Marquis Teague PG 2011

[Ukosumu]

Marquis Teague (http://kentucky.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=77385&sport=2)
http://vmedia.rivals.com/IMAGES/PROSPECT/PHOTO/MARQUISETEAGUE4_25150.JPG
http://vmedia.rivals.com/images/database/pdb05_star.gifhttp://vmedia.rivals.com/images/database/pdb05_star.gifhttp://vmedia.rivals.com/images/database/pdb05_star.gifhttp://vmedia.rivals.com/images/database/pdb05_star.gifhttp://vmedia.rivals.com/images/database/pdb05_star.gif
Point guard
Indianapolis (IN) Pike
AAU: Spiece Indy Heat
Ht: 6-foot-1
Wt: 165 lbs
Class: 2011

Rivals.com Rating: NR
Position Ranking: NR
Top Ten for the class of 2011 (8) (http://kentucky.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=2288)
Current list: Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio St, Purdue, Wake Forest, and Xavier.

[Ukosumu]

September 25, 2008
Teague visits Cincinnati
(http://kentucky.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?ReturnTo=&sid=&script=content.asp&cid=854841&fid=&tid=&mid=&rid=)
Brett Stein
BearcatLair.com

This past weekend 2011 PG Marquis Teague dropped in for a visit with his family to check out the Cincinnati campus. Marquis along with his mom and dad had a chance to get to see the campus, watch the players workout, and get to know more about UC.

[WildcatRick]

When Cincinnati was put back on the list it was thought he would for sure choose from that group of five, but this weekend he had another surprise, and this time it was maybe the hottest recruiting destination in the nation right now at Kentucky.

When asked about the newest addition Teague gave a reply that is starting to be heard from a lot of major talent since the hiring of John Calapari. "They've called my dad a few times, and that's a good fit. Coach Cal, that's a good coach, so I would love to play for him. We're gonna see what happens."

[WildcatRick]

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/56/567580m.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:photos();)
Ht: 6-1
Wt: 165
Position: PG
Year: Class of 2011
AAU Team: Spiece Indy Heat
High School: Pike HS (http://hsindiana.scout.com/)
(Indianapolis, IN)

2011 Scout.com HS Basketball Rankings (full list (http://kentucky.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=4&yr=2011&cfg=bb)):
Pos: PG
Pos Rank: #3
Pos Rating: http://media.scout.com/media/site_logo/rating.gif http://media.scout.com/media/site_logo/rating.gif http://media.scout.com/media/site_logo/rating.gif http://media.scout.com/media/site_logo/rating.gif http://media.scout.com/media/site_logo/rating.gif

Scout.com Player Evaluation:
STRENGTHS Ability to Create, Basketball IQ, Changes Speeds
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT Finisher

Big time guard. Can score, pass and create for himself and others. Only getting better. Love how he changes speeds. Brother was a late bloomer and he's tracking ahead of his Wake Forest sibling at the same stage.

[ibleedblue2]

They are coming in from everywhere. Here's to Cal:beer::beer:

[supertroy18]

This is such good news! I love hearing from this top talent that is coming in every year.

It seems that the big ones that have us on pins and needles this year will be more the exception than the rule. We could get some real early commits from year to year.

I love it!!!:icon_mrgreen:

[ibleedblue2]

Yeah, they will have to commit early just to get in.lol. And man we love it don't we?

[JMBluechip]

This is such good news! I love hearing from this top talent that is coming in every year.

It seems that the big ones that have us on pins and needles this year will be more the exception than the rule. We could get some real early commits from year to year.

I love it!!!:icon_mrgreen:

But what will we do for basketball entertainment in May?

[supertroy18]

But what will we do for basketball entertainment in May?


Enjoy all of our former "one and done" players playing in the playoffs for once!

Instead of just a few. (Watching Rondo and even Magliore has been fun. Don't really get to see Morriss in ATL. I am rooting for Miami though.)

[Blue_N_White]

Instead of just a few. (Watching Rondo and even Magliore has been fun. Don't really get to see Morriss in ATL. I am rooting for Miami though.)

