Texas Longhorns Basketball Recruiting: 2013 Big Board

It's been a while since the Texas Longhorns basketball program finished the fall recruiting period without a centerpiece, five-star recruit. This time last year, Texas had Cameron Ridley on board (though he would give Longhorn fans heartburn by choosing to delay his LOI signing until the spring). Two years ago, it was Myck Kabongo (who provided a similar scare when he briefly decommitted from Texas, only to recommit a few days later).

The list goes on: Tristan Thompson in 2010, Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton in 2009, Gary Johnson in 2007, and the legendary Kevin Durant in 2006 (with a full roster, the staff basically punted 2008, only signing Varez Ward late after D.J. Augustin left school early).

This year, it's conceivable that Texas won't have a single recruit committed and signed in the fall period.

The coaching staff is after a lot of names, both big and small. But with a crowded roster comprised entirely of underclassmen, Rick Barnes has taken his time trying to craft his 2013 class. It should be noted, though, that a recent string of disappointing seasons does nothing to help Texas' cause.

Let's take a look at a list of names on the Texas Longhorns' 2013 Big Board.

Please be advised that table is best-viewed in "Wide" screen mode, which you can toggle via your dashboard. It's jam-packed with information that just can't be contained!

Name	Pos	School (Hometown)	Ranking (Scout/Rivals/ESPN)	Offer (Odds)	Commitment (Odds)	Favorite School(s)	News & Notes	Trending
Beejay Anya	C	DeMatha Catholic (Gaithersburg, MD)	Scout: 5*/20 Rivals: 4*/32 ESPN: 5*/13	Offered	10%	Louisville Kansas Texas Ohio St Indiana	7/13/12 - Anya listed 5 schools coming at him the hardest to Greg Rosenstein (Inside the Hall) at the Nike Global Challenge.
Dominic Woodson	C	Huntington Prep (Round Rock, TX)	Scout: 4*/29 Rivals: 4*/27 ESPN: 4*/56	Not Yet Offered (5%)	N/A	Baylor Louisville NC St Texas Tech	6/26/12 - Woodson told Jeff Borzello (CBS Sports) that 4 schools are recruiting him the hardest. Woodson, who spent time in Round Rock, will suit up for powerhouse Huntington Prep next season. He hasn't mentioned Texas in quite some time.
Marcus Lee	C/PF	Deer Valley (Antioch, CA)	Scout: 4*/41 Rivals: 4*/33 ESPN: 4*/27	Not Yet Offered (50%)	N/A	California Duke UNC Texas Texas A&M	7/19/12 - Lee told Josh Paunil (Duke Report) that the listed 5 schools were recruiting him hard, and he plans to put together a list soon. Lee had planned to visit Texas in early July, but couldn't due to the NCAA "no contact" period.
Karviar Shepherd	C/PF	Grace Preparatory (Dallas, TX)	Scout: 4*/49 Rivals: 4*/34 ESPN: 4*/29	Not Yet Offered (10%)	N/A	Louisville UCLA Texas Texas A&M Kansas Georgetown USC SMU TCU	7/13/12 - Shepherd told Mike Hughes (Inside the Ville) that he's considering the following schools and will cut down his list in the fall. Louisville and UCLA are considered the leaders.
Austin Nichols	C/PF	Briarcrest Christian (Eads, TN)	Scout: 4*/58 Rivals: 4*/43 ESPN: 4*/30	Offered	<5%	Duke Missouri Virginia Florida Tennessee	6/29/12 - Said to be fan of Duke, Nichols told Josh Paunil (Duke Report) that he'd like to cut his list down to 6 soon. Nichols reportedly received a Texas offer last spring, though it doesn't look like anything will materialize with him.
