'10 TN SG Jalen Steele (Miss St Verbal)

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BearcatAlum1

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2010 SG: Jalent Steele
6'2" 165lbs
Knoxville, Tennessee
Fulton High School
AAU: Tennessee Travellers

Offer: No.
Other offers: Wright State, Charleston, Marshall, Auburn
Interest: UCLA, Cincinnati, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Miami FL

Signed LOI to Auburn in September 2009, but may explore new options because Auburn had a recent head coaching change (hired Tony Barbee).


Jalen Steele, one of Auburn's top signees, be courted by others (March 22, 2010)

There's never quite the rush to hire a basketball coach over, say, a football coach, because such turnovers are seldom done in the midst of a recruiting season.

Or are they?

One of Auburn's best-looking basketball signees -- Jalen Steele -- is being courted by other schools, including Alabama, he says, in the aftermath of Jeff Lebo's firing, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. He could sign with another school and be eligible immediately, if Auburn lets him out of his national letter of intent. If Auburn doesn't let him out, he'd have to sit out a year if he signs with somebody else.

Other schools have certainly expressed an interest. Steele says he wants to see who Auburn hires.

"It's opened new doors for me,'' Steele said.

Why are the likes of Alabama, Georgia, UCLA, Miami and Cincinnati checking in on the guard? Here is why: Steele was named Tennessee's Class AA Mr. Basketball after averaging 24 points per game at Fulton High School in Knoxville.

http://blog.al.com/goldmine/2010/03/jalen_steele_who_is_one_of_aub.html



I know a little about Steele. The kid is a winner. He wants to play at a big-time school. He is a very good shooter. At least 80% from the FT and can fill it up from deep.

This is the shooter that everyone has wanted.
 
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BCN showing he has been released from his LOI, and that UC has been in contact. Not sure if true or not. Someone find out for me?
 
swg said:
BCN showing he has been released from his LOI, and that UC has been in contact. Not sure if true or not. Someone find out for me?
Click to expand...

Huge news.

According to the Knoxville News, shooting guard Jalen Steele has asked Auburn University for a release from the National Letter of Intent he signed with the Tigers in the fall.

Auburn recently fired Jeff Lebo and hired Tony Barbee as their new head coach. Barbee met with Steele and Fulton coach Jody Wright on Monday, the paper reports.

"I think that without a doubt Coach Barbee is going to be successful at Auburn, but I just don't know that Jalen felt as comfortable with the situation at Auburn as he did," said Wright. "He may end back up at Auburn. But, at this point, he wanted to ask for his release to see what else is out there."

As of Thursday (April 1) the release was still pending.

According to Wright, UCLA, Cincinnati, Florida, Miami, Alabama and Georgia have been in contact with Steele after learning of his decision to re-open things.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recr...hool?schoolId=2&page=briefingroom&season=2010
 
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bearcat jeff said:
I can't confirm the release, but I can definitively say that a recent as 4 hours ago the Auburn Beat reported he requested it.
Click to expand...

Report: Jalen Steele wants release from Auburn
By Evan Woodbery
April 02, 2010, 11:05AM

Jalen Steele, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Knoxville, Tenn., who was considered one of the top players in former coach Jeff Lebo's class, has requested a release from his letter of intent.


His coach told the Knoxville News-Sentinel that Steele wanted to "see what else is out there."


The full report is here.


New Auburn coach Tony Barbee has inherited six signees from Lebo, but it's not clear if all of them will qualify academically.


Anthony Salter, a 5-11 guard from Iowa Western Community College, has also requested a release, according to AuburnSports.com.

http://blog.al.com/auburnbeat/2010/04/report_jalen_steele_wants_rele.html
 
Florida enters fray for Jalen Steele....


Kevin Brockway
April 6, 2010

Add another guard to Florida’s growing spring wish list.

According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Florida is among a handful of schools that have inquired about Auburn Class of 2010 signee Jalen Steele. Steele, a 6-foot-3 180-pound guard from Fulton High in Knoxville, Tenn., signed with Auburn last November when Jeff Lebo was still head coach. But Steele is looking to get out of his letter of intent due the coaching change from Lebo to Tony Barbee.

“I think that without a doubt Coach Barbee is going to be successful at Auburn, but I just don’t know that Jalen felt as comfortable with the situation at Auburn as he did,” Steele’s high school coach, Jody Wright, told the News-Sentinel. “He may end back up at Auburn. But, at this point, he wanted to ask for his release to see what else is out there.”

Steele, the Class AA Tennessee player of the year, is considered an excellent perimeter shooter out to 22 to 23-feet. Of course, Florida had great success with another 3-point bomber from the east Tennessee region. Lee Humphrey, from Maryville, Tenn., still holds the NCAA Tournament record for most 3-pointers. Humphrey was an underrated cog in UF’s back-to-back national title runs in 2006 and 2007.

