Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin isn’t shy. Just look at the following statement he made to me yesterday regarding freshman big man Yancy Gates.

"He’s as talented as any freshman in America," Cronin said of the 6-foot-9, 270-pounder. "His combination of size and athleticism is hard to find anywhere."

Yates, a local kid who was ranked No. 36 by Scout.com and 22nd by Rivals.com, will be a part of what Cronin hopes is one of the most intimidating frontlines in the country this year. Former Texas power forward Mike Williams is healthy after rupturing his Achilles tendon in preseason workouts a year ago, talented 7-footer Anthony McClain should also make an impact after missing last season with bone spurs in his foot – and the wild card may be the academic status of recent signee John Riek.

Riek is a 7-foot-2 native of the Sudan who withdrew from the NBA draft after injuries caused his stock to plummet ever since July of 2007 – when he was arguably the top player at the LeBron James Skills Academy.

Cronin said he was in attendance for Riek’s coming-out party a little more than a year ago and figured he was a lock lottery pick. However, Riek was plagued by knee injuries and recently had surgery that will likely shelve him for the first semester this season – if he passes the ACT in Sept. and is eligible to play for the Bearcats this season.

Even if Riek doesn’t make it, a frontcourt rotation that includes Yates, McClain, Western Carolina transfer Nick Aldridge and Steve Toyloy, who led the junior college ranks in rebounding last season, will be a major upgrade from what Cronin has had in his first two years.

"We have a significant talent influx," Cronin said. "We were able to physically compete in our second year and make the Big East tournament, but we couldn’t score and we weren’t athletic enough to create offense."

Cronin is hopeful that junior Deonta Vaughn (17.3 ppg) emerges not only as one of the league’s top players, but also one of the elite guards in the country. "He’s going to prove to the world how good he is," Cronin said of Vaughn.

Vaughn will shift over to shooting guard, which leaves the team’s biggest question mark at the point guard spot – where it’ll be a battle between freshman Cashmere Wright and Dion Dixon.
 
NAGY, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE COMPLETE TRANSITION

South Dakota State coach Scott Nagy can finally exhale. The Jackrabbits are finally through the five-year Division 1 transition period.

However, it wasn’t easy. In fact, it cost Nagy more than 10 players over the last six years since the school opted to make the move to the D-1 ranks.

"It’s been tough because we’ve lost a lot of kids," Nagy said. "It’s hard to keep kids when you aren’t winning a lot of games."

"We lost what would have been our entire senior class for one reason or another,” he added.

Nagy was used to winning. He had a .781 winning percentage, which was second among active D-II coaches, when South Dakota State left D-II.

Last season the Jackrabbits won just eight games.

However, Nagy started four freshmen and feels as though he’ll have enough talent and experience to compete in the Summit League.

Kai Williams (14 ppg, 7.8 rpg) led the league in rebounding a year ago and was also the team’s leading scorer. He’ll move over from the wing to the power forward spot. Anthony Davis, a big-time junior college player who initially signed with Northern Iowa, should start in the middle.

Shooting guard Garrett Callahan (12.3 ppg) will team with senior MacKenzie Casey, who redshirted last season in order to have someone with experience in a year in which the team could legitimately compete for a spot in the league tournament. The final spot will belong to Clint Sargent, a 6-foot-4 sophomore who will move from point guard to small forward.

A year ago, the Jackrabbits didn’t make the league tourney. However, this year it’ll be held in Sioux Falls.

"That’s huge for us," Nagy said. "That’s basically in our backyard. The majority of our alumni lives in Sioux Falls and it’s essentially a home game for us."

WALL SETS VISIT SCHEDULE

According to Rivals.com’s Jerry Meyer, one of the top players in the country, John Wall, has set his visit schedule.

Wall, who is believed to be a heavy lean to Baylor due to the fact that the Bears recently hired his AAU coach, Dwon Clifton, will begin with a trip to Memphis on Sept. 12. He will then go to Kansas (9-19), Oregon (10-3) and a likely trip to Kentucky will follow.

A visit to Baylor has yet to be scheduled. Oklahoma State and N.C. State are also in the mix.

SCOUT.COM’S WEEKEND VISITORS

No one in the industry does a better job at keeping up with the influx of weekend official visits this time of year than Scout.com’s Dave Telep and Evan Daniels.

Here are a few highlights:

- Georgia will host Derrick Favors
- Vanderbilt will have Ryan Kelly on campus.
- Cal will have Clarence Trent
- Nate Lubick is heading to Georgetown
- Harrison Barnes will make the short trip to Iowa State
- Tobias Harris is slated to attend the Syracuse Elite Camp and also make an appearance in Louisville
- Michael Snaer and Tyler Honeycutt are expected to make an appearance at UCLA.

RANDOM NOTES: Seldom-used Notre Dame sophomore guard Ty Proffitt decided to transfer and met with Kentucky coaches on Thursday about the potential of walking on with the Wildcats. Proffitt, who played in just eight games last season, is also reportedly interested in Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky. … Former Virginia big man Laurynas Mikalauskas won’t transfer to another school for his final college season. Instead, he’ll head overseas after hiring agent Michael Lelchitski of Sports International Group.  … Washington State guard Taylor Rochestie, who gave up his scholarship a year ago in order for the Cougars to sign an incoming freshman, has been placed back on scholarship for this season. … McNeese received good news when the NCAA ruled and allowed 6-foot-11 big man Kleon Penn to play this season.  … Local 6-foot-9 forward Darnell Shumpert is a late addition for Lute Olson and Arizona this year. … Seton Hall recruit Michael Glover, who was deemed ineligible this past season by the NCAA, is now suing the NCAA and the Big East in an effort to become eligible this year. Glover and his lawyer filed a lawsuit in Providence (where the Big East is based) on Wednesday hoping not only to be deemed as a qualifier, but also seeking financial damages and punitive damages. One correction from last week. Andrew Mirken is the new head coach at Rivers. … Auburn’s groundbreaking on its new arena is this afternoon. … Campbell has hired Michael Slonaker, the son of former Mercer head coach Mark Slonaker, to replace Lorenzo Watkins (S.C. State).