E.L. Roberts Report (5/9)
BYU Basketball Recruiting Update
Cougars Offer Montonati
Wednesday it was officially announced that BYU has offered Jalen Montonati (6’6” Owasso, OK, Owasso). BYU coaches visited Montonati at his school on April 30, which was the last day of the recruiting period. Montonati is the 14th ranked player in the nation and widely considered one of the top shooters in the country. He is the Oklahoma Player of the Year after scoring 34 points and leading his team to an overtime victory in the state championship game. In a recent EYBL game, he scored 13 points, including hitting three threes in the final five minutes of the game, bringing his team from an 11-point deficit to eventually take the lead before surrendering it at the end. Montonati broke on to the scene averaging 26 points-a-game in the prestigious City of Palms Classic in December and leading his team to multiple wins over nationally ranked teams.
Cougars in Thompson’s Top 15
Anthony Thompson (6’7” Lebanon, OH, Western Reserve Academy) is the 24th ranked player in the class and recently narrowed down the group of schools he is considering to 15. This isn’t a huge accomplishment for BYU, as there’s clearly still water left to go under the bridge, but Thompson would fit in nicely with what the Cougars are building. He has great positional height and can knock down the three. He recently averaged 16 points a game in the first session of the Adidas circuit helping lead his team to an undefeated record.
Darius Bivens and Arafan Diane
BYU offered Darius Bivins (5’10” Alexandria, VA, Bishop O’Connell) last summer and he’s continued to be one of the top true point guards in the country. In October, he told PipelineProvo that BYU was in his top 3, but in recent interviews it seems as though Virginia and Georgetown have join the Cougars and Rutgers in his top echelon. The Cougars offered Arafan Diane (6’11”, Montreal, QC, Iowa United Prep) last fall and Coach Linehan was in the building when Diane played two games in Salt Lake City in March. After the first weekend of Adidas events, Bivens is leading the circuit in assists and steals. Diane is leading the circuit in rebounding.