Julian Phillips has been one of the most highly recruited perimeter prospects in the Southeast for a few years now with scholarship offers coming in from all over the country. But with his senior year now here, it’s time for him to start moving towards a decision on where he’ll play college basketball.
Last week, the South Carolina native took another step towards eventually making a decision by releasing a top four that included Florida State, LSU, Tennessee and USC. He’s taken official visits to each school and a decision should be coming in the not too distant future.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Florida State: “I think they have a great program under coach [Leonard] Hamilton. They always have great players and do a good job of getting players to the League.”
LSU: “I think coach [Will] Wade is a good coach. I have a great relationship with him. I had a great time on my visit down there. I like their free-flowing offense and the things they do. They have a good program.”
Tennessee: “I think coach [Rick] Barnes is a great coach. His track record speaks for itself with the guys he’s put in the NBA. I think Tennessee has a great program and I know they’ve had some success the last few years.”
USC: “They also have a great program under coach [Andy] Enfield. They’ve had success putting guys in the NBA. I had a great time on my visit out there with Coach Enfield, coach Mobley and coach Capko. I think they have a great program too.”
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RIVALS’ REACTION
The recruitment of Julian Phillips has left a lot of people guessing for quite some time now. Phillips admitted he still has moments where he finds himself leaning to each of the schools remaining on his list. Florida State has long been rumored as a favorite or potentially even the favorite. LSU and USC came on strong with great official visits. Tennessee was able to get the final official visit with the five-star prospect, but they are probably fighting a bit of an uphill battle here. It looks to be a three-team race down the stretch here between the Seminoles, Tigers and Trojans.