E.L. Roberts Report (1/15)
BYU Basketball Recruiting Update
BYU in Nate Ament’s Top 11
Nate Ament (6’9” Manassas, VA, Highland) is the number four player nationally and the top undecided player in the country. Today, he released a list of the final 11 schools he’s considering and included BYU on his list. Since at least September, BYU Coach Brandon Dunson has been seen at many of Ament’s games. BYU’s inclusion is a little bit of a surprise as Ament never mentioned an official offer from BYU. His instagram lists 36 schools that have offered him and does not include BYU. He has taken visits to Notre Dame, Tennessee, Louisville, Texas, Virginia, Duke and Virginia Tech. The two Virginia schools didn’t make his final 11.
Ament played against A.J.’s Utah Prep team in November. You can see the highlights, stats, and analysis of the game. Ament, like Dybantsa has great length and shoots and dribbles at an elite level. Signing him would certainly raise BYU to an even higher stratosphere, but questions remain. Is BYU one check away from signing two top five players in the country? After hearing of Dybantsa’s financial arrangement, is Ament using BYU to leverage higher offers from another school? The betting site Fanstake currently has Louisville as the favorite, with BYU in 6th. The recruiting website 247 that frequently offers crystal ball predictions for players, currently has no guess on Ament.
Ament has commented: “I’ve heard from BYU some, and they’ve been to a practice. I’ve actually talked with AJ since he committed. You know, having me and AJ on the same team, two high-level wings, would be enticing for us to both grow as freshmen, pursuing our dreams of the NBA. So that would put them a little more into play for me since AJ committed.”
Players of the Week
Ikenna Alozie (6’2” Glendale, AZ, Dream City Christian) Alozie showed out this weekend at the Grind Session event in Kentucky. Matched up against a Kansas commit and Prolific Prep, Alozie went for 30 points 10 rebounds and 3 assists.
Arafan Diane (6’11”, Montreal, QC, Iowa United Prep) At the same event, Diane had 21 points and 14 rebounds as his Iowa United team won by 22 points.