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On Monday, Class of 2016 point guard Tyus Battle from Gill St Benard's (NJ) decided to cut his list down according to Andrew Slater of 247sports, and the Villanova Wildcats are in the running.
Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Syracuse, and Virginia all join the Wildcats as possible suitors for the five-star point guard from Edison, New Jersey.
Tyus Battle @kidmamba23 Finalists: UConn Duke Florida Kentucky Louisville Miami Michigan OSU Syracuse Villanova UVA pic.twitter.com/rH9Ww49iww
— Andrew Slater (@ASlater247) November 3, 2014
In his recruitment, many people believe that either Duke or Kentucky will land him, but despite them being heavy-hitter programs, there are still reasons to be optimistic if you're a Villanova fan. As we just saw last month, highly touted point guard Jalen Brunson committed to Villanova, despite receiving an offer from Illinois and Michigan State of the Big Ten Conference, with the latter in the Spartans being a big time player in the college basketball world.
Battle is a do-it-all point guard who can run the floor, score, control tempo, and get his teammates involved. He's also a fleet-footed defender who can use his speed to his advantage. When Battle does not score as much, he still finds way to get involved and help his team get the win.
Battle has a good feel for the game and when he plays the little things he does impresses me, and typically doesn't always go for the big play. His scoring ability is a big plus, as well.
In a recent mini-documentary done by Adam Zagoria, Battle said that he wants to go to the NBA, but he does have more options. Battle is one of the best players in the class and in his area. While a decision could come before his senior season, I believe it will be quite some time before we hear from him again.