2010 IU recruit Brandon Mobley planning Nov. visit to Bloomington

November will be a big month for 3-star basketball recruit Brandon Mobley.

Along with beginning his final high school basketball season, he will also be making one of the biggest decisions of his life.

Luckily for Mobley, he’s narrowed his choices down to three schools.

Mobley recently announced he had whittled his possible college choices to Cincinnati, South Carolina and IU. He said he plans to visit IU in November and make a decision that same month, prior to the start of his final season at Windsor Forest High School.

“I was liking the program when Eric Gordon was playing there,” Mobley said of the 2007-08 season. “Then, my old coach is an assistant coach down there. That was just a little icing on the cake for me.”

Prior to coming to IU, assistant coach Roshown McLeod led the Atlanta Celtics, an AAU team Mobley played with.

If the Atlanta Celtics sound familiar, it’s because David Williams, a player from that team, has already committed to IU.

Williams, an unranked player picked by IU coach Tom Crean and his staff in April, said he has spoken with Mobley about choosing IU.

“Of course I try to persuade him to come up there with me,” Williams said. “He’s just weighing his options and taking everything in.”

Mobley said he sees the advantages of coming to play with Williams next year.

“If I go there, I won’t be by myself,” Mobley said. “I’ll have someone I know there right off the bat.”

Mobley and Williams spent three summers together on the Celtics, Mobley said. Williams said his play was enhanced by Mobley’s.

“I feed off his enthusiasm and athleticism,” Williams said. “I see us working really good together.”

Standing at 6 feet, 9 inches generally puts a player like Mobley near the hoop. However, Mobley’s AAU coach Corey Smith said Mobley has a great perimeter game that makes him a double threat.

“He’s multi-skilled with length,” Smith said. “He can shoot the ball extremely well.”

Mobley said his shooting ability creates mismatches on the court.

“If it’s a bigger guy, I could take him on the perimeter,” Mobley said. “If it’s a smaller guy, I can take him on the post.”

Mobley had experience working in a fast-paced game environment this summer with the Celtics.

“We put him in a lot of pick-and-pop situations,” Smith said. “We played a lot of transition this year, too, so he was able to get up and down the court and also defend smaller perimeter players.”

That style is what Mobley enjoys. He said it was refreshing to see the style of play
Crean implemented with the Hoosiers.

“I was looking at a couple of films on it a few days ago,” Mobley said. “He’s more of a run-and-gun type ... That’s what I’m used to.”

As a player, Mobley said he knows there is room for growth. He said ball-handling is one of the areas he hopes to improve before reaching the college level.

Weight is also an issue. Despite his height, Mobley weighs only 215 pounds.

“He’s kind of light,” Smith said. “He needs to put on weight and add strength.”

As November approaches, Mobley will try to focus on visiting colleges and developing as a player.

As far as that deadline goes, Williams said he likes the Hoosiers’ chances at getting another 2010 commitment.
 
“I think it’s highly likely,” Williams said. “It’s very possible.”