Notebook: Jerian Grant, Pe'Shon Howard

Although Team Takeover (D.C.) didn’t get as much publicity as some of the top AAU teams this summer, the mid-Atlantic team was one of the most successful teams on the circuit, as well as one of the more entertaining teams to watch.

They went undefeated in pool play at the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., and then won the U-17 (and U-16) championship at the AAU Super Showcase in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Team Takeover didn’t have a certain go-to-guy or superstar, but Jerian Grant could have been considered their key to success. His ability to score in a variety of ways as well as get after it on the defensive end spurred several victories.

And now, the list of colleges primed to get Grant’s versatility and services has been trimmed to four.

“They are Notre Dame, Virginia, DePaul and Providence,” said Grant, the son of former NBA veteran Harvey Grant.

Taking it one step further, Grant has planned visits to each of the schools.

“I’ve scheduled for Notre Dame on the 5th, UVA on the 12th, DePaul on the 19th and Providence on the 26th,” he said in a text message.

Grant said he is not looking for anything in particular when he takes his visits, but does want to get a complete sense of each school.

“I’m just trying to get a feel for the school and get to know some of the coaches and players better,” he said.

After Grant takes his visits, he won’t wait very long to make a decision.

When asked when he would choose a school, Grant responded, “Probably sometime in early to mid-October.”

Howard likely waiting for decision

With more and more players committing well before their senior seasons, it is always interesting to see a recruit taking his time to make his decision.

That is the case with Pe’Shon Howard, a 6-2 guard from Los Angeles who attends Oak Hill Academy (Va.).

“I’m still weighing my options and I probably won’t decide until the spring,” Howard said earlier Thursday.

When NBE spoke to Howard at the Reebok U All-American Camp in Philadelphia in early July, Howard gave a school list of South Florida, St. John’s, Rutgers, Marquette, Harvard, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Arkansas.

Since then, he has picked up more interest from both coasts.

“UCLA, USC, Arizona, Virginia, Alabama,” Howard responded when asked if there were any new schools in the mix. He also later added that he believes Tennessee has offered him as well.

Out of the 14 schools on his list, only UCLA and Arizona have not offered the rising senior.

So far, Howard has been to Stanford, UCLA, USC, St. John’s, Rutgers, Arkansas and Arizona, but does plan on taking all five official visits in the coming months. Howard is unsure of which schools he wants to take his officials too, other than Harvard.

For a player who is from California but plays his high school ball in Virginia, it is not surprising that Howard said “not really” when asked if location would be a factor.

As for what he was going to be looking for on his visits, said Howard: “An environment I’m comfortable in, how the team and coaches are during practice or games and just a place I would fit in and enjoy.”