HAMPTON, Va. – Cleaning out the notebook from the final day of the Nike-EYBL Sunday: Jimmie Taylor has a top five, a Louisiana big man turns heads, the next big thing out of Beantown and more.
Taylor's top five reads Alabama, Georgetown, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Taylor has top 5
Greensboro (Ala.) East big man Jimmie Taylor, who patrolled the paint for Alabama Challenge to the tune of 8.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game over the weekend, listed a top five consisting of Alabama, Georgetown, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. All but the Wildcats have offered.
But other schools are also throwing their hats into the ring. Taylor said Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Louisville and Illinois, who offered Thursday, are also coming on strong.
Jones turns heads
Playing alongside Julius Randle on Team Texas Titans, you're bound to draw a ton of attention and Baton Rouge (La.) Scotlandville 2013 big man Damian Jones used that to his advantage over the weekend.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks through five games in Hampton, including a 20-point, 8-rebound, 6-block effort against the Metro Hawks Sunday.
That kind of play has led to new interest from Florida, Vanderbilt and Tulsa to go with renewed interest from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Alabama and LSU.
"I'm improving," Jones said. "I'm still trying to get better."
Sophomore Wayne Selden looks like he could double as a middle linebacker.
Jones was very effective in pick-and-roll situations, scoring around the basket and converting from the free throw line while also making life difficult on opponents with his length at the defensive end.
He says Oklahoma State and Alabama are coming the hardest but has also heard from head coach Johnny Jones and the new staff at LSU.
"They're looking good," Jones said. "Seems like their recruiting is going well. They called my dad."
Beantown's next big thing
There has been no shortage of great players come through the BABC program and it looks like Tilton (N.H.) combo guard Wayne Selden has next.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound guard who looks like he could moonlight as a middle linebacker, averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists on the final day of action.
Afterward, he said he's trying to hone his point guard skills so he can play either position at the next level.
"I'm a two but I'm trying to develop my one skills," Selden said. "That's something I want to do."
One of the pure shooters in the 2013 class, Rathan-Mayes has added a slew of new offers over the past two weeks.
Selden listed an early offer sheet that included UCLA, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio State, Boston College, UConn, West Virginia, Virginia, Providence and Missouri.
"There's no timetable. I'm just playing basketball," Selden said. "I'm looking for an up tempo offense, a school that can develop me as a player, a school that's like a family and can win games."
Sharpshooter scores a slew
Standing just 6-foot-2, some had their doubts about CIA Bounce guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes, but the sharpshooter from Toronto has put many of those concerns to bed with his play in the EYBL.
After making 13 of 29 three's (44.8 percent) while averaging 18 points per game in Minneapolis, Rathan-Mayes racked up new scholarship offers from UCLA, Oregon, Alabama, Seton Hall, LSU and South Florida.
He continued his hot shooting in Hampton, averaging 14.2 points while canning 15 shots from beyond the arc in helping CIA claim the only undefeated EYBL slate at 9-0.
Texas Tornado
Texas Pro 2014 5-star point guard Emmanuel Mudiay blew through Hampton like a Texas tornado, proving himself as one of the top sophomores in the country, averaging a cool 23.6 points and 6.0 assists in three games, including a 31-point, 8-rebound, 8-assist performance in a losing effort Sunday.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound lead guard told 247Sports back in January that Kentucky was his leader but backed off of that statement Sunday.
"I'm just keeping my options open," Mudiay said. "They stand out though. They've been calling my school and talking to my coach."
Mudiay also listed Baylor, Texas, Kansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, "most of the Big 12" and Marquette.
"I'm just working on getting better," Mudiay said. "I love the competition here."
Chris Fisher is a national recruiting analyst for the 247Sports Network.
- Chris Fisher
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