Julius Randle	PF	Prestonwood Christian (Plano, TX)	Scout: 5*/3 Rivals: 5*/2 ESPN: 5*/2	Offered	15%	Duke UNC NC State Texas Baylor Kentucky Kansas	7/19/12 - After a strong AAU season, Randle looks poised to take over the #1 ranking in many Top 100 lists from incumbent Jabari Parker. He most recently listed 7 schools to Adam Zagoria (Zags Blog), saying "Texas, of course, they’ve been recruiting me since 8th, 9th grade year so they’re always going to be on the list." Still, Randle should be considered a long shot.
Johnathan Williams III	PF	Southwind (Memphis, TN)	Scout: 5*/18 Rivals: 4*/24 ESPN: 5*/16	Offered	10%	Memphis Tennessee Texas Florida Georgetown UCLA Arkansas Kentucky	7/12/12 - There hasn't been much written about Williams III recently, but the Memphis product reportedly has a Texas offer and maintains interest in the Longhorns.
Jordan Mickey	PF/SF	Grace Preparatory (Arlington, TX)	Scout: 4*/33 Rivals: 4*/51 ESPN: 4*/42	Not Yet Offered (10%)	N/A	Louisville Ohio St West VA SMU Texas Texas Tech Kansas	7/13/12 - Mickey provided the list of schools that are recruiting him hardest this summer to Mike Hughes (Inside the Ville). Louisville, which is also recruiting his teammate Karviar Shepherd, appears to be the favorite.
Austin Colbert	PF	Hotchkiss (Lakeville, CT)	Scout: 4*/UR Rivals: 4*/73 ESPN: 3*/UR	Not Yet Offered (25%)	N/A	Florida Baylor Georgetown Seton Hall Texas	7/18/12 - Colbert provided a list of 5 schools to Alex Schwartz (Northstar Basketball). He hasn't been closely linked to Texas thus far but is an intriguing big man option.
Johnathan Motley	PF	North Shore (Houston, TX)	Scout: 3*/UR Rivals: 4*/144 ESPN: 3*/UR	Not Yet Offered (5%)	N/A	Houston UTEP Rice Baylor Clemson	7/23/12 - Per Jeff Howe (Hookem), Texas assistant coach Chris Ogden watched Motley, who could seek his stock rise with a strong senior season.
Rondae Jefferson	SF/PF	Chester (Chester, PA)	Scout: 5*/10 Rivals: 5*/17 ESPN: 4*/23	Offered	5%	Arizona Texas Florida Memphis Temple Rutgers Syracuse	6/25/12 - Per Dave Telep (ESPN), Jefferson has cut his list down to 7 schools. He plans to announce his decision on January 3, his birthday.
Nick King	SF	East (Memphis, TN)	Scout: 5*/19 Rivals: 4*/23 ESPN: 5*/15	Offered	35%	Memphis Tennessee Vanderbilt Texas	7/20/12 - King has 4 favorites and is looking for one more school to round out his top 5, per Jeff Borzello (CBS Sports). He likely won't decide until the spring, giving the Longhorns plenty of time to recruit him.
Ishmail Wainright	SF	Montrose Christian (Raytown, MO)	Scout: 4*/37 Rivals: 4*/38 ESPN: 5*/18	Offered	5%	Florida Syracuse Baylor NC St Tulsa SMU Duke Arizona Ohio St OK St UCLA Texas	7/18/12 - Wainright, a Missouri decommitment, has a long list of schools that he has not yet cut down. Texas has reportedly offered, though the Longhorns are a long shot.
DeMarcus Croaker	SF/SG	Jones (Orlando, FL)	Scout: 3*/UR Rivals: 3*/139 ESPN: 3*/UR	Offered	25%	FSU Texas Miami Indiana Murray St VCU	7/15/12 - Per Josh Capers (Scout), Croaker has the listed schools recruiting him the hardest. Multiple sources state Croaker received a Texas offer last week, though it's debatable whether or not that is a committable offer.
