Top-ranked 2014 recruit Emmanuel Mudiay bypassed college basketball's traditional powers to play for SMU, a school that hasn't reached the NCAA Tournament since 1993.
Photo by Keith Owens
Top-ranked Class of 2014 basketball recruit
Emmanuel Mudiay rocked the college basketball world Saturday by making a stunning verbal commitment to head coach Larry Brown and Southern Methodist.
Mudiay, a 6-foot-4 combo guard at
Prime Prep (Dallas), announced his decision during ESPNU's live broadcast of the Under Armour Elite 24 game. The Mustangs overcame a strong push from Kentucky as well as power programs like Arizona, Baylor and Kansas.
"Larry Brown and his staff clearly aren't backing down from bigger programs trying to get the top players from Texas," CBSSports.com college basketball writer Jeff Borzello said. "He didn't bat an eye against Kentucky for Mudiay, making him a priority despite everyone saying he was a done deal to Lexington."
Mudiay was installed as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2014 earlier this month by 247Sports.com Director of Basketball Scouting Jerry Meyer.
"It's rare to find a point guard with the tools that Emmanuel Mudiay possesses," Meyer told MaxPreps. "He has a lethal combination of size, speed, explosiveness and feel for the game. He's a strong competitor and hard worker. Mudiay's only weakness is an inconsistent outside shot."
Mudiay helped Prime Prep go 37-2 last winter and reach the semifinals of the National High School Invitational. He was recognized as a top performer at June's Pangos All-American Camp and averaged 14.6 points per game in 13 appearances with Texas Pro on Nike's EYBL circuit over the summer.
This isn't Brown's first major success on the recruiting trail since taking over at SMU. The Mustangs signed another highly touted guard in the spring in Keith Frazier of
Kimball (Dallas), who Meyer pegged as the No. 26 overall prospect in the 2013 class.
"Mudiay is basically the culmination of what has been a really good recruiting stretch for Brown, with Keith Frazier, Yannick Moreira and all the transfers," Borzello said. "He has the Mustangs ready to compete in the AAC."
Brown has the distinction of coaching NCAA and NBA championship teams, but is 52 games under .500 in his last four seasons on the sideline and had rocky endings with the New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats. SMU went 15-17 in his first season at the school in 2012-13.
