Courtney Ramey Updates Recruitment

Webster Groves (MO) 2018 point guard Courtney Ramey is one of the most coveted point guard prospects in the country.  He decommitted from Louisville after the FBI investigation and he is being heavily pursued by top programs from coast to coast.  It is easy to see why!  Ramey started off with a quiet first half against Belleville West on Saturday at the O’Fallon Shootout with only a handful of points.  He then went off in the second half and particularly the third quarter.  Ramey is a long and wiry point guard that has a burst off the bounce being able to get to the rim time after time.  He was very aggressive getting to the cup in the second half including a poster jam and several and-1 conversions.  He is such a competitive kid and does whatever he can to will his team who was without Carte’Are Gordon on Saturday.  Ramey is a slick handling guard that can also get others involved with an advanced feel for the game.  Didn’t shoot it particularly well at the O’Fallon Shootout.  The stat sheet stuffer also got on the glass and had several nice steals.  Ramey finished with 24 points (7-19 FG) and 6 dimes.   He spoke about his big second half at the O’Fallon Shootout.   “I feel like I was more aggressive.  I was trying to get my teammates involved and going early.  They are going to get their energy off of me.  That is how it has been the whole season.  They feed off me.  I got the big dunk and we turned it up from there.”   Webster Groves didn’t get the win, but Ramey did have a monster dunk over elite post EJ Liddell.  He says that was the plan!   “I talked about it before the game.”   Ramey has taken a pair of official visits already to Texas and Oklahoma State.  He spoke about how his relationship has evolved with each since the visits in December.   “It continues to be real strong.  They both have come to see me in the past couple weeks.  Oklahoma State was here tonight (Saturday) so that shows that they really care after having a big win.”   He had a pair of officials schedule for the next two weekends, but one of the school he will not visit and is no longer considering.   “I took off the Villanova visit.  I am still going to take the UCLA visit.  I am going to reschedule somebody else.”   What is he looking forward to about the UCLA trip?   “That is a big time program.  I just want to see how everything is.  I know a little bit about the history, but I just want to see it for myself.  Watch them practice, see a game, and see the atmosphere.”   Illinois is a school that has made a strong push for him in the last couple weeks.   “It has been fun.  They recruited me the first time around and have turned it up in the last couple weeks.  Me and Coach Walker have a great relationship.  They want winners and competitors.  They feel that me and Ayo (Dosunmu) can be a dominant backcourt.  That is their main selling point.”   With another top point guard committed in Morgan Park’s Ayo Dosunmu does he see them being able to play together?   “I feel like we are two dynamic guards and we can work things out.  If I go to Illinois we will have to work things out.  We have a competitive relationship.  We both hate losing so that is a good thing.  I think we both respect each other and hate losing.”   More schools are starting to get in the mix with Ramey.   “Oklahoma, Minnesota, South Carolina, SMU, Boston College, to name a few.”   Like Illinois, Minnesota is another Big 10 team trying to jump in with Ramey.   “They like my playing style.  I have to watch a couple games to see how it fits.  I can’t really say too much about them.  I have talked to the head coach.”   What will be important for him in a program?   “As a point guard you have to have a relationship with the head coach.  Because if you don’t it won’t work.  You have to feel comfortable.  It is going to be my home.  I have to feel comfortable in the environment.”   Ramey says he is closely watching all of the teams he is considering.   “I watch a lot of college basketball.  Everybody asks me if I want to go out and I will say no I have to watch basketball.  I am a basketball junkie.  Every time a college coach calls me I tell them I am watching basketball.  They ask me if I ever get bored.  I say sometimes, but one day it is going to be my job and I can’t get bored with my job.”   What is his timeline for a decision?   “I think I am going to wait until after the season.”   He is the #1 prospect overall in the PrepHoopsMissouri Rankings and a top 30 prospect nationally.  The senior ran with Ramey-Jets United on the travel team circuit.