DALLAS - The first night of April's two live periods took place on Friday night and college coaches were out in full force hunting for players. Rivals.com national basketball analysts Eric Bossi and Corey Evans hit the NY2LA Lonestar Invitational, Under Armour Association and Nike EYBL in the Dallas area, and they have the news about which players were being targeted by which coaches.
RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team
The top player in the class of 2019, Carey's recruitment is taking place at an elite level. He drew as impressive a group of head coaches as anybody we saw. Miami (Jim Larrañaga), Michigan State (Tom Izzo), North Carolina (Roy Williams), Duke (Mike Krzyzewski), Kentucky (John Calipari) and Florida (Mike White) were all among those on hand.
The top-ranked point guard in 2019 has never really listed any schools. However, the group of coaches watching him can at least provide some insight on who is involved. Among those in the house for the explosive floor general were Louisville (Chris Mack), Cincinnati (Mick Cronin), Notre Dame (Mike Brey), North Carolina (Roy Williams), Texas, Michigan, Duke, Kentucky, Seton Hall, Wake Forest and UConn.
One of 2019's truly elite scorers, Antoine didn't lack for attention. Included in his crowd were Duke (Mike Krzyzewski, plus an assistant), Pittsburgh (Jeff Capel), Kentucky, Florida (Mike White), Seton Hall, Villanova, Rutgers, Maryland and LSU.
A newly minted five-star and Elton Brand play-a-like, Stewart had one of the most impressive crowds of the night. Michigan State (Tom Izzo), Villanova (Jay Wright), Notre Dame (Mike Brey), Texas (Shaka Smart), Louisville (Chris Mack), Georgetown, Ohio State, Syracuse, Tennessee and Washington were all on hand.
Maybe the best open-floor player in the class of 2019, Lewis drew a huge crowd with teammate Bryan Antoine. Rivals.com was able to spot personnel from Kentucky, Seton Hall, Florida (Mike White), Villanova, Duke (Mike Krzyzewski, plus an assistant) and Maryland.
The son of former McDonald's All-American Lester Earl, Robinson-Earl had a healthy contingent during his KC Run GMC's nightcap. Kansas (Bill Self), Oklahoma (Lon Kruger, plus three assistants), Kansas State (Bruce Weber), Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia, Iowa and North Carolina were among his crowd.
A newly minted five-star, Igiehon was a beast around the rim while playing alongside fellow five-stars Bryan Antoine and Scottie Lewis for Team Rio at the UA Association. Florida (Mike White), Oregon, Connecticut (Danny Hurley), Syracuse, Virginia, Georgetown, Wake Forest, Villanova, Xavier (Travis Steele) and USC were among the many who were watching the native of Ireland.
A four-star point guard from Iowa, Carlton is one of the most heavily recruited players in the Midwest, and he drew a huge crowd. From our vantage point we were able to see Iowa (Fran McCaffery, plus an assistant), Michigan (John Beilein, plus an assistant), Iowa State (Steve Prohm), Ohio State (Chris Holtmann), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Northern Iowa and Indiana.
The man in the middle on a deep and talented Bradley Beal Elite team, Okoro had some head coaches - and others - following him. Oregon (Dana Altman), Purdue (Matt Painter), Kansas State (Bruce Weber), Missouri and Illinois were among those on hand.
One of the Midwest's top scorers, Beverly is a major priority regionally. He drew Michigan State (Tom Izzo, plus an assistant), Michigan (John Beilein, plus an assistant), Baylor (Scott Drew), Missouri, Xavier, VCU (Mike Rhoades), Northwestern, Ohio State (Chris Holtmann) and others.
A long and active four man with athleticism, Gantt drew a big crowd. Among those Rivals.com saw watching Gantt were Virginia Tech (Buzz Williams, plus an assistant), Clemson, Providence (Ed Cooley, plus an assistant), Louisville, Tennessee, North Carolina, Connecticut (Danny Hurley) and Charlotte (Ron Sanchez).
One of most prolific scorers in 2019, Watts is a major target in the Midwest, which showed when he hit the floor with The Family. He also had an SEC head coach show up. Michigan (John Beilein), Michigan State (Tom Izzo), Mississippi State (Ben Howland), Butler (Lavalle Jordan) and Ohio State were in attendance.
One of the best athletes in the rising senior class, the high-energy combo guard was another favorite of coaches. Included in his crowd were Kansas State (Bruce Weber), St. Louis (Travis Ford), Purdue (Matt Painter), Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas.
Lorca-Lloyd is a major target for many top academic programs, and the schools watching the skilled four man reflected that. Harvard (Tommy Amaker), Boston College (Jim Christian), Vanderbilt and Stanford were in the house.
Over at the EYBL, the big man with soft hands drew a big crowd of assistant coaches. Among those on hand for him were Vanderbilt, Stanford, Columbia, Wake Forest, Boston College and Xavier.
A class of 2018 wing who initially signed with Connecticut before getting a release after Kevin Ollie's firing, Matthews is one of the most heavily pursued options in the senior class. Pittsburgh (Jeff Capel) and LSU were among those on hand to watch him play with Washington Supreme.
