MAJOR BREAKING NEWS!!! Update on . . . Isaiah Armwood

A source close to the Villanova program has informed me that 6'8 forward Isaiah Armwood of Montrose Christian (MD) has committed to the Wildcats. Northstar Basketball is the FIRST site to report this commitment. Again, Isaiah Armwood has committed to Villanova. He will pair with Maalik Wayns of Roman Catholic (PA) in what is looking like an amazing recruiting class. It will be interesting to see if the top-notch Big East programs can keep the commitments rolling in. I just got off the phone with Armwood. He told me that he officially committed "yesterday," and that “the past week . . . [he] wanted to get it done.” The Montrose Christian star told me this regarding the commitment: “Basically it’s one of the biggest decisions I’m ever going to make.” I asked Isaiah why he chose the Wildcats, to which he responded by saying that he reached his decision by “looking at how it was going to affect [him] in the long run and set [him] up for the future.” Armwood and Wayns already have a close relationship, so the two may well have great chemistry at the college level . "[We are] kind of like brothers. . . . [We] talk to each other all the time. We really have a good relationship because we talk so much,” is what Isaiah said about his relationship with Wayns. “Yeah, it’s possible, I don’t see why not. . . . I’m going to try to talk to them and see if I can have an impact on . . . [their] decision,” was what Armwood told me regarding whether he would try to convince players such as Montrose teammates Tristan Spurlock '09 and Terrell Vinson '09 to commit to Villanova. It seems that Vinson might be a good option for Armwood, as he told “I know Terrell a lot, we’ve played together all our lives,” though he did say, "I don’t think I can totally convince nobody." Regarding the timing of the commitment, I inquired of the stud forward whether he was always planning on committing the summer after his junior year, or if the timing just felt right this week: “I always told myself I was going to commit sometime during the summer, . . . [but I] didn’t know it would be this early.” Isaiah Armwood is a fine talent, and Jay Wright and Co. must be quite happy to have him headed their way.

Update on . . . Markese Tucker, Wayne Newsom, Dondre Whitmore, and Frantz Massenat

The offers are continuing to pour in for Dondre Whitmore, Frantz Massenat, Wayne Newsom, and Markese Tucker. All four of them were offered by Iona today, with official offers coming within the past few hours. Tucker, Massenat, and Whitmore all play for the Trenton Catholic Iron Mikes (NJ), while Newsom is a member of the Piscataway Chiefs (NJ). All four are in the class of 2010, and their lists should continue to grow over the summer. Massenat is currently leading the bunch with five offers.

Update on . . . Tyshawn Taylor

Marquette's Head Coach Tom Crean is leaving the school for Indiana, according to numerous media outlets, including ESPN.com and Rivals.com, and this obviously has an impact on the Golden Eagles' class of 2008 recruits, including 6'4 guard Tyshawn Taylor of St. Anthony's (NJ). I just spoke to Taylor about the breaking news regarding the Marquette program, and about what his future will be. "It was a shock to me, . . . I'm kind of shocked. . . . I didn't really know [that this was going to happen]," said Taylor of Crean's departure from the university for IU. I inquired as to whether or not Taylor would seek a release from his Letter of Intent to the school, to which he replied "I don't know, . . . I'm not sure. . . . I didn't have a lot of time to think about it. . . . I'm going to talk to my coaches about it. . . . I have no idea, . . . I want to see what coach they bring in. . . . If a coach comes in and changes the style [of play, that would not be something I'd like]. . . . I want to go to Marquette. . . . I love Tom Crean." I followed that up by asking him if he'd consider following Crean to Indiana, and he said, "I don't know, . . . I just want to see what he's thinking." Tyshawn told me that he "hasn't talked to [Crean] yet." I questioned Taylor about what schools he would look at if he was let out of his LOI, and he answered saying "I don't know. . . . I don't know what schools are really interested." He informed me that prior to choosing Marquette, his other finalists were "Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, . . . North Carolina and Kansas," and that "those were the five schools [he] planned on visiting," though he only got to check out "Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech," along with Marquette. Taylor's response to my inquiry of whom he would like to see hired by the university was: "I don't even know. . . . That's what separated [Marquette] from all the other schools that were recruiting me, the coaching staff." I followed that up by asking the New Jersey star if he would like to see one of the assistants hired, to which he said: "I think that would be nice. . . . I fell in love with those guys. . . . I doubt that any of the assistants would get hired, but it would be nice." He specifically mentioned Brent Williams, the coach that recruited him along with Crean. Taylor, who described his initial reaction as "upset and confused," said "honestly, . . . I don't even know what guys are out there," answering my question of what coach he would select of all realistic candidates. "I didn't know this was [going to] happen. I didn't even know," Taylor said. I asked him if the other Marquette recruits' decisions of whether to stay or go would affect his choice: "Probably, . . . I have a good relationship with those guys. . . . If they leave, I'm probably going to [as well]," adding "that [it] would a good chance" of him going elsewhere should other players do so. The "style of play" at Marquette was a main drawing card for Taylor, so it is important to him that whoever the new head coach at the school is does not have a completely different coaching philosophy from Crean. I will let you all know with happens with Tyshawn Taylor once Marquette selects a new coach, and maybe even before, should the search take a while. Stay tuned!

Note- photo is of Tom Crean, and is from http://espn.go.com/