2012 Instate Target - Jelon Hornbeak

Billy Gillispie is familiar with the depth and quality of talent the state of Texas produces annually.  While an assistant for Bill Self at Illinois, Gillispie specialized in recruiting Texas talent north to Champaign.  While the head coach at UTEP and A&M, he stockpiled homegrown talent in building those programs from obscurity to NCAA tournament regulars.  In his short tenure at Kentucky, it was argued by some that he was overemphasizing 2^nd tier Texas talent when Kentucky fandom desired the types of recruiting classes that Calipari is presently providing.  In Lubbock, Gillispie will be back recruiting where he is most comfortable and he is definitely focused on establishing relationships and pipelines in the great state of Texas.  One talented Texas prospect who is currently drawing and reciprocating interest with the Tech staff is Jelon Hornbeak.

Jelon (or Je’lon) Hornbeak is a 6’3+ two guard.  He plays in the DFW metroplex for powerhouse Grace Prep (Arlington).  This past summer he played for another powerhouse, Texas PRO.  Accompanying him at Grace Prep and Texas PRO are Ike Austin (2012, Baylor verbal) and Emmanuel Mudiay (2014).  Austin and Mudiay are two of the top players in the country.  Incoming A&M freshman guard Jamal Branch also played this past season at Grace Prep.  Also playing with Texas PRO are two other top 100 recruits who are 6’7+, Chicken Knowles (2012) and Danuel House (2012).  While not a true point guard (Mudiay does that as well as anyone in the high school ranks, regardless of age), Hornbeak is certainly capable of running a team in a pinch.  He is a versatile and athletic guard who does a little bit of everything on the floor.  Playing with such talented teammate hinders Hornbeak’s stats but speeds up his development.  Learning how to affect a game as a team’s third or fourth option is something that most players are not forced to do until reaching college.  Giving good effort on defense and knowing how to pick his spots offensively is not something that Jelon will be unfamiliar with by the time his freshman season rolls around.  This will allow Hornbeak to be ready to contribute on the college level from day one.  What college Hornbeak will be contributing from day one has yet to be decided.  According to NBEBasketball.com, Hornbeak has no favorites and lists Texas Tech, Pitt, Iowa, Cal, Oregon, Oklahoma, Providence, and Penn State as the school after him the hardest.  

Tech is one place where Jelon certainly would be counted on to play major minutes immediately.  And even though he claims no favorites, Jelon plans on signing early.  This would be a huge instate recruit for Gillispie to pair with Jordan Goodman in 2012.  Two big for their position, athletic, versatile athletes who have competed and proven themselves at the highest levels of both summer and school ball would be a very welcome start for Red Raider fans to Gillispie’s first recruiting class. 

Coming up later this week will take a look at an in state post player that Tech is hard after.

Photo courtesy of NY2LASports.

2012 Tech Offer - Brandon Taylor

According to Raphielle Johnson of NBEbasketball.com, Billy Gillispie has offered Trenton Catholic Academy and Team Philly power forward Brandon Taylor.  Taylor’s Team Philly point guard Maurice Watson also holds a Tech offer.  Taylor is a class of 2012 power forward who is listed at 6’6 by Yahoo and 6’8 by Team Philly and ESPN.  Taylor has recently picked up an offer from Miami to go along with offers from Drexel, Penn State, Maryland, and Siena.  And obviously the Red Raiders.

Taylor patterns his game after Dirk Nowitzki and his hair style after Terran Petteway and pre-buzz Jordan Goodman.  He is a physical and mobile player who is a mismatch for most bigs because of his ability to shoot from the outside.  However, Taylor is not your typical jump shooting high school big man.  He is listed at 235lbs and described as physically developed.  So unlike many high school bigs who develop a jumper because they are not strong enough to bang inside, Taylor has the ability to throw his weight around inside as well.

 

An obvious and predictable trend that is developing in the early stages of the Gillispie era:  heavily recruiting the northeast.  Although Coach Walker has many contacts throughout Texas, it is obvious that he has developed contacts throughout the northeast in his time at Villanova.  Until the staff is rounded out (preferably with someone with deep Texas connections) and even after it is, I would look for Walker and Gillispie to continue to put an emphasis on the northeast, particularly Philadelphia.  And I also suspect that, despite their abnormally large 2011 class, Gillispie and Co have about as many offers extended for the class of 2012 as any staff in the country.

Here is a youtube video of Team Philly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crgSSWNUZiE

I suggest skipping to 1:25 to avoid a whole lot of nothing and then you can see Watson and Taylor executing a pick and pop culminating with a Taylor game winning 3 pointer.  Taylor is number 34 with the hair and Watson is the little guy, number 4. 

Photo courtesy of Team Philly