I was rooting for the Hawks...and not because of Morris (although his playing there doesn't hurt). I just like Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby and Josh Smith. Joe Johnson might be THE most under-rated player in the NBA (along with David West). The Heat had their title a few years back, beating Dallas when I was rooting for the Mavs. So I'm glad the Hawks advanced past the Heat. I think the Hawks-Cavs series has the potential to be a very entertaining series (although I expect the Cavs to win in 5 or 6).....

[WildcatRick]

YP-4tvOgKsc

eqoCRHMPNGY

[WildcatRick]

Watching games at the King City Classic in Cleveland and Marquis Teague just talked with the media, giving an update on his status.

The talented 6-foot-2, 165-pound junior point guard from Indianapolis Pike said he is "having fun with" the whole recruiting process but said he wants to make a decision before the start of his high school basketball season in the fall.

Teague said he "was going to (make a commitment) but my dad wanted me to wait."

Now, Teague said his list of five schools is Louisville, Indiana, Wake Forest, Ohio State and Purdue. He said he was going to make a visit to U of L and IU and Kentucky sometime in August but noted the new UK staff had not made a scholarship offer.

"If they do, they would be in my top five," Teague said.

Jody Demling (http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/blog.html)

[WildcatRick]

Teague talked in glowing terms about Pitino and Crean and noted he will visit both schools — plus Kentucky — in August.

There has been speculation in recent months about UK's interest in Teague. He said Wednesday that he hasn't been offered a scholarship by new coach John Calipari, but his father told The Indianapolis Star that his son now has an offer from UK.

"If they offer, they'll be in my top five," Teague said Wednesday. "They're one of the best programs in the country, and its Coach Cal."

Jody Demling (http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090709/SPORTS11/907090356/Indianapolis+Pike+s+Marquis+Teague++so+good+it+s+r idiculous+) (2 pages)

[WildcatRick]

Zag’s blog has a post up today confirming that Marquis Teague will go forward with plans for an August visit to UK. Our good buddy Dustin is on the road, but just spoke with his dad and asked me to post this for him. Enjoy:

Right off the bat, his dad told Dustin that “Marquis likes UK a lot. We just need to go there and sit with the coaches and do those kinda things to get a gauge of where we’re at”, saying that they are definitely in the top of his potential schools. When asked if that meant in the “top 5″ or “top 3″, Teague’s father said he had “no problem putting them in the top 5″. He then reiterated the strong interest Marquis has in UK and said that he just needs to sit down with the coaches.

Also, Sir Rumbaugh asked if there was a chance that during a visit, not specifically his UK visit, that Marquis would commit to a school. His father replied definitively by saying “No, definitely not. We like to separate ourselves from the coaches and university and sit down as a family and see where we’re at.”

As far as when the visit will come, he is not sure of, they are in Dallas for Adidas Nations right now. When asked if they were going to try to get it in before school starts, Dustin was told that Teague’s classes started Tuesday, so it will be a weekend visit after the school year starts.

So, there you go. Another top point guard - and one who was widely believed to be a Filthy Card for a long time - taking a look at UK. That’s not a bad thing.

[PJ]

That's huge getting him on campus. We all know how Cal can work with these guards, so lets hope this will turn out good for us.


Good news though, thanks Rick and Dustin.

[Will Lavender]

Per Demling, Teague will visit UK on Saturday.

http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/blog.html

[KCKUKFan]

Per Demling, Teague will visit UK on Saturday.

http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/blog.html

BIG news. Hopefully he comes away impressed.

[WildcatRick]

Let’s take a little walk down memory lane, shall we?

Back a few months ago, we began talking about UK’s interest in a kid that, at the time, seemed to be a UL lock. Time passed by and we got to a point where UK was said to be getting some serious consideration but the problem was that their target, Marquis Teague, was set to make a decision in the coming weeks and didn’t yet have an offer from the Cats. That decision was delayed and we started telling you that delays were probably the best thing that could happen for UK and any delay at all could only be viewed as a positive.

Well, the decision has been delayed all the way through the summer and UK seems to have worked their way not only into Teague’s good graces, but possibly to the top of his list. Teague told me at the LeBron James Skills Academy that he would put UK right in with the rest of his top schools if they were to extend an offer in his direction. When UK finally did just that, the quick and flashy point guard came through on his part of the bargain by starting to list UK right in with his other top five schools, which also includes Louisville, Ohio State, Indiana and Wake Forest.

