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Trent is no dummy and its not a coincidence that he chose a school in an ENORMOUS talent-rich area.

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I posted that the minute he was signed. He went to where there are more players. and got a raise. and its a Christian school, so his low key approach will go over better in the homes of recruits.

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Pelle news
Has the Norvel Pelle situation cleared at all?

- Ryon P.

In a word, no. The situation surrounding the recruitment of Norvel Pelle hasn't really cleared up. The 2011 five-star is still working to qualify academically during a prep school year that started in Pennsylvania and has taken him back to his native California. San Diego State is the school most prominently mentioned with him. He was supposed to take a visit to Iowa State during the winter, which ended up being postponed and has yet to be rescheduled.

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Howard College sophomore Shavon Coleman said he has spoken to new #LSU coach Johnny Jones and told him he's "very interested" in the Tigers.

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Jones' longstanding ties with the local prep and AAU scene will turn a weakness for the LSU program into a strength. He's already familiar with the most influential AAU coaches in the state, Quannas White and Greg Holmes. In fact, White's younger brother, Josh, played four seasons for Jones at North Texas.

"It I were coming back and thought I needed an introduction to those (AAU) guys then I'd be in trouble," Jones said. "I have a connection. I never lost track with those guys."

Louisiana is loaded with young hoops talent. Jarrell Martin of Madison Prep and Brian Bridgewater of Episcopal in Baton Rouge will be top 100 recruits next year. Sophomore Craig Victor is the next "big thing" out of New Orleans. The eighth grade classes in Baton Rouge and New Orleans are already being hailed in basketball circles as the deepest and most talented in recent memory.

Jones' long-term success at LSU will be determined largely by his ability to lure some or all of these kids to Baton Rouge. His recruiting acumen was one of the main reasons for his hire. In one season at Alabama, he lured Mo Williams out of Jackson, Miss., to Tuscaloosa. He beat the bushes at North Texas to sign a potential lottery pick in power forward Tony Mitchell.

If anyone can mend the fences in state recruiting circles and simultaneously build one around the border, it's Jones. He's uniquely qualified to get the job done. The future success of LSU basketball depends on it.

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It's well-documented that there are still plenty of unsigned players waiting for the right situation, including Thibodaux, La., forward Shavon Coleman. But in the scramble to make up for lost time, Jones said he refuses to make the mistake of signing players just to sign them.

"We don't want to waste any scholarships and be hung out there with somebody for the next three or four years that's not going to help move the program forward," he said.

That sounds like quite a balancing act. Jones smiled wryly when asked about highly touted prospect Ricardo Gathers, who signed his letter of intent with Baylor on Monday morning. There isn't an abundance of uncommitted talent left, nor is there a lot of time to identify them. Jones' time on the recruiting trail during the weekend, before he was even introduced, is a telling sign of that truth. After being hired Friday evening, Jones said he had already talked with the LSU compliance office about the current recruiting situation by Saturday morning.

"I hit the road. I had an opportunity to go visit with some kids out there. I spent some time with Malik Morgan, who (LSU) had signed before, just to make sure we had some hands-on," Jones said. "We've been working really hard. I can tell you it's kind of been a one-man wrecking crew right now for me, because no one else is on board."

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Any of you local guys know anything about Michael Lewis from Slidell? any reason he signed with Oakland and not LSU. Signed in November and this is a prime candidate for flipping now.

LINK

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Unless we lose out on some guys,

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