson at a Florida prep school. It's the same path Mangok Mathiang, Adel's longtime friend, took to Louisville. U of L was one of the first teams to recruit him after his arrival in the United States last fall, and he had a positive visit to campus on June 11. He's definitely on commitment watch.

What they're saying: "(Pitino) is a nice guy. He lets you know what's up straight away. He's a great coach, and he's in the Hall of Fame." – Adel, in June

RAY SMITH

6-7, Las Vegas, No. 22

Other schools: Arizona, Arizona State, UConn, California, Texas, Georgetown, UCLA, USC.

Lowdown: One of the nation's best athletes and top performers of the summer, Smith as earned top-10 rankings from Rivals.com and 247Sports.com. He plans to visit U of L officially in September, is impressed with its up-tempo style and has built a close relationship with assistant Wyking Jones. If Smith leaves the West Coast, the Cards could be the pick.

Quotable: "It's one of the top basketball teams in the country every year. They have Rick Pitino, one of the best coaches ever, a legend. We know his style of play, and I know he's very disciplined. He produces pros, so for us, it was easy to see." – Smith's father, Bobby, in May

BRANDON INGRAM

6-8, Kinston, N.C., No. 26

Other schools: North Carolina, N.C. State, Duke, Wake Forest, Kansas, Kentucky (no offer).

Lowdown: U of L is trying to pull Ingram, a tall, skilled small forward, away from all the big teams in his basketball-crazy state and instead come to this basketball-crazy state. He's been close to cutting his list but claims no No. 1 team. He has officially visited UNC, where Kinston natives Jerry Stackhouse (Ingram's AAU coach) and Reggie Bullock attended. He sees the Cards as a good fit and wants to visit, but it would be hard to predict an out-of-state team getting him at this point.

Quotable: "I don't have to stay in state. Staying home isn't important to me. It's just (about finding) the right fit and the right team." Ingram, in June

Other Possibilities: Derrick Jones, 6-7, Wayne, Pa.; Dwayne Bacon, 6-6, Mouth of Wilson, Va.

Power forwards/centers

RAY SPALDING

6-10, Louisville (Trinity), No. 66

Other schools: Indiana, Clemson, Xavier, Vanderbilt.

Lowdown: An explosive player on both ends of the floor, Spalding, who grew up a U of L fan, received an offer during a June 11 visit. He claims no single favorite and said he might wait until spring to pick a college. But as the hometown team, it would be hard to predict any team but the Cards landing Spalding. Pitino mentioned he'd be in Indianapolis watching players this week, and Spalding will surely be one of them. IU shapes up as U of L's top competition.

Quotable: "(As) a hometown kid, it's just great to have that (U of L offer) under my belt. … (Pitino) mentioned to me that I'm a great player and that I get better every game, and having him as my coach, he could develop me into a player that could be great and be an NBA player." Spalding, in June

STEPHEN ZIMMERMAN

6-11, Las Vegas, No. 8

Other schools: Arizona, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, UNLV, UCLA, Kansas.

Lowdown: Plans to visit U of L on Sept. 26, and the Cards have recruited him consistently since last summer. So they have a decent shot, but there's a sense that at least Arizona and UK might be in a better position.

CARLTON BRAGG

6-9, Cleveland, No. 11

Other schools: Kentucky, Ohio State, Illinois, Kansas.

Lowdown: Athletic and skilled, Bragg is nearly unstoppable when his motor is running high and would be a major prize. He has consistently praised U of L and listed them among the teams recruiting him hardest, although UK (for its one-and-done reputation), Ohio State and KU will be tough to beat.

Quotable: "They call every day, every single day. … I'd love to go there." – Bragg, in May

Other possibility: Horace Spencer, 6-8, Henderson, Nev.