I spoke to Marquis’ father, Shawn Teague, about a week or two ago, and he told me that they were working on getting Marquis in for an unofficial visit for this upcoming weekend, a visit which Marquis has been saying he would like to take all summer. Shawn also said that Marquis really likes UK, especially since they got that one coach to come to Lexington, and wants to make the visit so that he can get a better idea of what the campus has to offer and also to allow the coaches to make their pitch to Teague on how he would be used and other things along those lines. Of course the family would also like to take a look at the facilities and academic offerings and the normal visit stuff. In the past week or so, the date for the visit was officially locked in for Saturday and here we are.

Where we are is at a critical boiling point for the UK/Teague relationship. While Shawn told me that his son will not commit while he is on a visit, opting instead on taking a step back, going home and removing themselves from the emotional high that occurs during a visit and then deciding where they are, this is still a major major opportunity for the Cats. Teague, according to most of the scouts that do rankings and matter, has pretty much solidified himself as the best point guard in the 2011 class and UK has a very good chance of landing him. UK’s amazing coaching staff has succeeded in getting Teague to delay his decision long enough for them to further scout him, build a relationship and eventually offer the prospect. UK will be giving the Teague family the royal treatment and I fully expect that fans will be hanging the “Welcome the Lexington Marquis” banners from the dorm room windows. From that point, everything else is out of the staff’s hands. They’ve done a miraculous job in getting the nation’s arguable #1 junior point guard’s recruitment to the place where it currently is and all that is left is whether or not the fit is right.

UK fans can only cross their fingers, play to Rupp for heavenly help and wait to see if Calipari & Co. are able to lock up the next…next…next great, possible lottery pick level, point guard to run John Calipari’s DDM offense.

[CatsFan4Evr]

YES!

http://bigblueuncensored.com/kentucky_wildcats/marquis-teague-loves-uk/

[CatsFan4Evr]

According to another site, Marquis loved his visit, and it sounds as if we could get a commitment from him soon. If true, UofL fans will be lining up to hang themselves from the 2nd Street bridge.

[BCO]

I dunno...thisll be a tough battle with UL for this kid...they been on him for a while and his family is real close to Coach Pitino...in my opinion we have a chance to get him but if we do Ill be pretty suprised.

[WildcatRick]

When you google Marquis Teague, the automatic finisher that google has installed tries to complete your search for you by adding “Louisville” to the end of the player’s name. That’s probably because Marquis, the 6′1 point guard phenom, has been rumored to be leaning toward the Cardinals and head coach Rick Pitino since just after birth. Marquis’ father, Shawn, played for Pitino during Pitino’s coaching days at Boston University and, just to be fair, Marquis likes the Cardinals too.

“That’s one of my favorite schools, one of my top schools. People are going to say that a lot, that I’m going to commit to a lot of my top schools, but [UL]‘ s just one of them. One of my top schools.”

People do say exactly that, about nearly all of the schools in Marquis’ top five. His current top five is Ohio State, Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky and Wake Forest. Purdue is also receiving serious consideration. The commitment rumors usually come backed with a reason based on familial connections and with good reason; Teague has quite a few connections to each of his top schools. Wake Forest turned his brother, Jeff Teague, into a star, Indiana is right in his home state and Purdue is another school located close to his family home. Louisville we’ve already pointed out, but Kentucky isn’t going to go out without giving a familial fight of their own. Marquis pointed out his family connection to UK, while speaking about some of the things he did on his visit to Lexington.

“We went down and saw the football field, so I got to meet the football coach and some of the football players. One of my cousins plays for the football team, so I got to see him.”

Marquis’ cousin is incoming freshman running back, Dakotah Tyler.

Of course, basketball was also a subject of the visit. Marquis was able to play against many UK players, including incoming freshman John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe is someone that Marquis remembered from the AAU circuit and every young point guard in America knows John Wall. Wall was someone that Marquis was especially excited to man up against.

“He was real good. That’s exactly who I wanted to guard to see what I could do against him. I did pretty good against him but it was pretty hard guarding him,” he explained. “He was real quick, real fast. He’s about to do big things this year.”

