5-star player visits USF

Posted May 3, 2012 by Joey Johnston

Updated May 3, 2012 at 09:59 PM

More evidence that University of South Florida men’s basketball recruiting is on the upswing: Justise Winslow, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward from Houston who is ranked No. 7 nationally by Rivals.com for the Class of 2014, made an unofficial visit to USF on Thursday. Winslow, who averaged 22.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists for Houston St. John’s during his sophomore season, toured the newly renovated Sun Dome, which officially opens this weekend with the school’s graduation ceremonies.

Winslow, a five-star prospect who will be hotly pursued during the summer basketball circuit, is being recruited by the likes of Arizona, Baylor, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA and Villanova. It might seem a long way off, but the recruiting cycle has accelerated in recent years so a rising junior is very much in play during the summer.

The Bulls, 22-14 last season and one victory away from the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16, have had recent success recruiting in Texas. Point guard Anthony Collins, a member of the Big East All-Rookie Team and USF’s team MVP, is from Houston. The Bulls also have incoming freshman Zach LeDay of The Colony in suburban Dallas. LeDay has seen Winslow play and calls him a “great player with a nice all-around game. He should be a good player at the next level.’‘