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'14 IL PF/C Jahlil Okafor (Duke Signee)

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Getting Okafor and Tyus Jones would likely give the Buckeyes the #1 recruiting class in the nation in 2014. With players like Sam Thompson, Amir Williams and Shannon Scott as seniors, and given our existing 2014 commits, we'd likely be the favorite for the NC.

Could be exciting times on the hardwood. :osu:
 
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MaxBuck;2327768; said:
Getting Okafor and Tyus Jones would likely give the Buckeyes the #1 recruiting class in the nation in 2014. With players like Sam Thomas, Amir Williams and Shannon Scott as seniors, and given our existing 2014 commits, we'd likely be the favorite for the NC.

Could be exciting times on the hardwood. :osu:
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Sam "Thompson", Amir and Scott need to continue to improve their offensive game for them to compete for a NC, even w/ the current kids they have coming in and if Okafor and/or Jones were to join the party. Gotta figure Calipari will bring in 4 or 5 more of the top 15 recruits again to reload the ones he's going to lose every year....lol
 
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MaxBuck;2327768; said:
Getting Okafor and Tyus Jones would likely give the Buckeyes the #1 recruiting class in the nation in 2014. With players like Sam Thompson, Amir Williams and Shannon Scott as seniors, and given our existing 2014 commits, we'd likely be the favorite for the NC.

Could be exciting times on the hardwood. :osu:
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it would be a hell of a reload thats for sure
 
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Posted: Mon April 15, 2013
Top junior Jahlil Okafor is still considering plenty of colleges
By Eric Bossi, Rivals.com, Special to SI.com

When you are the top-ranked player in your class, the attention finds you. So far, the nation's top junior Jahlil Okafor is comfortable with all of the interest and his role as a big man.

A 6-foot-10 center at Chicago (Ill.) Whitney Young, Okafor has never sought attention, but he already handles the media like a pro. It's no secret that he and the nation's No. 3 player in 2014, Tyus Jones, are considering attending school together.

Since the two may be a package deal, coaches and fans are curious where each plans to visit.

"We don't know when we are going to decide," Okafor told Rivals.com. "We still have to start planning our official visits because me and Tyus are taking some official visits together. So we just have to plan that out with my parents and his parents."

The bond between Okafor and Jones is easy to understand. Okafor is an elite big man and Jones is a top point guard who can get him the ball. Their games blend together nicely and the friendship helps the two personally.

"It's a lot easier to have somebody that you can relate to that is going through the same things you are going through," said Okafor of his bond with Jones. "I can talk to him about anything, he can talk to me about anything. It makes it a lot easier."

Earlier this week, Okafor hosted Ohio State for an in-home visit. Also involved are Michigan State, North Carolina, Kansas, Illinois, DePaul, Arizona, Kentucky, Baylor and Duke among others.

Of late, there's been a big buzz about the Blue Devils possibly leading, but Okafor says there is nothing to it.

"That's not true," said Okafor when asked if Duke is his leader. "I really do love Duke, but I really love a lot of other schools too. But, I think with Jabari Parker going there that just makes everybody think I'm going there also but that's not the case."

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Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/hi...or-recruitment-still-wide-open/#ixzz2QcyAE2an
 
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Jahlil Okafor to hold in-home visits
Updated: April 17, 2013
By Scott Powers | ESPNChicago.com

Whitney Young center Jahlil Okafor, ESPN's No. 1-ranked junior in the country, will hold in-home visits for Baylor, Duke, Kansas and Michigan State next week and already has hosted Ohio State, according to Okafor's father.

Chukwudi Okafor said Wednesday his son is interested in all five schools, but they aren't the only ones he's considering. The five schools were permitted in-home visits because they requested them. Chukwudi said other schools Okafor is interested in had not contacted the family to set up visits.

"These schools reached out and asked to come out to him," Chukwudi said. "I haven't called any coaches to say, 'Will you come to our home to visit?' That's not my job. ? We won't hold any visits to schools where Jahlil isn't going to have interest in them. I won't waste their time.

"At this point in the [recruiting] game, it's pretty mundane. It's pretty much the same. The coaches give you the same spiel for the last 2-3 years. Now, it's more of an informal setting. Sit back and relax, meet the family, see if they have any questions for us and vice versa. Any serious questions we have, we'll ask them. We want to find the best fit for Jahlil. This seems like the easy part."

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http://espn.go.com/chicago/mens-col...home-visits-baylor-duke-kansas-michigan-state
 
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Report: Jahlil Okafor says its ’99.9′ percent chance he and Tyus Jones play together in college
Terrence Payne
Apr 27, 2013

The Class of 2013 is waiting to hear where the nation’s top recruit Andrew Wiggins. Once the 6-foot-7 Canadian prospect picks between Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina, recruiting attention will shift to the Class of 2014.

Tyus Jones (Apple Valley High/Apple Valley, Minn.) and Jahlil Okafor (Whitney Young/Chicago, Ill.) are arguably the top two juniors in the country, and have made it clear they would like to play together at the next level.

“We’re very serious about it,” Okafor told Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader on Saturday.

The 6-foot-11 center went as far to tell the Hearld-Leader it was a “99.9″ percent chance they would attend the same school starting in the fall of 2014. If that were the case, Okafor would be looking at the same seven schools Jones is, who trimmed his list in March. Baylor, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State are the teams that remain in contention for the 6-foot-1 point guard.

But it may not be only Jones and Okafor teaming up. According to Dave Telep of ESPN, a college coach said Jones is also making a pitch to 6-foot-8 forward Cliff Alexander (Curie High/Chicago, Ill.).