Shawn Teague had previously said that Marquis really liked UK and Coach Calipari and the reason for his upcoming visit was so that Marquis could get a better idea about what UK had to offer. When asked about what he learned during his visit, Marquis said, “Before when I was thinking about UK, I didn’t get to think about them as [in-depth] as a wanted to because I really hadn’t been there or talked to Coach Cal that much, but after going there and talking to him, I really like his system and how he’s talking about playing and how he’ll play with me. Just open court basketball and that’s how I like to play. On top of that, it’s just a great experience, a great school. I walked around the school and it was a great environment. I’m really liking Kentucky and they’re big on my list.”

Top guards always seem to be attracted to Calipari’s propensity for getting players, especially guards, to the next level. That quality attracts Marquis as well, who said, “I think about that a lot because that’s why I’m playing. I want to go to the next level and he proved that he can do that, time after time, with Tyreke and Derek and he’s about to prove it again with John Wall.”

Outside of basketball-centered activities, Marquis was also shown the academic center and counselors who Marquis felt would do a great job of keeping his academics in order. From here, Marquis will be taking visits to Indiana and Purdue. After that, he will sit down and make a decision about where he wants to attend college. The decision is planned on being completed by the time his basketball season starts in November. The Teague’s have continued to say that they will not make a commitment while on a campus, choosing instead to sit down and discuss all their options. After the UK visit, according to Marquis, they have still not had a sit down chat about the opportunity at UK but with all that they got to accomplish, UK has definitely made its best pitch and should be one of the top contenders.

Dustin Rumbaugh (http://kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=26553)

[Will Lavender]

Word elsewhere is that Rick Pitino has hired Teague's high school coach as a special assistant. A few folks are saying that Teague is close to a commitment to UofL.

Hard to criticize this too much since Pitino did the same thing when he was here, and Cal's done it at Memphis. But clearly Pitino sees Teague as a must-get if he's resorting to this sort of stuff.

[PJ]

Word elsewhere is that Rick Pitino has hired Teague's high school coach as a special assistant. A few folks are saying that Teague is close to a commitment to UofL.

Hard to criticize this too much since Pitino did the same thing when he was here, and Cal's done it at Memphis. But clearly Pitino sees Teague as a must-get if he's resorting to this sort of stuff.


Hah, I read that also. A move considered rather dirty by others, but we've seen it done a million times now.

Pitino knows that a Teague commitment would win back the fans that are close to the edge.

[Blue_N_White]

Truthfully....if Teague doesn't come to Kentucky...I won't lose too much sleep.

I watched a 5 minute video of this kid....and did not see one jump shot. NOT ONE!!!

Now...maybe it was JUST the video. But I've gotta think....in a 5 minute video...surely they could sneal ONE jump shot in there!!! I mean, SURELY!

Seems like Cal is in love with guys who penetrate. Which isn't a bad thing. But I'm really hoping for Doron Lamb to commit. And soon. We need guys who can shoot the rock...not just penetrate.

Maybe there's a reason some of Cal's Memphis teams seemed to suffer for the dreaded "free throw jinx"....

[ukbob]

It is sleazy and against the written rules but iis not enforced.

Can't say too much since Cal did this with Milt Wagner to get his son.

[Will Lavender]

Truthfully....if Teague doesn't come to Kentucky...I won't lose too much sleep.

I watched a 5 minute video of this kid....and did not see one jump shot. NOT ONE!!!

Not sure this is such a big deal for these point guards.

You see the same thing with John Wall. And Derrick Rose for that matter, and Tyreke Evans. The last two guys had jaw-dropping freshmen seasons.

I think we're talking about freaks of nature when we discuss guys like this. That's not to say that you're not going to be somewhat limited if you can't shoot, it's just hard to get a feel for if these types can or can't because they're so physically gifted.

Doron Lamb's another story. He's got designs on playing the point, but I still think he's a 2-guard. He better be able to shoot (and he can), as he's not in the same league athletically as guys like Wall and Knight and Teague and Selby.

[WildcatRick]

rWSY5KH9NaE

[UKDonkbet]

wow is right. Jumps off his right foot and dunks with his right hand. DUNKS ON A BIG TOO!!! very impressed