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FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN STAR IS STILL EYEING AZTECS
With UCLA, Oregon also in mix, Leaf to make pick Thursday
BY MARK ZEIGLER
The San Diego State basketball team played a closed-door scrimmage at UCLA on Saturday afternoon, then inched throughsoupy traffic back home. Where the battle against the Bruins continues is in a far more public fashion withfar greater stakes. Foothills Christian High senior T.J. Leaf, a 6-foot-10 forward rated as a five-star prospect by all the major recruiting services, is scheduled to announce his college decision Thursday on ESPNU. He initially committed to Arizona last fall, decommitted in August and has narrowed his list of finalists to SDSU, UCLA and Oregon. Most recruiting insiders say it’s down to theAztecs and Bruins. The Aztecs may have lost the scrimmage but still could win the player.
Leaf would be the highest- rated prep prospect to choose SDSU out of highschool. It has been a fascinating recruitment, beginning with the commitment to the Wildcats a full two years before he could put on a uniform. Since then … Leaf was cut last June from the U.S. under-19 World Championships team, which is coached by Arizona’s Sean Miller; played for Israel in the under-18 European championship instead (he qualifies for citizenship because he was born there while his dad played for an Israeli pro team); decommitted from Arizona just days after returning to the States; reopened his recruitment with a list of eight candidates that included Kentucky and Kansas; and has continued to elevate SDSU’s status from distinct outsider to viable contender.
Leaf and his father Brad,his coach at Foothills Christian, have said little publicly about the process (Brad did not return phone messages), only further shrouding his decision in mystery. Two weeks ago, Leaf told the three finalists that he was “shutting down” all communication until he makes his televised announcement Thursday at 3 p.m.
What is known, though, is that Leaf is an elite prospect, the kind that usually don’t hang around in college more than a year or two.
ESPN rates him the nation’s No. 3 power forward and No. 13 overall player from the class of 2016. Rivals. com has him at No. 15, Scout.com has him at No. 22. He was MVP of the under-18 European Championships, leading Israel to the B division final while averaging16.1 points and 8.4 rebounds in nine games. He’s a strong candidate to play in the McDonald’s all-American game next spring.
And from all accounts, he genuinely likes SDSU. He spent much of August there playing in pickup games, took an official recruiting visit in October despite probably knowing the campus as well as the tour guide, and seems to have made a connection with the Aztecs coaching staff. Last week he attended the exhibition at Viejas Arena against Cal State San Marcos — showed up a half-hour early, even— and watched the Aztecs run and gun their way to an 86-48 victory.
That certainly doesn’t sound like a guy who, most recruiting experts predict, is putting on a UCLA capThursday afternoon. But there are other gravitational forces tugging at the 18-year-old from El Cajon.
There is family history with SDSU. His older brother, Troy, initially committed to the Aztecs as a freshman at Foothills Christian in 2006, then decommitted in August before his senior year when, his father said at the time, “by my count they recruited seven more guards after Troy committed … so we had to change our course.” Troy, the leading scorer in CIF San Diego Section history, went to UC Santa Barbara for a year before transferring to Div. II Azusa Pacific, where he was Pac-West Conference player of the year as a senior last season.
T.J. also plays for AAUclub Compton Magic, where the other starters are Ike Anigbogu, Kobe Paras, Jalen Hill and fellow local product Jaylen Hands. Anigbogu, Paras, Hill and Hands have all orally committed to UCLA.
There are two connections. Bruins assistant coach David Grace has deep ties to the Compton Magic (he’s listed on its “alumni” page), and adidas is the shoe sponsor for both. (SDSU and Oregon are both Nike schools.) Adidas also sponsors Foothills Christian, where for years Brad Leaf has patrolled the sideline in a customized Knights coaching polo with an adidas logo. The extent of adidas’ relationship with Foothills Christian is not known, but there are no NCAA rules preventing shoe companies from providing gear (and funding) to high school andclub programs.
Adidas and Compton Magic representatives have repeatedly denied any undue influence. However, the issue has increasingly become an undercurrent in college basketball recruiting, particularly for the highest- profile prospects that one day might wind up in theNBA. There are exceptions.
Senior Winston Shepard and freshman Nolan Narain both played for adidas clubs on the summer circuit, both were highly recruited and both picked Nike-sponsored SDSU. Shepard, ranked 21st by Rivals.com from the class of 2012, is currently the highest- rated prep player landedby the Aztecs. There are also examples like Maryland, which is ranked third in the preseason Associated Press poll after several lean years and which has its athletics teams sponsored by Under Armour. The Terrapins’ top recruits from the last two prep classes are Romelo Trimble and Diamond Stone. Trimble played for the Washington-based DC Assault, Stone for the Milwaukee- based Young Legends— both Under Armourclubs. In 2013, many figured Maryland would also get Top 10 twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, who played for an Under Armour club in the Houston area. Both signed instead with Kentucky, aNike school.
“You saw a shift after the Harrison twins picked Kentucky,” said Aaron Burgin, who runs a respected basketball recruiting service in San Diego. “You could see the sneaker companies starting to become a lot more concerned about where their top guys were headed. Their influence hasreally ramped up. “It’s an unspoken underbelly of high school recruiting, but it’s there.”
FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN STAR IS STILL EYEING AZTECS
With UCLA, Oregon also in mix, Leaf to make pick Thursday
BY MARK ZEIGLER
The San Diego State basketball team played a closed-door scrimmage at UCLA on Saturday afternoon, then inched throughsoupy traffic back home. Where the battle against the Bruins continues is in a far more public fashion withfar greater stakes. Foothills Christian High senior T.J. Leaf, a 6-foot-10 forward rated as a five-star prospect by all the major recruiting services, is scheduled to announce his college decision Thursday on ESPNU. He initially committed to Arizona last fall, decommitted in August and has narrowed his list of finalists to SDSU, UCLA and Oregon. Most recruiting insiders say it’s down to theAztecs and Bruins. The Aztecs may have lost the scrimmage but still could win the player.
Leaf would be the highest- rated prep prospect to choose SDSU out of highschool. It has been a fascinating recruitment, beginning with the commitment to the Wildcats a full two years before he could put on a uniform. Since then … Leaf was cut last June from the U.S. under-19 World Championships team, which is coached by Arizona’s Sean Miller; played for Israel in the under-18 European championship instead (he qualifies for citizenship because he was born there while his dad played for an Israeli pro team); decommitted from Arizona just days after returning to the States; reopened his recruitment with a list of eight candidates that included Kentucky and Kansas; and has continued to elevate SDSU’s status from distinct outsider to viable contender.
Leaf and his father Brad,his coach at Foothills Christian, have said little publicly about the process (Brad did not return phone messages), only further shrouding his decision in mystery. Two weeks ago, Leaf told the three finalists that he was “shutting down” all communication until he makes his televised announcement Thursday at 3 p.m.
What is known, though, is that Leaf is an elite prospect, the kind that usually don’t hang around in college more than a year or two.
ESPN rates him the nation’s No. 3 power forward and No. 13 overall player from the class of 2016. Rivals. com has him at No. 15, Scout.com has him at No. 22. He was MVP of the under-18 European Championships, leading Israel to the B division final while averaging16.1 points and 8.4 rebounds in nine games. He’s a strong candidate to play in the McDonald’s all-American game next spring.
And from all accounts, he genuinely likes SDSU. He spent much of August there playing in pickup games, took an official recruiting visit in October despite probably knowing the campus as well as the tour guide, and seems to have made a connection with the Aztecs coaching staff. Last week he attended the exhibition at Viejas Arena against Cal State San Marcos — showed up a half-hour early, even— and watched the Aztecs run and gun their way to an 86-48 victory.
That certainly doesn’t sound like a guy who, most recruiting experts predict, is putting on a UCLA capThursday afternoon. But there are other gravitational forces tugging at the 18-year-old from El Cajon.
There is family history with SDSU. His older brother, Troy, initially committed to the Aztecs as a freshman at Foothills Christian in 2006, then decommitted in August before his senior year when, his father said at the time, “by my count they recruited seven more guards after Troy committed … so we had to change our course.” Troy, the leading scorer in CIF San Diego Section history, went to UC Santa Barbara for a year before transferring to Div. II Azusa Pacific, where he was Pac-West Conference player of the year as a senior last season.
T.J. also plays for AAUclub Compton Magic, where the other starters are Ike Anigbogu, Kobe Paras, Jalen Hill and fellow local product Jaylen Hands. Anigbogu, Paras, Hill and Hands have all orally committed to UCLA.
There are two connections. Bruins assistant coach David Grace has deep ties to the Compton Magic (he’s listed on its “alumni” page), and adidas is the shoe sponsor for both. (SDSU and Oregon are both Nike schools.) Adidas also sponsors Foothills Christian, where for years Brad Leaf has patrolled the sideline in a customized Knights coaching polo with an adidas logo. The extent of adidas’ relationship with Foothills Christian is not known, but there are no NCAA rules preventing shoe companies from providing gear (and funding) to high school andclub programs.
Adidas and Compton Magic representatives have repeatedly denied any undue influence. However, the issue has increasingly become an undercurrent in college basketball recruiting, particularly for the highest- profile prospects that one day might wind up in theNBA. There are exceptions.
Senior Winston Shepard and freshman Nolan Narain both played for adidas clubs on the summer circuit, both were highly recruited and both picked Nike-sponsored SDSU. Shepard, ranked 21st by Rivals.com from the class of 2012, is currently the highest- rated prep player landedby the Aztecs. There are also examples like Maryland, which is ranked third in the preseason Associated Press poll after several lean years and which has its athletics teams sponsored by Under Armour. The Terrapins’ top recruits from the last two prep classes are Romelo Trimble and Diamond Stone. Trimble played for the Washington-based DC Assault, Stone for the Milwaukee- based Young Legends— both Under Armourclubs. In 2013, many figured Maryland would also get Top 10 twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, who played for an Under Armour club in the Houston area. Both signed instead with Kentucky, aNike school.
“You saw a shift after the Harrison twins picked Kentucky,” said Aaron Burgin, who runs a respected basketball recruiting service in San Diego. “You could see the sneaker companies starting to become a lot more concerned about where their top guys were headed. Their influence hasreally ramped up. “It’s an unspoken underbelly of high school recruiting, but it’s there.”
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