Kansas University basketball recruiting

Class of 2019 point guard Markese Jacobs may have been impressed enough to commit to Kansas following Saturday’s Late Night in the Phog event at Allen Fieldhouse, but he was not the only weekend visitor who enjoyed his trip to Kansas.

The following is a quick look at some of the feedback from the top talent in the Class of 2017, which sent six of the Top 36 players to Kansas for Late Night.

Sexton excited by atmosphere

Collin Sexton, the No. 7-ranked player in the 2017 recruiting class, according to Rivals.com, took full advantage of his recent visit to Lawrence and came away with strong feelings about all aspects of the Kansas basketball program.

“It was a crazy atmosphere. I thought it was great,” Sexton told Matt Scott of TheShiver.com. “The fans really get into it and everyone at Kansas loves basketball and the players. It’s not always like that.”

Ranked as the No. 1 point guard in the class by 247 Sports, Sexton was one of 15 visitors during last weekend’s Late Night festivities. Hosted by guards Frank Mason and Malik Newman, Sexton spent time with the team both on and off the court, bonding at the team’s dorm and in the locker room and watching the Jayhawks run through a workout before leaving town.

Sexton said KU coach Bill Self emphasized the impact the 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard could have on the program if he were to pick Kansas and added that leaving Georgia for the Midwest would not be that difficult for him to do.

“It’s not a factor at all,” he told Scott. “I want to go where I have the best fit and where I can grow on and off the court.”

One way he could do that would be by playing with top-level talent and that fact was not lost on Sexton, who said he could see himself playing next to fellow five-star 2017 point guard Trae Young, should the Oklahoma prospect pick Kansas.

“We could definitely play together,” said Sexton, noting that he and Young could become KU’s next Fank Mason-Devonte’ Graham duo. “We can both score and play either guard position. It would be real good. Real, real good.”

With just one visit left to take — Sexton already has visited NC State, Alabama, Oklahoma State and Kansas — Sexton said he hoped to make a decision by the end of the month or the beginning of November and could sign during the early signing period in mid-November.

Brown eyes November signing

Five-star Las Vegas prospect Troy Brown, the No. 12-ranked player in the Class of 2017 according to Rivals.com, is planning to end his recruitment in November.

Brown, who was in town for an official visit for last weekend’s Late Night, told Shay Wildeboor of JayhawkSlant.com that he would take his final visit this weekend to Georgetown and then get busy deciding on his future.

“In November, I will sign for sure,” Brown said. “I don’t know how much more of the recruiting process I can handle. I would say, since being recruited since the eighth grade, it’s just really worn on me. I wish I would have cut (my list) to less schools, honestly, because it just kind of made it more hectic.”

That said, Brown told Wildeboor that he loved every second of his KU visit and added that, now that he’s a senior, things seemed much more real.

“With it being an official visit, we kind of understand why I’m here,” he said. “I know all of the players and I hung out with everybody…. I had a really good time with them.”

Riley raves

Power forward Cody Riley, another Class of 2017 prospect in for an official at Late Night, was blown away by his trip to Lawrence.

“My visit to Kansas was just unbelievable,” the four-star prospect told JayhawkSlant.com. “The atmosphere at Late Night in the Phog was that best that I’ve ever seen and I know that it’s the best atmosphere in college basketball. The fans make that place so special and they really support and care about the players. I really didn’t expect to see what I saw at Late Night.”

Riley, 6-7, 225 pounds, is ranked No. 34 overall in the 2017 class by Rivals.com and, thus far, only has visits planned to Kansas and UCLA.