Alabama prep to visit Kansas basketball

No. 24 Lacey eager to compare UK, KU

Blue-chip basketball prospect Trevor Lacey, who had spent the last 48 hours on an official recruiting visit to the University of Kentucky, returned to his tornado-ravaged home state of Alabama on Wednesday afternoon.

“The power was out for seven days. It came on just an hour ago,” Lacey, a 6-foot-3 senior shooting guard from Huntsville’s Butler High School, said in a phone interview Wednesday night from Huntsville.

“It (tornado) knocked a couple houses down in my city, but it wasn’t anything like Tuscaloosa (which had extensive damage).”

Weather concerns kept Lacey from making an official recruiting visit to Kansas University last weekend. He has rescheduled that trip for Saturday and Sunday and says he’s looking forward to seeing KU up close and personal so soon after checking out Lexington.

“I enjoyed it. It was great,” Lacey said of his visit to UK. “Just seeing how coach (John) Calipari is … he’s passionate, always helping his players. He’s always on the go about them,” noted Lacey, Rivals.com’s No. 24-rated player who has a final list of KU, UK, Alabama, Auburn, North Carolina State and Connecticut.

Lacey, who averaged 31.2 points a game last season, said he’s “looking forward to getting to know coach (Bill) Self better this weekend. I met him one time. He seems like a cool guy.”

Lacey believes there’s a great chance of immediate playing time as a freshman at Kansas.

“Yes, sir,” he said. “That’s why I’m coming to visit.”

Lacey, who has also visited Alabama and Auburn, said he might visit either N.C. State or UConn prior to the May 18 conclusion of the spring signing period. He said he had no target date for his final decision.

Daniels update: No. 10-rated DeAndre Daniels, a 6-8 senior forward from IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., will choose between KU, Duke and Texas after visiting with his father at IMG sometime before the end of the signing period.

“I love the overall atmosphere at Kansas,” Daniels told Rivals.com on Wednesday.

“I love everything about Duke,” he noted.

Of UT, he said: “I like the style of play and think I would fit in well with it.”

Ware lists KU: No. 70-rated Kevin Ware, a 6-4 senior guard from Rockdale County High in Conyers, Ga., has decommitted from Central Florida in the wake of ESPN’s extensive scrutiny of his recruitment.

Ware, who signed with Tennessee in November but asked out of his letter of intent after the firing of Bruce Pearl, plans to visit Georgia and Louisville, his dad told Rivals.com. Ware reported on Twitter that his list consists of KU, K-State, Georgia, UCLA and Louisville.

Dooley update: KU assistant coach Joe Dooley, who reportedly interviewed for the head-coaching job at George Washington University earlier this week, appears to be running neck-and-neck with Vermont coach Mike Lonergan for the job, ESPN’s Andy Katz reported.

“A number of sources close to George Washington, both inside and out of the A-10, expect the choice to replace Karl Hobbs to come down to Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan, who is in good with new AD Patrick Nero (the former America East commissioner), and Kansas assistant Joe Dooley, who played at GW and has plenty of booster support,” Katz wrote on ESPN.com.