The University of Minnesota has several potential verbal commitments looming this week. Both Carlos Morris and Nate Mason are deep in the recruitment process and are nearing their decision.
Mason, proclaimed a combo guard by most recruiting analysts, is an offensive threat who’s most successful in a high-tempo system. Playing on one of the premier AAU teams in the nation, the CP3 All-Stars, Mason excelled in the system creating offense with a near 3-to-1 assist to turnover ratio and demonstrating his ability to hit open jump shots.
Minnesota would really benefit with the addition of Mason due to his potential to thrive in the fast paced offense that Pitino has instilled. He would also give Minnesota the depth at the point guard position with the chance to learn under Andre Hollins for a year.
Mason just completed his official visit at the University of Minnesota and had the opportunity to hang out with the team and watch the team scrimmage in which Pitino was given praise for his energy and coaching style.
“It was good, really good. The place was nice. I like the offense, the tempo they played at. They use me to run the team, score, get some wins under their belt,” said Mason to SNY.tv about his visit to Minnesota.
Many who have watched him play believe he’s very underrated. He’ll decide soon between Minnesota, Virginia, and Kansas State.
Also, with a decision looming, is junior college recruit Carlos Morris. Morris, once a South Carolina commit, decided to attend JUCO due to grades. During this past season, he was able to stabilize his academic situation as well as develop several aspects of his game to become a more complete player.
Morris had a really good time on his visit. Many locals in-the-know all but guaranteed a commitment based off his reviews.
“It’s definitely a good fit for me. I definitely can see myself in that system. The way they played and how they did things and how they handled things, it was big time. I liked it,” said Morris.
I’m surprised Morris hasn’t committed yet. He seems to be a great fit for the system with his athletic frame and scoring capabilities. It makes me wonder if there’s some activity going on behind the scenes where Pitino and his staff are wanting him to hold out on a commitment and see where other chips fall. It’s definitely something to keep an eye on.