Magnum Rolle, the talented prep standout who had fallen short of expectations at LSU but was considering transferring to USF, instead is headed to Louisiana Tech, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Tech had been considered a favorite in Rolle's recruitment because of associate coach Nikita Johnson, who'd recruited him to LSU. Louisiana Tech also reeled in a former LSU signee, Canadian D.J. Wright, one of the top recruits to jump back on the open market in recent months.
Losing out on Rolle likely means the Bulls will push now to sign Sean Carter, a 6-foot-9 forward from Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina who visited campus last week. Carter didn't get an official offer last week according to his coach at Laurinburg, but my understanding is he got a conditional "If I were to offer, would you accept" type feeler from Heath, who was keeping his options open. Carter might not have the same reputation as Rolle, but he won't have to sit out next season, making him a supporting player for Heath's first USF squad if the Bulls can lure him away from Big East rivals like Providence and West Virginia.
Times sportswriter Greg Auman, who covers USF, will post news and thoughts on the Bulletin and we invite your participation in the comments area.
I know there was uncertainty initially about Laurinburg and academics, but the school was approved by the NCAA before this past school year, and that's when Carter got there. Most of his relevant academic history is at 71st High School in Fayetteville, so Laurinburg would likely only matter with two or three core courses his senior year. There are three Big East schools recruiting him hard, and I don't think they'd do that if they weren't confident he could meet Big East academic standards.
Posted by: Greg Auman | June 16, 2007 at 10:18 AM
Seriously, has Laurinburg Institute been cleared from he banned school list. This "diploma mill" school has been under question from the NCAA.
Posted by: Dwayne Thomas | June 16, 2007 at 08:49 AM