Super-Recruit Josh Selby Looking at UConn, Kentucky
Words. Jason Jordan
Lake Clifton-Eastern High (Md.) star Josh Selby is at the center of one of the most complicated and intense recruiting battles that’s been waged in quite some time.
First, he committed to Tennessee last September only to back out of the commitment 10 months later because “I committed too early,” and currently Kansas, Connecticut, Baylor, Oregon, Syracuse, Florida State, Miami, Texas and Kentucky are putting on the full-court press trying to make the Vols’ loss their gain.
Selby’s take?
“I’m just chillin,” says Selby, a 6-2 senior combo guard who is rated the No. 14 prospect in the HighSchoolHoop top 50. “My mom handles all of that recruiting stuff so I can concentrate on my books and basketball. So it’s a great situation for me. I’m not under any stress.”
He wasn’t as carefree in July when his mother Maeshon Witherspoon had to make the call to Tennessee assistant coach Steve Forbes informing him of Selby’s intentions to reopen his recruitment.
Selby maintains that Tennessee remains in contention.
“We had a two-hour conversation,” says Witherspoon of her talk with Forbes. “Of course with anything like this they want to know the why and things like that since we’d been committed so long. He had heard all of the rumors so he just wanted to hear the truth. He realizes that they’re still a school that we’re considering. It’s not like we de-committed and we don’t want to go there anymore. I told him that we don’t have to do an in-house visit because we know the staff very well.”
Witherspoon confirmed that so far Kansas, Connecticut, Baylor and Oregon have locked down in-home visits next month, and that they’re “looking to setup more.”
And the rumors of Memphis being a contender and Selby’s imminent pledge to Kentucky?
“Well, first, no matter what people say Memphis is not an option for us,” says Witherspoon. “And as far as Josh leaning toward Kentucky… You cannot discredit what John Calipari has done as far as putting point guards in the draft. It’s a situation where there’s mutual interest, but then you’ve got to look at UConn and all of the guards they’ve put in the league. Florida State just put Toney Douglas in the first round… Every school, for the most part, has had success with putting guards in the league.”
The plan for now, according to Witherspoon and Selby, is to gather as much information as possible. No rush.
“I’m gonna get it done during the late signing period in the spring,” says Selby. “So I’m just taking my time with it.”
Makes sense since Selby is in, what he and Witherspoon describe as a “win-win situation,” because of all of the schools that have jumped in on Selby’s recruitment, including Connecticut, who Witherspoon describes as the “Mecca of basketball.”
Selby visited the Huskies earlier this month unofficially.
“The visit was great,” says Selby. “(Head) Coach (Jim) Calhoun is a great guy, and I really liked the assistant coaches too. I had a great time.”
Witherspoon and Selby will meet together after the flurry of in-home visits to decide what schools will get official visits.
“He just wants to be able to say that he looked at all of these great schools thoroughly and made his choice,” says Witherspoon. “That’s the right way to do it.”
If he were smart, he’d go to UConn and take over right where Kemba Walker leaves off. Why would anyone be jumping for the chance to play for Calipari right now?
Understand this is a kid making a choice of a life time. I don’t blame him for wanting to get it right. His been under the spotlight b4 he even played a High School game. The last high profiled player Tenn. had was Vincent Yarborough…who?! Never made it… What does that say about Tenn.?
You really can’t blame the kid for backing out on UT! Why would he want to play here?