Aaron Harrison	SG/PG	Travis (Richmond, TX)	Scout: 5*/4 Rivals: 5*/4 ESPN: 5*/8	Offered	0%	Kentucky Maryland Baylor Villanova SMU	7/15/12 - The Harrison twins are targeting a fall decision, with UK and UM the favorites. They previously eliminated Texas as a finalist.
Keith Frazier	SG	Kimball (Dallas, TX)	Scout: 5*/13 Rivals: 5*/14 ESPN: 5*/9	Offered	10%	Arizona Texas A&M Baylor Texas Kansas OK St Memphis	6/15/12 - Per Alex Schwartz (Northstar Basketball), Frazier is highest on Arizona and Texas A&M right now. It's looking less and less likely that Texas lands the talented Dallas prospect.
JaJuan Johnson	SG	Southwind (Memphis)	Scout: 4*/32 Rivals: 4*/45 ESPN: 4*/53	Offered	25%	Memphis Alabama Texas Louisville	7/18/12 - Per Ben Rainwater (Memphis Roar), Johnson lists 4 schools that interest him the most. Johnson, along with teammate Johnathan Williams III, reportedly both have Texas offers.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes	SG	Huntington Prep (Toronto, Ont)	Scout: 4*/42 Rivals: 4*/48 ESPN: 5*/21	Offered	5%	UConn Kansas Florida St Baylor NC St Kentucky	6/28/12 - Per Kevin Duffy (Connecticut News), Rathan-Mayes lists a top 6, with all schools having offered but UK. Rathan-Mayes has been picking up offers this summer, including a reported Texas offer.
Tim Quarterman	SG/PG	Johnson (Savannah, GA)	Scout: 3*/UR Rivals: 3*/130 ESPN: 4*/84	Offered	25%	Florida St G Mason Georgia Oklahoma Texas W Forest Seton Hall	7/15/12 - Quarterman has the buzz of a top 50 prospect after AAU season. Per Dan McDonald (Rivals), Texas has offered. Gerry Hamilton (Hookem) says the staff is working hard to get Quarterman in for a visit.
Markel Crawford	SG/PG	Melrose (Memphis, TN)	Scout: 3*/UR Rivals: 4*/86 ESPN: 3*/UR	Not Yet Offered (15%)	N/A	Florida Texas Auburn Tennessee	6/24/12 - Per Van Coleman (XO Fan), Crawford listed Texas in his top 4. Crawford was a guy that the Longhorns were likely to track in his senior season. However, a recently suffered knee injury could be problematic.
A.J. Lapray	SG	Evangel Christian (Salem, OR)	Scout: 3*/UR Rivals: 3*/UR ESPN: UR	Not Yet Offered (<5%)	N/A	Oregon St Rice San Fran UTEP Tulane	7/14/12 - Per Alex Kline (The Recruit Scoop), Texas watched the sharp-shooting Lapray. He plays for Grassroots Canada AAU, a program with which Texas is intimately familiar. Though as a shooting specialist, Lapray is unlikely to get a scholarship offer from Texas.
Andrew Harrison	PG/SG	Travis (Richmond, TX)	Scout: 5*/2 Rivals: 5*/3 ESPN: 5*/3	Offered	0%	Kentucky Maryland Baylor Villanova SMU	7/15/12 - The Harrison twins are targeting a fall decision, with UK and UM the favorites. They previously eliminated Texas as a finalist.
Roddy Peters	PG/SG	Suitland (District Heights, MD)	Scout: 4*/73 Rivals: 4*/100 ESPN: 4*/UR	Not Yet Offered (5%)	N/A	Maryland Georgetown Xavier Syracuse	7/20/12 - Peters lists Texas on his long list but is said to love Maryland, which just offered, per Jeff Ermann (Inside Maryland).
Kendal Harris	PG/SG	Berkner (Richardson, TX)	Scout: 3*/UR Rivals: 4*/81 ESPN: 4*/93	Not Yet Offered (25%)	N/A	Arkansas Texas A&M Alabama Texas OK St USC Gonzaga Creighton Marquette SMU	7/14/12 - Texas started to express interest in Harris earlier this spring. Per Jeff Borzello (CBS Sports), Harris sports a long preliminary list.
Matt Jones	SG	DeSoto (DeSoto, TX)	Scout: 5*/25 Rivals: 4*/26 ESPN: 5*/19	Offered	0%	Duke	11/29/11 - Jones committed to Duke over Texas, UNC, UF, and KU, amongst others.	N/A

