When Kobie Eubanks’ topsy-turvy recruiting saga is finally over and the electrifying 6-foot-5 wing selects a school, his announcement could certainly elicit lines such as “finally” and “at long last…”
Texas A & M, Baylor, and Georgetown are currently the frontrunners for the 20-year-old Eubanks, out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The prolific scoring, well-built guard is currently one of the nation’s last unsigned recruits standing.
Eubanks de-committed from Alabama right before the fall 2015 semester. He penned with the program in June, projected as Avery Johnson’s most highly-rated Class of ’15 recruit.
Eligible to get on the floor as early as December, Eubanks certainly doesn’t feel as if he’s on a race against time.
“There’s no deadline, I’ve just got to weigh my options,” said Eubanks, who earned a qualifying ACT score earlier this month.
“Right now, I like what Georgetown has to offer. I’m still looking to visit Texas A & M as soon as I get done with some paperwork. I’ll still look at my options with St.John’s and Auburn and a few others, it’s one day at a time right now.”
Eubanks has twice re-opened his recruitment.
He de-committed from Baylor and Alabama, both due to academic situations that would render him ineligible.
Baylor has renewed their heavy pursuit of Eubanks, swiftly re-offering the high-flying scoring threat with a deft touch from well beyond the arc.
He was forced to de-commit from the Bears initially, following a transcript issue that would render him ineligible.
“It had nothing to do with my feelings for the school,” said Eubanks, who could finally crack an NCAA roster as early as December.
“It was an academic situation that occurred at American Heritage (FL.) that I had no control over. I still look at Baylor the same way. My thoughts and interest in the school have not changed, since the time I originally committed and was ready to go there to today.”
While his feelings about Baylor remained the same, his feelings about American Heritage have been sullied by a messy alleged grade manipulation lawsuit. Eubanks’ father, Clayton Eubanks, filed a lawsuit against Plantation American Heritage, claiming the school altered his grades to intentionally cost him his scholarship at Baylor.
Eubanks said he’s not certain if Texas A & M will be his last campus visit, albeit he’s stoked about the opportunity to see the campus and chop it up with the coaching staff.
Eubanks’ seemingly never-ending recruiting process is jarringly similar to that of former Lincoln High (N.Y.) wunderkind and current Los Angeles Clipper Lance Stephenson.
Stephenson landed at Cincinnati at the 11th hour in 2009, ending a wild ride on which rumors and speculation ran rampant.
Stephenson played one year under Mick Cronin before following the long green paper trail to the NBA draft.
Up until that point, the Bearcats hadn’t even been in the picture for the Brooklyn-bred Stephenson, who was said to be headed to Kansas and then St. John’s that spring.
Though Eubanks comes entirely without the baggage and oft-noted character flaws which plagued Stephenson’s recruitment (Stephenson dropped from one of the nation’s most heavily pursued recruits to the last unsigned All-American standing), the long road to a college campus is similar.
