US PRESSWIRE- Gary A. Vasquez
Julius Randle, Rivals.com class of 2013’s top player, is slowly but surely trimming down his recruitment list after five in-home visits and a recent official visit over the weekend to Kentucky.
Randle recently reported his takeaway from each of his in-home visits.
Duke: “It was pretty good. Coach K didn’t have to do anything special as far as bringing anything to show off. He just had to be himself. Just having Coach K in my living room was amazing. He was teaching me things about my game and telling me how he can develop me as a player at Duke.
Kansas: “I think Coach (Bill) Self’s visit was probably one of the best of the week or maybe even the best at selling his program and why I would fit there. He explained to me what he would want me to do and how he would help me get better. It was at the end of the week and it was the shortest too, so that wasn’t bad either.”
Kentucky: “Coach Cal is Coach Cal. He came in and he’s one of the coolest coaches out there. He was just himself. He wants me to come in and be the top draft pick. He sees me as somebody to get it to on the break to use my speed and quickness. He sees a way to use my dribbling ability whether it be on the break or playing at the elbows.”
North Carolina: “Everybody kind of heard about this one. Coach (Roy) Williams came and he brought all of his rings and kind of put on a little show for me. It was a lot different than the others, but also very informing. He really sold the culture of UNC basketball while he was here.”
N.C. State: “They see me coming in there and filling the role of a guy like C.J. Leslie because they think he’ll be gone for sure after this year. They see me as somebody who can play the four-spot in their offense. They are really confident that I could showcase my whole skillset in their offense. They also stressed how big basketball is at N.C. State and how they are trying to build and compete for a national title.”
Randle also said that his recent trip to Lexington did not disappoint and he was impressed by the family atmosphere.
“I kind of knew what I was going to get from the program and what they do,” Randle said. “What I got out of the visit is that it is really just a family. They are going to push you hard to be the best you are going to be and you aren’t going to like it sometimes. But at the end of the day you know they care about you. The coaches are good guys and care about you.”
Randle also did not fail to notice the aggressiveness of the fan base as well.
“The fans are crazy,” he said. “Everywhere you go the fans are saying ‘Come here.’ It’s pretty crazy, but cool at the same time.”
Randle has another round if in-home visits coming up, but he does not have a set time-table for trimming his list of schools down a bit.
“I’m not even sure what is next right now,” Randle said. “Maybe after these in-homes I will cut it down to five or something like that. Or I might just take a quiet period away from it all. I need to focus on school and getting ready for the season. Since I’m not deciding until the spring some time away might not be a bad thing. We’ll just see.”
