July evaluation period: first weekend roundup

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the weekend:

Kobi Simmons has narrowed his list to Ohio Stat, Xavier, Georgia, UNC, Kentucky and Arizona. Has visits set for Kentucky and Xavier.

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) July 12, 2015

Being in play for a five-star PG is not the same as landing one, but Simmons is arguably the top point in the 2016 class. Everybody and his mom wants to get him onto campus, but so far Xavier and UK are the only teams with that opportunity. Simmons's father is from the Cincinnati area, and Simmons himself is close with Kaiser Gates, a former high school teammate of his.

Other players that Xavier was evaluating this weekend include:

• Three-star 2016 SG Jagan Mosely
• Four-star 2017 PF Goanar Mar
• Three-star 2017 wing Ryan Stipanovich
• Four-star 2016 wing Tervell Beck
• Four-star 2017 PG Paul Scruggs
• Five-star 2017 wing Kris Wilkes

The Muskies were also tracking 2016 PG target Xavier Simpson, who capped one of the most productive performances on the weekend by hitting the game-winning shot for his King Jams squad against the New Jersey Playaz:

Even though face-to-face interaction with the players is strictly prohibited on-site during the evaluation period, these weekends are vital for coaching staffs as they develop their strategies regarding who to pursue hard and who is either not a good fit for the team or drawing more focused attention from programs likely to land him.

Of course, the players know who the coaches are, and being seen monitoring one player or the next can have a big impact on how the recruiting experience develops in the fickle mind of a high school basketball star.