Tulsa zeroing in on top 2017 basketball target
When Tulsa extended an offer to 4-star guard Victor “VJ” Bailey Jr. back in April, they joined a large group of top basketball programs vying for his commitment. The 6-foot-3 standout from Round Rock (TX) McNeil quickly became Tulsa’s number one target to fill its only open scholarship in the 2017 class, and he’ll be on the TU campus this weekend for an official visit.
Bailey, who is rated as the nation’s No. 94 overall prospect, racked up over 20 scholarship offers. Aside from Tulsa, he also picked up offers from Kansas, Indiana, Texas, USC, Ohio State, Arizona, Arkansas, Wake Forest, Creighton, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas A&M, TCU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Illinois and others.
Bailey made an unofficial visit to Tulsa back in June and began taking official visits this month. He visited Texas A&M on September 2 and visits TU this weekend. He also has a visit scheduled to Oregon on September 23. However, it’s obvious that Tulsa coaches hope to garner a commitment soon before Bailey takes any other trips.
Currently ranked as the No. 2 prospect in Texas by Texas Hoops, Bailey had an excellent summer on the AAU circuit, performing well at Pangos in June and the Great American Shootout in July.
“Bailey showed off an explosive first step on drives and next level leaping ability once he got to the rim,” said Rivals National Analyst Eric Bossi. “He got serious lift on his jumper and is a very comfortable shooter to beyond the three-point line.”
Bailey’s mother, Tonja Buford-Bailey, attended Illinois and went on to win the bronze medal in the Women’s 400m Hurdles at the 1996 Olympics. She is now the Associate Head Track Coach at Texas. His father, Victor Bailey, played wide receiver at Missouri before a three-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
With two former high-level athletes as his parents, Bailey is getting plenty of guidance when it comes to recruiting.
“I get everything (from them),” Bailey told Power Mizzou in March. “They tell me how it works, how coaches think and what they’re thinking and the responses they want and don’t want.”
As a junior last season, Bailey was outstanding in leading McNeil to a 24-8 record. He was named the co-MVP of District 13-6A in Texas after averaging 22 points per game, including a career-high of 40 in one contest.
While Tulsa is recruiting a handful of other guards, Bailey has clearly been the Hurricane’s top target for quite some time. With only one scholarship currently available for the class of 2017, this weekend is extremely important for Tulsa basketball.
• MORE: TU Basketball Recruiting Update
• MORE: Hoops prospects offered by TU in 2017-2020 classes
• DISCUSSION: Tulsa’s recruitment of VJ Bailey