According to Wright, UCLA, Miami, Cincinnati and Alabama also have asked about Steele’s status. Steele’s perimeter shooting would be a welcome addition to a Florida team that finished an uncharacteristic 11th in the Southeastern Conference in 3-point shooting last season. The Gators wound up 2009-2010 shooting 31.3 percent from beyond the arc.

http://brockway.blogs.gatorsports.com/10614/more-on-recruiting/


Nothing we didn't already know, besides Florida is interested. Florida only graduates one player (Dan Werner) and is very guard heavy. Also, this guy largely ripped a prior article. He should have made mention of that...........this is plagarism.
 
2010 AA Mr. Basketball Jalen Steele has re-opened the recruiting process just a week before signing day after being released from his letter of intent by Auburn.
By: Steve Phillips and Chris Budden

2010 AA Mr. Basketball Jalen Steele has re-opened the recruiting process just a week before signing day after being released from his letter of intent by Auburn.

Fulton coach Jody Wright confirmed that Steele had received the paperwork from Auburn releasing him from the letter he signed back in November when Jeff Lebo was the Tigers' basketball coach.

Lebo was fired after last season, and replaced by UTEP's Tony Barbee. Steele did not feel as comfortable with the new coach and his style of play. After two meetings with Barbee in recent days, Auburn agreed to release Steele from his LOI.

Jalen is thought to be looking at a handful of schools, including at least three in the SEC: Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

Steele led Fulton to back-to-back state championships before falling short in the state tournament in 2010.

http://www.wbir.com/sports/story.aspx?storyid=118252&catid=5




Auburn basketball releases Jalen Steele from his scholarship
By Charles Goldberg -- The Birmingham News
April 08, 2010

Jalen Steele, one of Jeff Lebo's most promising basketball signees last November has been released from his Auburn scholarship.

New Auburn coach Tony Barbee has released Jalen Steele, a guard from Fulton High School in Knoxville, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. Steele was named Mr. Basketball for Class AA in Tennessee after averaging 24 points per game his senior year.

Steele met with Barbee on March 29 soon after Barbee replaced the fired Lebo.

Auburn originally beat out Marshall and Western Kentucky for Steele's services, but, after a big senior season, more SEC schools have called, including Alabama, Florida and Georgia, as well as UCLA and Cincinnati.

http://blog.al.com/goldmine/2010/04/auburn_basketball_releases_jal.html
 
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Why didn't auburn put a "no other SEC school" demand into his release?

Sure would have helped us. ;)
 
cincycpaw said:
Why didn't auburn put a "no other SEC school" demand into his release?

Sure would have helped us. ;)
Click to expand...

Haha. Yes, it would have....

I cannot tell if you are serious or joking, but schools will rarely restrict a "recruits" choice of school after release from an LOI, as opposed to a player that enrolls, plays a season, then decides to transfer.
 
Jalen Steele waiting for another release
April 9, 2010

So as it turns out, Fulton High School senior guard and Class AA Mr. Basketball Jalen Steele still can't have contact with college basketball coaches -- even after being released Thursday from his national letter of intent by Auburn.

Fulton coach Jody Wright said Friday that the 6-foot-3 Steele was unable to meet with Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury, who flew in late Thursday night, because Steele also has to be released from his SEC letter of intent.

Wright said that release will likely come Monday when the conference commissioner returns to the office; however, Monday (April 12) and Tuesday will be dead-period recruiting period days.

That still didn't stop Stansbury from coming. He and Wright met Friday afternoon. Steele's holding pattern hasn't deterred others, either.

Cincinnati, Texas and Ole Miss will try to make it in this weekend.

Steele has four official visits left.

With the amount of teams calling, texting and visiting, he has quite the decision to make to simply even choose where he'll visit. Wisconsin, UCLA, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and LaSalle have also made contact with Wright

http://blogs.knoxnews.com/preps/archives/2010/04/jalen_steele_wa.shtml
 
Ole Miss, Miss. St, already after Fulton's Steele
By Jesse Smithey
April 8, 2010

Jody Wright’s cellphone has been pushed to its limit the last few weeks.

Bad thing is: it has no breather on the horizon.

Auburn released Fulton High School senior guard and Class AA Mr. Basketball Jalen Steele from his national letter of intent on Thursday, and it set off another barrage of calls and text messages to Wright — Steele’s coach.

“It’s been wild,” said Wright.

The signing period for basketball begins Wednesday and ends May 19.

Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury got in touch early with Wright and snagged a plane ticket to Knoxville so he could meet with Steele Thursday night.

Ole Miss assistant coach Torrey Ward called Wright Thursday to set up a meeting with Steele for this morning in Knoxville.

“I’ve heard from everybody from LaSalle to Cincinnati to Wisconsin,” said Wright, “along with the other schools who had been in contact with me before.”

Steele committed to Auburn in September and signed with the Tigers in November. But when coach Jeff Lebo was fired March 12, Steele took a wait-and-see approach to whom Auburn hired.

Meanwhile, shortly after Lebo’s ouster, schools such as UCLA, Cincinnati, Georgia, Miami, Alabama and Florida made calls to Wright.

A few days after meeting with new Auburn coach Tony Barbee on March 29, Steele decided he didn’t mesh with the new direction of the program and asked for a release.

Wright felt Auburn would release Steele. He wasn’t sure when.

“We’re glad not only to have it (the release) but to have it in a timely manner,” said Wright. “It’s good for both parties. It’s good for Auburn, and it’s good for Jalen.