Scholarship Situation

Bigs (5): Jaylen Bond (rising junior), Jonathan Holmes (rising junior), Cameron Ridley* (rising sophomore), Prince Ibeh (rising sophomore), Connor Lammert (rising sophomore)
Wings (2): Sheldon McClellan* (rising junior), Ioannis Papapetrou (rising sophomore)
Guards (4): Myck Kabongo* (rising junior), Julien Lewis (rising junior), Javan Felix (rising sophomore), DeMarcus Holland (rising sophomore)

* possible NBA Draft early entrant candidate

The Longhorns go into the 2012-13 season with 11 scholarship players and zero upperclassmen. Theoretically, the Longhorns have just two available scholarships for 2013. However, point guard Myck Kabongo will likely declare for the NBA Draft. Center Cameron Ridley and small forward Sheldon McClellan also are longer shots to declare, if either has a terrific season.

Targets

If all breaks according to form, Texas wants one elite big man and one elite wing in this class. A point guard may also be necessary, depending on whether or not Kabongo leaves and how comfortable Barnes feels about Felix or Holland's development. Here is where things currently stand with Texas' top targets.

The Lone Star Elite

There are 5 five-star recruits from the state of Texas in this year's class. Right now, the Longhorns are on track to land none of them. Shooting guard Matt Jones is already off the board, to Duke. So are the twins, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison. They have officially eliminated Texas (and are likely Kentucky or Maryland bound).

That leaves power forward Julius Randle and shooting guard Keith Frazier. Both have long been considered Texas' top two prospects on the big board. Both appear to be looking elsewhere. Frazier recently listed Arizona and Texas A&M as his top two, and Texas may be tumbling down his list. As for Randle, the Longhorns are likely to be in the race until the very end. But if you're a betting man, Randle seems blue blood bound--Duke, UNC and Kentucky are the three to keep an eye on, along with Big 12 rival Kansas.

The bottom line is that the Longhorns have not been particularly relevant on the Texas high school basketball scene in recent years, and that may come back to bite them in the 2013 through 2015 classes.

The Memphis Trio

Is Memphis the next Canada for the Longhorns? It's possible. Texas has offered three Memphis products--power forward Johnathan Williams III, small forward Nick King, and shooting guard JaJuan Johnson. Williams and Johnson are AAU (Bluff City Legends) and high school (Southwind) teammates, and would look awfully good together in Burnt Orange. King, who also plays for the Bluff City Legends, is the player that has been most linked to Texas in recent weeks. He put Texas in his very public top 4, along with the three area Tennessee schools.

By the way, two other Tennessee names to know: top 50 center Austin Nichols reportedly has a Texas offer, though there does not appear to have been any recent communication there. Shooting guard Markel Crawford also has generated some Texas interest in AAU season.

The Urban DFW Pipe Dream

Texans Jordan Mickey and Karviar Shepherd both star for AAU team Urban DFW and hoops powerhouse Arlington Grace Prep. Neither possesses a Texas offer, and both look out of state bound for now. That's a shame, as both play high school ball with 2014 point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, arguably the Longhorns' top target in the 2014 class. Another name on the radar is Urban DFW's combo guard Kendal Harris, who looks to be in the mold of Texas signee DeMarcus Holland. Historically, Texas has not had much luck playing ball with Urban DFW coach Jazzy Hartwell, so don't expect much noise here.

A couple other area products to know: Top 50 center Dominic Woodson spent some of his past in Round Rock and could be willing to come back to Texas, but the Longhorns haven't shown much interest. Later in the recruiting process, Texas may also start to follow more 3* talents like Johnathan Motley, especially if the current roster sees some attrition, a la Sterling Gibbs.

By the way, here is some related reading if you want brush up on the Texas AAU hoops scene.

National Recruits and Summer Risers

Quite a few high profile national recruits claim offers from Texas, including center Beejay Anya, combo forward Rondae Jefferson, and wings Ishmail Wainright and Xavier Rathan-Mayes. I'll reserve judgment until I see some visits from these out-of-staters.

Texas has also popped up on the radar of some guys turning heads on the AAU circuit this summer. Big man Marcus Lee, already a top 50 prospect, and wing Tim Quarterman are the two names to know right now. Lee was supposed to visit in early July but could not make it due to a confusion in the recruiting calendar. On Quarterman, the buzz is that the Texas staff wants him to visit, trying to get in on the ground floor before his recruitment really takes off.

The post-summer recruiting season is all about hedging as 2013 prospects go into their senior seasons. As coaches start to feel like they are faltering in recruiting their top targets, they look for a few more good men. Just a few more names to track that have been linked to Texas: power forward Austin Colbert, wing DeMarcus Croaker, shooting guard A.J. Lapray, and combo guard Roddy Peters.

Outlook

Honestly, things don't look all that rosy. With the core recruiting classes of 2011 and 2012 becoming upperclassmen in 2013, Texas fans have dreams of Big 12 and national championship runs. It appears that Barnes and company do too, hence their all-out blitz for top-tier five-star prospects.

The company line is that Texas will fight for Randle and Frazier until the bitter end, but it's easy to wonder if the staff's resources wouldn't be better allocated to camping day and night in Memphis for prospects that seem to have Texas on the tip of their tongues. There is also the question of how long the Longhorns are willing to wait if a top 100 prospect like Quarterman wants to pull the trigger. Without only two currently available scholarships to play with, the staff has to be judicious heading into the fall.

All that said, Texas is not currently in the driver's seat with any 2013 prospect, which is a very strange feeling indeed.

Related Articles:

Texas High School Basketball: State of the AAU Nation

A Look at Texas High School Basketball Recruiting