By Jeff Borzello

Jarrell Martin would prefer to keep his attention on improving his all-around skills on the court.

Instead, Martin’s impressive summer on the AAU circuit with Brandon Bass Elite has thrust his recruitment squarely into the picture.

“It’s still really early, but the mail keeps coming,” said Jeff Jones, Martin’s coach at Madison Prep (La.). “He wants to be more focused on getting better in the gym.”

Martin, a 6-foot-7 forward ranked No. 48 in CBSSports.com’s 2013 rankings, is a very long and active prospect. He is able to score from the perimeter or in transition, and is very aggressive when attacking the offensive glass.

There’s always room for improvement, according to Martin.

“I think I played well, I could’ve played better though,” Martin said. “I could’ve knocked down wide-open shots, attacked the basket more, played better defense.”

Despite his supposed deficiencies during July, plenty of schools made their interest clear.

Martin has offers from Oklahoma State, Arizona, Tulane, Marquette, UTEP, New Mexico, West Virginia, St. John’s, Mississippi State, Baylor, LSU, Georgetown and Texas A&M. A few more could be on the verge of offering.

“Texas hasn’t offered yet, but they send a lot of mail everyday,” Jones said. “Georgia is another one, Florida State is another one. Alabama sends a lot of stuff too.”

Martin will trip to Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Tide’s elite camp on August 20, and unofficial visits are being planned for Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas, Mississippi State and LSU.

Although it’s early, a few schools are standing out to Martin: Texas, Arizona, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Marquette, with West Virginia also in the mix.

A top five? “I guess you can say that,” Jones said.

Already going through the process, Martin’s recruitment seems to be taking center stage – not bad for someone who would rather focus on his game.

By Jeff Borzello

Coming off an outstanding spring and summer, Chris Walker was running out of opponents to dominate.

Walker ranks No. 6 in CBSSports.com’s Top 100 in 2013, using his athleticism and length to go from a very good prospect to a can’t-miss recruit.At Adidas Nations, Walker went up against Steven Adams, the New Zealand native who was drawing rave reviews for his play out in Harbor City, Calif. The 6-foot-10 Walker didn’t back down, though, racking up 24 points and 10 rebounds, once again proving he is one of the best prospects in the country. He also went for 15 points and seven boards against Andre Drummond in the Championship game.

“It was just me playing hard,” Walker told me in June. “I tried to show everyone what I could do. I put in the work. I improved my game tremendously.”

Not surprisingly, plenty of schools are in the mix for the Holmes County (Fla.) forward.

Alabama, Louisville, Baylor and Tennessee called him immediately after the July live period ended, while Ohio State, Florida, Kansas, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, Texas, Texas Tech and others have all offered.

One school noticeably absent from that list of offers is Kentucky. The Wildcats have offered juniors Kasey Hill and Malik Price-Martin, who also play in the Florida Rams AAU program.

“They may offer soon,” Walker said.

Although it’s still early in the process, five schools are standing out for the rising junior.

“I’m really feeling Florida, Kentucky, Ohio State, Kansas and Florida State,” he said.

With Adidas Nations over, he plans on taking trips to Kentucky, Ohio State, Florida, Kansas and Alabama.

“I want to get a feel, for now,” Walker said.

While he is only entering his junior season, Walker did not say he planned on waiting until his senior campaign to make a college decision.

“I don’t know yet,” he said. “Whenever I feel comfortable, I will commit.”

Photo: Five-Star Basketball

By Jeff Borzello

Twymond Howard has had an on-again, off-again relationship with football over the past few years.

The Pearl (Miss.) product was one of the top players in the state as a high school freshman, but he gave it up to focus on basketball. In the spring, Howard decided he wanted to give football another shot. However, after thinking about it, he is no longer planning to play two sports.

“I’ve decided not to play,” Howard said. “I’m really just ready to focus in on one sport and basketball is my favorite.”

Howard, a 6-foot-6 forward, is ranked No. 81 in CBSSports.com’s Top 100. Not surprisingly, he is a big-time athlete who excels in transition and when finishing at the rim. Howard can be a matchup problem when defended by bigger players, and he also uses his strength to be an adept defender and rebounder.

Over the summer, Howard felt like he held his own.

“I believe I did pretty good,” he said. “Just play hard at all times.”

Howard said he noticed Ole Miss, Tennessee and Wake Forest the most at his games during the July live period. He holds offers from those three, as well as Mississippi State, Arkansas, Baylor and West Virginia.

He doesn’t have any plans on a timetable for a decision.

“I have no clue yet,” Howard said. “I’m gonna take my time and talk to my mom about it.”

Performance on the court and in the classroom is important to Howard when it comes to what he is looking for in a school.

“Just a great education and how they develop players,” he said.

And we now know football certainly won’t play a factor in his decision.

INTERESTED TEAMS:



By Jeff Borzello

August is always a busy month for commitments – and 2012 scorer Sherron Dorsey-Walker has been one of the players mentioned as nearing a decision.

In reality, Dorsey-Walker will likely take his time going through the process.

“Right now, I plan to make [my commitment] in October or November,” he told CBSSports.com on Thursday.

Dorsey-Walker, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Pershing (Mich.), holds offers from Boston College, Virginia Tech, Baylor, Temple, Florida State, Minnesota, Providence and Iowa State.

He plans on taking his visits before making a decision – and he knows three of the schools he wants to take trips to in the fall.

