MADE Hoops WestMania recruiting rumor mill
NORWALK, Calif – MADE Hoops WestMania is under way in the Golden State, and the event attracted high-level grassroots teams from around the West Coast and beyond. Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy is in Orange County for the showcase and shares his takeaways from the first day of action below.
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UCLA, GEORGIA TECH HAVE HEAD STARTS WITH BRANDON MCCOY
College coaches aren’t permitted to call members of the 2026 class directly until June 15, and No. 1 overall prospect Brandon McCoy knows his recruitment won’t even begin to take shape until then.
Still, a handful of programs have gotten an early jump, as McCoy says there are a few coaches with whom he already has relationships through either reaching out himself or communicating with them through his coaches.
McCoy's recruitment will obviously get crowded this summer, so nothing any coach says or does at this juncture will have much of an impact down the road, but getting an early jump on things certainly can’t hurt.
“I had a decent relationship with Andy Enfield before the coaching change at USC,” McCoy said following his first game at MADE Hoops WestMania. “Then, my man Mick Cronin (at UCLA). Also, the Georgia Tech coach, Damon Stoudamire. He’s been at my school a few times and is just a really cool dude. He’s a legend.”
While UCLA and Georgia Tech have certainly managed to make early impressions on the five-star guard, the bluebloods and a handful of other heavy hitters are waiting in the wings. McCoy is anticipating his phone having a busy day on June 15 and is already embracing the looming chaos.
“I’m expecting a lot of coaches to call because I’ve worked hard enough and put in a lot of time and effort for all this, so I’m looking forward to it," he said. "I don't do all the work, eat right and get my sleep for nothing. The goal is to go to college and go to the NBA, so the calls will mean a lot to me.”
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HUDSON GREER MULLING THREE FALL VISITS
Four-star forward Hudson Greer says he’s unlikely to start his next round of visits until the fall, as he’s more focused on the grassroots season that he’ll play with JL3 of the Nike EYBL circuit. He is, however, starting to kick around possible destinations.
“Specifically, I’m going to visit Arizona in the fall,” Greer said on Friday night. “Then possibly taking another unofficial to Creighton. We’ll have to see with that. Hopefully, I’ll be visiting Alabama as well.”
According to Greer, it's the way Bama head coach Nate Oats allows his wings to get downhill but also shoot the three while bigs set screens on the perimeter is what piqued his interest in the Tide.
Meanwhile, it’s his relationship with Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd and the atmosphere in Tucson that has the Wildcats high on his list.
The draw of Creighton, he says, is the fact that he’d have a defined role from the moment he steps on campus.
“They use Baylor Scheierman as an example for me and show me how they use him,” Greer said “No offense to Baylor, but I’m more athletic than he is. That’s no offense, either, because he’s a better shooter. I’ll give him his credit. I could be in that role, though, flying around and being a wing, coming off screens – pick and pop,”
Greer hopes to finalize fall visit dates and destinations by the time the AAU season begins to wind down in July.
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ARKANSAS STILL INVOLVED WITH KAYDEN EDWARDS POST COACHING CHANGE
Left-handed shooting guard Kayden Edwards was a priority target for Arkansas before former head coach Eric Musselman bolted for USC and was replaced by John Calipari. The Razorbacks didn’t miss a beat with their recruitment of the four-star prospect, however, as holdover assistant Ronnie Brewer, who functioned as the school’s recruiting coordinator under Musselman, has already smoothed the transition.
“I talked to coach Brewer after the change,” Edwards said. “He called after the change and said he was still there and that he still wants me there so we’ll see.”
Edwards is also in contact with the new coaching staffs at SMU and Oklahoma State in addition to TCU. The Duncanville (Texas) High School star is in the process of scheduling a couple visits and has at least two destinations kicking around his head.
“The new staff at Oklahoma State was at my school recently so that was cool,” he said. “I want to maybe visit there and, for sure, TCU, since that’s right down the street from where I am (In Dallas).”
