Published: 5/01/2008
Author: Bob_Richards
© Old Gold Free Press Columnists
Bentley cancels Duke visitAlex Bentley's weekend visit to Duke was canceled, and she currently has no future visits set. Duke had expressed an interest in scouting 2009 point guards this summer, including Bentley, but had not indicated an offer was forthcoming. The ambiguity of Duke's plans reportedly factored into the decision to cancel the visit.
Meanwhile on Purdue's campus this weekend, the staff extended an offer to the visiting K.K. Houser of Southeast High School in Lincoln, Neb. Houser is also a 2009 point guard, now giving the staff what appears to be their two candidates at the point. Which also may indicate other 2009 point candidates such as Detroit's Sharena Taylor and Tennessee's Jessica Goswitz might be off the board. Both Bentley and Houser have expressed an interest in making a decision by the end of summer.
With the post and forward position candidates being stacked deep in 2009, and now a couple candidates at point guard, the staff can spend more time focusing on scouting the 2010 and 2011 classes this summer.
Wilson, Johnson with early club season titles
Two teams in the Full Package Lady Lightning program out of Illinois won their age divisions at the Adidas Super South Showcase in South Carolina. Purdue-bound Ashley Wilson and the Full Package Lady Lightning Elite Black 16U team came away with a title, as well as Purdue target Michala Johnson and the Full Package Lady Lightning Elite Platinum 15U team.
Both teams will play in AAU regional action this coming weekend, followed in two weeks by a visit to the Nike Mid-America Challenge.
New prospects
The aforementioned Houser is discussed in a recent blog from Mike Carmin. After stopping at Notre Dame and Michigan State following the Purdue visit, Houser came away excited about Purdue. Her list of schools includes Big Ten programs Purdue, Iowa and Michigan State, as well as Notre Dame, Nebraska, Iowa State, Creighton and Kansas State. Iowa State was the first to offer her a scholarship.
Michaela Houser, known as K.K., is a 5'6 point guard from Southeast High School in Lincoln, Neb. She was named an AAU All-American in 2005 while playing for the NE Cornhusker Shooting Stars, the program she was also playing with at the recent Deep South Classic where the Purdue staff caught several games. Houser helped Southeast High to their ninth Class A state championship in March. Houser had eight points, six assists and three steals in the game. Southeast's only loss this past season was a two-point loss to eventual Class B champion South Sioux City. She averaged 13.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.8 steals as a junior, filling more of a playmaker role due to the addition of Marissa Kastanek to the team this year. She also hit
And according to the Newport News, Purdue is on the list of the nation's No. 6 player, Cokie Reed of Waco, as well as Skylar Diggins. Reed, a 6'4 center, is also considering Baylor, LSU, Maryland, UNC, Rutgers, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas.
READ MORE: Journal and Courier
Big Ten Recruiting
Brianna Sanders is off the watch list following a recent commitment to Ohio State. The 5'10 junior guard is Ohio State's first 2009 commitment. She averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.2 assists in 13 games coming back from an ACL injury as a junior, and shot over 48-percent from the perimeter. Sanders chose the Buckeyes over Xavier, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and her father's alma mater Cincinnati.
READ MORE: Big Ten Recruiting: Commitments