“I know I’m going to take visits to Boston College and Virginia Tech, and Baylor too,” Dorsey-Walker said. “Those are the three I know right now.”

He did say that those three are not favorites right now, just schools he wants to check out.

The most important factors in Dorsey-Walker’s decision will be his comfort level and familiarity with the coaching staff.

“Trust in the coaches,” he said. “Somewhere I’m comfortable at, somewhere I can win and make an impact. Somewhere I can get better at, but also help the team get better too.”

Dorsey-Walker is a lanky scorer who can get to the basket and finish against bigger players due to his body control and length. He plays very well in transition and he has a nice stroke from long range. Dorsey-Walker is a savvy perimeter player who can find teammates and also rebound at both ends.

“I can shoot, I can drive to the hole, get my teammates involved,” he said. “A little bit of everything.”

Whichever school gets his commitment will be getting a big-time scorer. We just won’t know the destination anytime soon.

Photo: UMHoops.com

By Jeff Borzello

ORLANDO, Fla. – Two of the most sought-after recruits in the class of 2013 are twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison.

Not surprisingly, both will likely attend the same college.

“I’ll tell you this: I have a six-bedroom house, they’re my only children and they sleep in the same room,” Aaron Harrison Sr. said.

While both players may look the same, they have differing games.

Andrew, a 6-foot-5 point guard ranked No. 5 in CBSSports.com’s Top 100, is tremendous off the bounce. He can get to the lane on nearly any defender and finish at the rim. On the other hand, Aaron is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard and ranked No. 10 in the top 100. He is a better long-range shooter who can fill it up in a hurry.

“They like each other, they believe in each other,” Harrison Sr. said of how they co-exist on the court.

In terms of recruiting, there is a top five for both: Villanova, Baylor, Kentucky, Maryland and Texas. Aaron also mentioned interest from Georgetown, Arizona, Kansas and North Carolina, while Andrew said Georgetown, Texas A&M and Kansas were in pursuit.

The twins plan to visit Villanova, Kentucky, Baylor and Maryland in the coming weeks.

“There’s six or seven schools they told me they want to go back and see, and talk to them,” Harrison Sr. said.

One school Harrison Sr. named in particular was Kentucky. "[John Calipari] has made them a priority," he said.

The best backcourt in high school basketball could soon be the best in college as well.

Photo: MaxPreps

By Jeff Borzello

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – Houston Hoops swingman Justin Jackson doesn’t get much burn sitting behind Duke commit Rasheed Sulaimon and four-star guards J-Mychal Reese and L.J. Rose.

That hasn’t mattered so far, though, as the 6-foot-6 sophomore is ranked among the top 2014 prospects in the country.

“I want to prove I can hang with the older guys,” Jackson said.

Jackson has the potential to be a match-up nightmare down the road, given his outstanding length and accurate shooting ability from behind the arc. He'll need to add weight, but his range and form are among the best in the country. Jackson can go off the dribble, using his height and reach to make plays in the mid-range and with floaters.

He isn’t trying to show off in front of all the college coaches, though.

“I’m just playing my game, not doing too much,” Jackson said. “Just playing my game.”

The homeschooled Houston product is honest about what he needs to work on.

“I’m trying to get better at everything,” Jackson said. “Get strong, play better through contact.”

Despite not getting as much playing time as some other players, he already has plenty of suitors for his future destination.

Jackson said he has offers from Ohio State, Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, with interest coming from North Carolina, Kansas, Washington, Georgetown, Marquette and Michigan.

Just imagine what will happen when he’s the star of the team.

Photo: USA Basketball

By Jeff Borzello

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – Archie Goodwin was quickly becoming one of the top scoring guards in the country, ranking as perhaps the elite finisher in the class.

Then, in the All-Star Game at the Pangos All-American Camp in early June, Goodwin injured himself and had to go on the shelf.

“It’s about 50 percent,” Goodwin said.

Despite the injury necessitating that Goodwin wear a protective brace on his left wrist, the 6-foot-5 Sylvan Hills (Ark.) prospect refused to sit out the Elite Youth Basketball League finals at the Peach Jam.

Originally slated to miss four-to-six weeks, Goodwin suited up for the Arkansas Wings this week.

“I’ve been told a lot of times that it would heal faster if I sat out,” he said. “There was no question, I love the competition.

“I wasn’t going to let my teammates go to war without me.”

That mindset has helped Goodwin impress even without the use of his left hand. He said it affects his ability to finish with both hands at the rim, and also impact his off-hand dribbling.

The smooth and athletic wing has not stopped attacking the rim with reckless abandon, though. He is still playing aggressive, looking to beat his defender and get to the rim at every opportunity.

“It’s just instincts,” Goodwin said. “I’m a relentless guy. I’m going to try to dunk it. That’s the kind of guy I am.”

In terms of recruiting, Goodwin is taking his time. The No. 12 prospect in the latest CBSSports rankings has plans to narrow it down at the end of the summer.

“There’s a lot of schools,” he said. “The list is at about 20 now.”

Goodwin listed Kentucky, Connecticut, Baylor, Kansas, Arkansas, Memphis and Tennessee as the schools that have contacted him the most recently.

Unlike many five-star recruits that want a starting job on a silver platter, Goodwin is looking to work for whatever he gets in college.

“I want to go somewhere I feel comfortable,” he said. “And a school that’s not going to give me anything.”

Even if many schools want to.

Photo: Arkansas Wings