“Tyus is the ring leader,” one college coach told ESPN. “They all want to play with him.”

Telep later reported that Jones denied anything to do with recruiting Alexander, though, a top guard Justise Winslow (Saint John’s High/Houston, Texas) is also been rumored to be in the recruiting package with Jones and Okafor.

Although many factors could arise over the next year, it looks as if the Class of 2014 could see top-ranked talent team up at one school, just like Kentucky’s eight-man incoming class that includes six of Rivals’ top-20 players.

The Herald-Leader also reported that Jones and Okafor begin their co-recruitment when they take an official visit to Baylor on Aug. 31.
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http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspo...e-he-and-tyus-jones-play-together-in-college/
 
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I had a really good talk with Coach (John) Calipari about a week ago. Kentucky has been hitting me up a lot lately. The talk with Coach Cal was cool. He was telling me about how he felt about last season and how that went. Then he was telling me about how he gets disrespected by a lot of the other coaches in recruiting, which is actually true because I've heard a few things myself.

He really explained a lot to me and I learned a lot.

I talked to Coach (Bill) Self two nights ago and I talked to Coach (Tom) Izzo the other night too. I love talking to those guys. It's always a cool conversation.

Coach (Mike) K (Krzyzewski) text me on Sunday on Mother's Day and that meant a lot to me because he was checking on me because he knows that my mother passed. I thought that was really cool of him.

All of the coaches at Duke hit me up; Coach (Jeff) Capel and Coach (Steve) Wojo. Ohio State coaches (Thad) Matta and (Jeff Boals) checked on me too. That definitely meant a lot to me to have them take time out of their busy days and check on me.
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http://socialhub.usatodayhss.com/social-hub/blogs/item/272-the-jahlil-okafor-blog
 
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Okafor names final eight schools
May, 29, 2013
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com

The nation's top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2014 narrowed his list to eight schools on Wednesday.

Center Jahlil Okafor (Chicago/Whitney Young) tweeted out his list of finalists by declaring, "In no particular order: My final 8 Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State, Ohio State."
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http://espn.go.com/blog/colleges/osu/post?id=11221
 
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Jahlil Okafor, 6-10 center, Chicago Whitney Young. Rivals ranking: No. 1. At 280 pounds and with a polished game, Okafor has been compared to Jared Sullinger. But he?s taller and almost certainly a one-and-done player and a high pick in 2015. Everyone in the world is after him, but he has had a lot of good things to say about MSU and seems to have a good relationship with Izzo. He?s also still vocal about his plans to play in college with close friend Tyus Jones.

The perceived leader for that combo is Duke. There?s a strong feeling that Jones prefers Duke. There?s more of a question about Okafor. And if Jones and Okafor do split, MSU and Ohio State may be the primary combatants for Okafor. MSU is selling him on the idea of coming in not only with Jones, but with Alexander ? Alexander in the Payne role and Okafor in the Derrick Nix role.
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Prediction time: This feeling may change in July and again in August ?and we?ll still probably know nothing by then ?but right now I?m predicting Alexander, Ulis, Booker and Cunningham to make up MSU?s class. I think Jones goes to Duke, along with Looney, and I actually think Okafor splits off and goes to Ohio State.
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http://www.freep.com/article/201306...-rexrode-michigan-state-basketball-recruiting
 
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Okafor Makes U19 Cut & Hopes to Join Jones, Winslow in College (UPDATED)
June 16th, 2013

12_mu17_rings_okafor_jahlil_bio.jpg


The U.S. U19 roster was cut to 16 on Sunday, and Jahlil Okafor and close friend 6-6 Justise Winslow are the lone prep players still in the mix for the USA Basketball Men?s U19 World Championship Team.

So far in practices, Okafor has been battling college big men such as Shaq Goodwin of Memphis, Jarnell Stokes of Tennessee, Robert Carter of Georgia Tech and Montrezl Harrell of Louisville.

?It?s been very competitive playing with all these college guys and I?m working very hard and it?s been a lot of fun,? Okafor told SNY.tv Sunday morning by phone from Colorado Springs. Colo.

Last summer, Okafor, out of Chicago Whitney Young, won a gold medal at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship and was named tournament MVP.

Now, he?s trying to jump up to the U19 group, which will cut its roster from 16 to 12 at some future date.

?It would mean a lot for them to consider me as one of the top players here with all the top college players,? Okafor said. ?And knowing that a lot of these guys could?ve went in the NBA if they chose to, but they stayed in college. So if I was able to make the cut, it would mean a lot to me and knowing a lot of my hard work is paying off.?

As roommates, Okafor said he and Winslow have discussed possibly playing together in college, along with Minnesota point guard Tyus Jones.

?That would be ideal if everybody?s situation to work out and we all end up at the same college, that would be perfect,? Okafor said. ?But at the end of the day we have to do what?s best for each other.?

Okafor recently trimmed his list to eight schools: Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Jones is also considering Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota.

The two will take a visit to Baylor at the end of August, and it?s possible Winslow could join them on the visit.

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http://zagsblog.com/articles/okafor-hoping-to-make-u19-cut-to-join-jones-winslow-in-college/

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHPTzftcCWM"]Jahlil Okafor Interview at USA Basketball U19 World Championship Tryouts - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_P4nnfcSiA"]Justise Winslow Interviews Jahlil Okafor at the USA Basketball U19 World Championship Tryouts - YouTube[/ame]
 
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