http://blog.northstarbball.com/Jayvaughn Pinkston, SF, 6'5, Bishop Loughlin (NY), #78
Favorite: Tennessee
2nd in Line: Marquette
3rd in Line: Arizona
Watch Out for: St. John's, Miami
The sturdy combo forward seems to be considering eight schools at this point in Tennessee, Marquette, Arizona, St. John's, Miami, Villanova, Seton Hall, and Rutgers. The two NJ schools are probably at the bottom of the list, with Tennessee, Marquette, Arizona, and St. John's as the main four. Miami and Villanova are also in play, and should not be counted out. I think UM probably has a bit of a lead on Nova because of the NYC connection that already exists, with Durand Scott '09 and Malcolm Grant on the roster. Location does not seem to be something that is a major factor for Pinkston, who has been in the national spotlight for quite some time. Tennessee made a strong push over the summer and the Vols may well be in the lead for Pinkston, though it is tough to tell which single program is the favorite. Marquette is in great position to get Jayvaughn as well. Both Bruce Pearl and Buzz Williams would love to add the athletic NYC baller to their roster. Arizona is another program with a direct connection to the Big Apple, which is where assistant coach Book Richardson is from. He has already made recruiting inroads there, and St. Raymond's (NY) forward Sidiki Johnson '11 has popped for the Wildcats already. If Pinkston wants to stay local, it appears he will choose Norm Roberts and Co. over VU, RU, and SHU. At one point St. John's was considered to be the leader, but some other programs have made major pushes after Pinkston's great summer. Although there are nearly 10 schools involved, there seem to be four at the top, with six solidly in play.