Memphis widens search for 2018 point guard recruit; 7-foot-4 center Connor Vanover plans visit

The dilemma facing Memphis Coach Tubby Smith as he combs the country for a point guard in the 2018 recruiting class quickly became apparent to Serrel Smith upon receiving a late scholarship offer from the Tigers earlier this month.

“It was kind of surprising,” admitted Smith, a St. Petersburg, Fla., native unrelated to the Memphis coach. “But they said that they’re losing a point guard.”

Finding a point guard has long been a recruiting priority for the Tigers in the 2018 class since current starter Jeremiah Martin is set to graduate following the 2018-19 season. Their intense pursuit of East star Alex Lomax is proof of that.

Inside the Memphis point guard wish list

But in recent weeks, Memphis appears to have widened its search with Lomax reiterating publicly that he will likely wait until after college basketball’s early signing period to pick a school.

In addition to Serrel Smith, the Tigers have also offered 2018 scholarships to 6-foot-3 combo guard Will Richardson of Oak Hill Academy, Nick Honor of Orlando and consensus top-40 recruit Ayo Dosunmu since college basketball’s July live recruiting period began. Richardson and Honor play with shooting guard Antwann Jones, another top Memphis target from Florida, on the same AAU program that produced current Memphis freshman David Nickelberry. 

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While Lomax remains at the top of the Memphis point guard wish list, Smith is also intensifying his recruitment of Cordova star Tyler Harris after he bolstered his stock with Team Thad over the past month. Though Harris said last month he wasn’t sure about the Tigers’ interest because they weren’t in contact with him frequently, that changed of late.

Harris wrote in a text message last week that Tubby Smith recently called to express, “I’m a top priority for them and a scholarship is there if I wanna take it now.” Harris spent this past week at Stephen Curry’s Select 30 Camp.

Tigers face fierce competition

But Memphis is dealing with plenty of competition on the recruiting trail, as Florida, Ole Miss and Wichita State are among the schools pursuing similar point guard options at this juncture. It’s why the Tigers have now offered scholarships to more than a dozen point guards during the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Take Serrell Smith, a 6-foot-3 guard with the ability to knock down shots from outside. He switched AAU teams for the July recruiting period, from Nike South Beach to the Adidas-sponsored Showtime Ballers, and it provided him with a platform to handle the ball more.

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As a result, Ole Miss, Wichita State, Temple, Rhode Island and Dayton have all offered scholarships recently. But, Smith noted, Memphis is also suddenly “in the mix and one of my top schools right now.”

7-foot-4 center to visit Memphis Thursday

Connor Vanover, a 7-foot-4 center from Little Rock, Ark., said in an interview earlier this week that he will be taking an unofficial visit to Memphis Thursday and go on a hard hat tour of the program’s new practice facility. It will be his third time on campus after going on an unofficial visit last year and attending a home game at FedExForum during Tubby Smith's first season.

“I talk to them often,” Vanover said of the Memphis coaching staff. “Being such a short distance away -- only 2.5 hours -- it’s not a very long commute. I’m starting to get really comfortable with them. They really say they can help me develop and help me get to the next level, and also really try to compete at a national championship level.”

The 2018 recruit announced this past weekend that he will attend Findlay Prep in Nevada for his senior year of high school and his college options are beginning to take shape. In addition to Memphis, Vanover said Tulsa, Rice, UTEP and Oral Roberts have been recruiting him the hardest recently, although he’s unsure on a decision date at this point.

Vanover is an intriguing prospect because of his length and ability to shoot 3-pointers, and he spent the offseason working on becoming more physical and active on the court with Texas-based Nike Pro Skills. He expects the move to Findlay Prep will further that progress.

“I’m hoping to really develop myself as a player, so that when I come into college next year, as soon as I get in, I want to be ready to play,” Vanover said.

Memphis makes cut for Days

Top-100 2018 recruit Darius Days of Gainesville, Fla., announced Tuesday on his Twitter account that Memphis had made his list of top 11 schools. The Tigers were joined by Kansas, North Carolina, Louisville, LSU, Indiana, Ohio State, Xavier, Providence, Wichita State and Texas A&M.

Memphis still faces an uphill battle to actually secure a commitment from the 6-foot-7 forward, who is being recruited primarily by assistant coach Joe Esposito.