Monday, December 31, 2012
Louisville hosts big recruiting weekend
By Dave Telep
Louisville signee Anton Gill (Raleigh, N.C./Hargrave Military Academy) grew up in central North Carolina, in the heart of the Duke-UNC-NC State rivalry. Though he’s never been to a Duke-Carolina game, he knows the intensity.
On Saturday, the ESPN 100 shooting guard attended a game that some say carries similar juice to the Tobacco Road tussles. Gill took his official visit to Louisville for the Cardinals’ showdown against rival Kentucky.
Louisville signee Anton Gill attended Saturday's game against Kentucky along with three elite underclass prospects.
“It was crazy,” Gill said. “It didn’t look like there would be that many (people) because of the snow, but people started showing up. I’ve never been anywhere that loud. My ears were ringing after the game.”
Gill wasn’t alone, either. Although inclement weather conditions hampered the travel of top 10 junior Rashad Vaughn (Minneapolis/Robbinsdale-Cooper) -- who visited Minnesota on Monday for the Gophers’ game against Michigan State -- Gill still had three highly regarded underclassmen around him for the UK game.
A pair of highly ranked juniors -- No. 15 ESPN 60 prospect JaQuan Lyle (Evansville, Ind./Bosse) and No. 24 recruit Daniel Hamilton (Los Angeles/Saint John Bosco) -- made the trip to Louisville along with potential elite 2015 wing Jalen Coleman (Indianapolis/Cathedral).
“They had to be amazed,” Gill said. “For them, especially if that was your first visit, if that didn’t put Louisville at the top of their list then we have to be somewhere close.”
Gill knows in situations like the one he found himself in over the weekend he needs to be an ambassador for Louisville’s program.
“You’ve got to try and sway some of them,” he said. “I got a chance to talk to Daniel. I tried to persuade him a little bit. Because his brother’s going all the way to Texas (UTEP signee Isaac Hamilton), I thought we’d have a good chance.”
It's impossible to recreate environments like the one at Louisville this past weekend. Having three elite underclassmen in the stands for a game of that magnitude leaves an indelible impression on impressionable young recruits.
Pay attention to how this plays with those prospects going forward. Louisville made its best possible pitch on Saturday.
