Will UGA and Georgia Tech show up for ex-Tennessee recruit?

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Kevin Ware, one of the top unsigned basketball prospects in the nation, will have a better idea on which schools have the most interest in him beginning on Friday.

Friday (April 15) is the start of an NCAA “contact period” when college coaches can observe the ex-Tennessee basketball recruit working out at Rockdale County High School and also make in-home visits with the 6-foot-4 guard. It lasts for five days.

Who will be there? Louisville, South Carolina and Central Florida are good bets. There’s also the possibility of representatives from UGA, Alabama, Georgetown and UCLA.

“Those are the schools that Kevin really likes, and they seem to like Kevin, too,” the prospect’s stepfather, Wesley Junior told the AJC on Wednesday night.

What about Georgia Tech? “Everybody keeps asking us about Georgia Tech, and we haven’t heard anything from the new coach [Brian Gregory] or through the grapevine,” Junior said. “I just don’t know. I’m not sure. Maybe they haven’t had the opportunity because of the ‘dead period.’ I guess if they show up on Friday, they are interested.”

What about Georgia? Ware’s family said they contacted Bulldogs coach Mark Fox and his staff. “They said they would love to have Kevin there,” Junior said. “They think they could have one of the best backcourts in the country with Kevin and [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope]. Georgia really has an interest in getting Kevin there and seeing how they can develop him as a point guard.”

Louisville, UGA and Central Florida appear to be the early leaders for K-Ware (Photo provided by adidas)

What about Ware’s former school, Tennessee? New Volunteers coach Cuonzo Martin has told Ware that his Tennessee scholarship is still good, according to Junior. However, Martin has been prevented from meeting in person with Ware because the team’s previous staff under Bruce Pearl used up Tennessee’s three off-campus visits earlier in the school year.

“It’s unfortunate,” Junior said. “We may have to go up there on an unofficial visit. We’re waiting to see how it plays out. If meeting with Coach Martin in Tennessee is something that Kevin wants to do, then we’ll make the ride there so he can get a good feel for everything.”

Ware was actually scheduled to make an official visit to Central Florida this weekend, but postponed it because of the “contact period.” Ware wants to meet and greet coaches on his home turf before setting up any of his final four official visits.

Ware is ranked as the nation’s No. 56 player by Rivals. He averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds while leading Rockdale County to its first appearance in the state championship since 1987.

– By Michael Carvell, AJC Recruiting Blog

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