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Rutgers Basketball Recruiting: More Offers, Updates and Final July thoughts

By Aaron Breitman
John Munson/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com-USA TODAY Sports

The summer has moved past the July live recruiting period and Rutgers was very busy tracking targets for both the 2016 & 2017 classes.  Here are new offers, updates and thoughts on where we stand with the current 2016 recruiting class.

New Offers:

De'Riante Jenkins:

I covered Rutgers pursuit of Jenkins during the July live period here, which culminated in an offer this week.  The 4-star wing has built quite an offer list in the past month.  They include Indiana, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Wake Forest, Clemson, Charlotte, Tennessee, South Carolina and Missouri.  ESPN, Rivals, and 247 all have him ranked among the top 65 players of the 2016 class.  The former teammate of Corey Sanders would be a huge addition to the roster.  He fits Eddie Jordan's style perfectly, as he is long, athletic and plays with a high motor.  He can also shoot the three and plays under control in a fast paced tempo.  Jenkins also plays with a competitive swagger, like Sanders, that is much needed in the program.  Getting a player of Jenkins caliber would be a tremendous win on the recruiting trail for Jordan, Shoes and staff.  Jenkins said he would cut his list down to the top five schools he is interested in soon.

Jose Alvarado:

Jose Alvarado is a 6'0" point guard from Christ The King high school in New York for the class of 2017.  The 3-star recruit has grown his profile this summer and his offer list continues to expand.  In addition to Rutgers, he has offers from Indiana, St. John's, Georgia Tech, Seton Hall, SMU, Miami (Fl) and VCU.  Alvarado has every opportunity to continue to make a name for himself in his junior season, as his teammate is national 5-star recruit and fellow Rutgers offeree Rawle Alkins.  However, Alkins trimmed his list to ten this week and Rutgers did not make the cut.  St. John's did and will continue to pursue Alvarado this season.  Eddie Jordan needs to prove he can beat Chris Mullin in head to head recruiting battles and Alvarado would be a good start.  The programs meet on the court this coming season on November 19th.

Updates:

Quentin Jackson Jr & DeAndre Hunter:

Rutgers offered both Jackson Jr and Hunter from the class of 2016 during the first week of the July live recruiting period.  Both players continue to garner offers and interest from top programs in the country.  Jackson Jr picked up an offer from Iowa State this week which gives him sixteen in total, according to 247sports.  The 3-star point guard hinted on twitter yesterday that he is sorting through his multiple offers but no word on any list cut down or decision.

Hunter, a 6'7" wing from Philadelphia has had a busy week.  He was on an unofficial visit this weekend at Arkansas.  In addition, he picked up offers this past week and a half from Georgetown, Villanova, Maryland and Virginia.  His recruitment has officially blown up after a strong week in Vegas during the last week of the July recruiting period.  Rutgers is facing an uphill battle to even land Hunter for an official visit.  The 4-star recruits full offer list is here.

Myles Powell:

Class of 2016 point guard and 4-star recruit Myles Powell trimmed his list to the top eight, which does not include Rutgers. It seems Eddie Jordan and staff had moved on when they offered Jackson Jr.

Kwe Parker:

On Wednesday, Kwe Parker sent out the tweet above, alluding to making a decision by the end of July.  The wait continues but hopefully a decision is coming within the week.  The likelihood of Parker committing to Wake Forest diminished even more yesterday.  3-star shooting guard Richard Washington committed on his official visit last night.  Wake is also pursuing guards Eli Wright and Koby McEwen.  With no confirmed offer from Florida, Rutgers is undoubtedly the favorite here.  Florida State is in the mix as well.  Unless additional offers from high majors come through soon, I expect Parker to commit to Rutgers.  They have recruited him the hardest and shown sincere interest, staying on him through his foot injury from February.  Parker has admitted that he is still working his way back from that injury.  It has kept him off the radar a bit during this past July recruiting period. Hopefully, it results in a commitment from Kwe that would be a major start for this current recruiting class.

Overall thoughts on the July recruiting period:

Eddie Jordan and his assistants Greg "Shoes" Vetrone, Van Macon and Dalip Bhatia were extremely active in July.  They made nine new offers including 2016 targets Jeff Dowtin and Jeriah Horne in addition to Jackson Jr, Hunter and Jenkins. Every player offered are rated 3-stars and 4-stars across the board.  The staff has more high caliber players in the recruiting mix than Rutgers has ever had.  .  Hopefully, the hard work this staff has put in will pay off in a major way.  No commitments as of yet but their efforts are being noticed.

It's obvious Jordan and staff had a specific plan for July and executed it well.  They have a clear vision for their team and have targeted versatile, athletic players who flourish in an up tempo pace.  They have four scholarships to offer for the class of 2016 and the potential for a program changing class is there.  Now is time for that dream to become reality.

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