“He’s just relieved. But that was just a part of it for him. Now he’s got to decide. So the whole circus starts again. He knows he’s got another big decision in front of him.”

Wright said it’s not a given that Steele, who averaged 24 points as a senior, will remain in the SEC.

“He’s not married to the SEC,” he said. “But I think, obviously, a kid in the South, as I’ve always said, most kids in the South want to play in the SEC or ACC.”

Steele weighed the option of going out west. Getting recruited by UCLA and Southern Cal intrigued him.

Right now, he’s thinking of staying in the South.

“I wanted to go out to California,” he said. “But my family says, ‘No, it’s too far out. We can’t get to you.’ But then again, it might be better for me to go farther away from them to learn life experiences. There are more basketball talents out there to help me get better at my game.

“But I’ll probably stay near the South, stay near them (family members), so they won’t be as worried.”

NCAA coaches have been locked in a recruiting dead period that was lifted Thursday. Another comes Monday through Wednesday of next week. So if Steele is to schedule a visit, it will likely come after the forthcoming dead period.

He has four official visits remaining. He took one (to Auburn) back in the fall.

“Right now,” said Steele, “my uncle (1999 KIL player of the year and former Austin-East standout) Jazz (Kimber) just tells me to take every visit.

“Enjoy it. Soak it all in

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/apr/08/040910steele/
 
BearcatAlum1 said:
Ole Miss, Miss. St, already after Fulton's Steele
By Jesse Smithey
April 8, 2010

Jody Wright’s cellphone has been pushed to its limit the last few weeks.

Bad thing is: it has no breather on the horizon.

Auburn released Fulton High School senior guard and Class AA Mr. Basketball Jalen Steele from his national letter of intent on Thursday, and it set off another barrage of calls and text messages to Wright — Steele’s coach.

“It’s been wild,” said Wright.

The signing period for basketball begins Wednesday and ends May 19.

Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury got in touch early with Wright and snagged a plane ticket to Knoxville so he could meet with Steele Thursday night.

Ole Miss assistant coach Torrey Ward called Wright Thursday to set up a meeting with Steele for this morning in Knoxville.

“I’ve heard from everybody from LaSalle to Cincinnati to Wisconsin,” said Wright, “along with the other schools who had been in contact with me before.”

Steele committed to Auburn in September and signed with the Tigers in November. But when coach Jeff Lebo was fired March 12, Steele took a wait-and-see approach to whom Auburn hired.

Meanwhile, shortly after Lebo’s ouster, schools such as UCLA, Cincinnati, Georgia, Miami, Alabama and Florida made calls to Wright.

A few days after meeting with new Auburn coach Tony Barbee on March 29, Steele decided he didn’t mesh with the new direction of the program and asked for a release.

Wright felt Auburn would release Steele. He wasn’t sure when.

“We’re glad not only to have it (the release) but to have it in a timely manner,” said Wright. “It’s good for both parties. It’s good for Auburn, and it’s good for Jalen.

“He’s just relieved. But that was just a part of it for him. Now he’s got to decide. So the whole circus starts again. He knows he’s got another big decision in front of him.”

Wright said it’s not a given that Steele, who averaged 24 points as a senior, will remain in the SEC.

“He’s not married to the SEC,” he said. “But I think, obviously, a kid in the South, as I’ve always said, most kids in the South want to play in the SEC or ACC.”

Steele weighed the option of going out west. Getting recruited by UCLA and Southern Cal intrigued him.

Right now, he’s thinking of staying in the South.

“I wanted to go out to California,” he said. “But my family says, ‘No, it’s too far out. We can’t get to you.’ But then again, it might be better for me to go farther away from them to learn life experiences. There are more basketball talents out there to help me get better at my game.

“But I’ll probably stay near the South, stay near them (family members), so they won’t be as worried.”

NCAA coaches have been locked in a recruiting dead period that was lifted Thursday. Another comes Monday through Wednesday of next week. So if Steele is to schedule a visit, it will likely come after the forthcoming dead period.

He has four official visits remaining. He took one (to Auburn) back in the fall.

“Right now,” said Steele, “my uncle (1999 KIL player of the year and former Austin-East standout) Jazz (Kimber) just tells me to take every visit.

“Enjoy it. Soak it all in

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/apr/08/040910steele/
Click to expand...

Cincinnati's not that far from Tennessee.
 
Jalen put up 46 in the Tennessee R2AA championship game. Scored close to a third of those from the ft line in the final minutes sealing the game.

Some of the Vols fans who have seen him think he will be a role player in college, some say he is a star on the court but has some off court character issues, some say he is the third best player in E. Tennessee. These are fans opinions and should be regarded as such. One thing is certain and that's that the kid can flat shoot the rock. He plays pg for his high school team.

An interesting side note is that UCLA is one of the schools interested in him. With UC and UCLA both being interested in Burton too, I thought that was food for thought. Florida is as well, and Miss. State is hard after him.
 
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BearcatReport has a link to there message board that reads that Jelen Steele is visiting UC tonight. I am not able to read the details but this is very interesting news.
 

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