Austin Goosby says Kentucky would 'definitely be up there' with offer: "They're serious."

There was a DI coach watching the Dallas-based Drive Nation play on the EYBL circuit this weekend, KSR within earshot. “Who is No. 10?” he asked, quickly told the name by fellow fans of his game sitting courtside: Austin Goosby.

The coach asked what the 6-5 guard was ranked, told he was a consensus top-40 kid among major outlets. He didn’t have to respond with a single word. Instead, he just gave a thumbs up and pushed it toward the ceiling a couple of times, indicating Goosby’s stock would be on the rise in a hurry.

How high? “Top 20, for sure — probably higher,” the coach added.

It’s a start, but not what the Melissa, TX native is looking for. At the end of the day, he wants to be the best of the best.

“I want to prove I’m the best player in the nation. That’s all I’m trying to do,” Goosby told KSR. “I’m out there every possession I can, offense and defense, showing what I can do. I feel like I pass the ball well. I can get my teammates involved a lot better. I’m a good facilitator overall.

“… My motivation is to get to the next level. That’s all I gotta do. If they’re in front of me, I have to go kill them.”

He currently sits at No. 28 overall and No. 12 among small forwards in the On3 Industry Ranking, but he was one of the top standouts at EYBL Session II in Memphis this past weekend. Goosby finished in double figures all four games while pushing his season average to 14.0 points per game to go with 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per contest through seven outings.

His recruitment reflects the rise, hearing from local Texas heavy hitters, along with national blue bloods — including Kentucky. Alvin Brooks III has been to his school multiple times and the staff watched him closely at EYBL as the Wildcats weigh a scholarship offer.

“Right now, Texas is definitely pushing the hardest. SMU, a few others. UCLA started reaching out, Kentucky — a lot of schools overall,” he said.

How serious is Kentucky? Enough for Goosby to consider the Wildcats real players in his decision.

“They’re serious, they’re up there for sure. If they keep recruiting and coming out to offer, then it’s definitely up there for contenders. Their message is to keep playing basketball, just keep hooping,” he said. “They think I push the ball really well. They like a fast transition offense, so I feel like I fit that pretty well. … (Mark Pope) was good — I watched him at BYU and coming to Kentucky. He’s just a good coach in general. He can get me to the next level, for sure.”

If they ramp things up, there could be a real fit there.

“Oh yeah, that would definitely throw a little wrench into things,” Goosby said. “Kentucky is just a good school overall, being a blue blood, for sure. They’d definitely be up there in the top five.”

What about some of those other Texas schools fighting to keep him home? He shared his thoughts on each of them, highlighting one family relationship with the Longhorns certainly making things interesting:

• Texas: “I like their program. Having family up there is good (with brother Trevor Goosby an offensive lineman on the football team). I like how Coach (Sean) Miller has come in and he’s really recruiting me hard, coming to some of my practices. That’s definitely a huge factor. (My brother) said to make my own decision. He doesn’t want me to be swayed by being there or anything. He wants me to make my own decision. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
• SMU: “I like that they’re more of a hometown feel. I’ve been to Dallas before, I lived in Dallas when I was younger. I’ve definitely been to all those places down there and I like Coach (Andy) Enfield a lot.”
• Texas A&M: “I haven’t talked to the new staff as much — just Coach (Frank) Haith from Texas, that’s who offered me. I haven’t gotten to know them as much, but that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to.”

Up next? Visits, which will begin in the coming months with none officially on the books quite yet — but coming soon. He’ll hit those local schools along with another familiar face for Mark Pope and his staff, among others.

“I haven’t taken any official visits, but they will be coming probably this summer. I haven’t scheduled any yet,” Goosby said. “Probably after AAU is the best time I can fit them in. I want to take Texas, Texas A&M, SMU, BYU and then a couple others.”

In his preferred world, one of the local schools does enough to keep him home and he stays close to family and friends. It’s not guaranteed, though, Goosby happy to leave for a better opportunity elsewhere if the fit makes more sense.

That’s what the next stages of his recruitment will help him decide.

“Staying home would be ideal, but you never know. It’s always about coaches and what they can get me to in the future,” he said.

Does he know when that decision will come? You may not have to wait too long.

“Not yet, I haven’t decided when I’ll be committing,” he told KSR. “It’ll be soon in the future, probably.”

It starts with a Kentucky offer — and his performance in Memphis certainly didn’t hurt his chances.