The days following the Final Four are full of recruiting going ons, with official visits taking place at schools around the country.

Newly hired New Mexico head coach Ritchie McKay and his staff have wasted no time in getting their first recruit to make an official visit. Shooting guard Luke Mackay, a 24-year old Australian sophomore from Lon Morris Junior College (Jacksonville, Texas), began an official visit to the New Mexico campus yesterday. The 6-foot-4 Mackay had previously made a verbal commitment to Oregon State, before McKay took the New Mexico job.

Mackay is a long-range shooter with good athleticism, who is also being recruited by South Carolina.

Speaking of South Carolina, the Gamecocks is in a head-to-head battle with Hawaii for 5-10 lead guard Jason Carter from Barton County Community College (Great Bend, Kan.). Carter is a jet who can also play above the rim on occasion. He visited the UH campus this week after taking an official to South Carolina.

While Hawaii is in a dogfight for Carter, the Rainbow Warriors are the leader for 6-6 small forward Emigijus Lukosius (Weatherford JUCO/Weatherford, Texas). It's almost a given that Hawaii is the leader, as two other Lithuanians from Weatherford (Nerijus Puida and Mindaugas Burneika) have already ridden the Lithuania to Weatherford to Honolulu pipeline to the WAC in the past few years. Lukosius, who should be named a JUCO All-American next week, might be the best of the bunch. He averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds this season, while shooting over 42 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

"He's as good as we've had here," said Weatherford head coach Mark Osina. "Lukosius is a player. He's pretty athletic, shoots the 3 and takes the ball inside. He was player of the year in our conference and in our region. He's awfully good."

Lukosius will visit the Manoa campus of Hawaii next weekend. Also expected to visit UH that weekend is 6-4 shooting guard Michael Kuebler (Clackamas JUCO/Oregon City, Ore.). A former JUCO teammate of current UH starter Mark Campbell, Kuebler is a top long-range shooter, hitting over 50 percent of his 3s in junior college.

But, four-year schools aren't the only programs conducting official recruiting visits. One of the country's top JUCO powers, the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) is hosting a pair of Division I transfers this weekend in Twin Falls, Idaho. Head coach Guy Beach and assistants Jay Cyriac and Brian Hancock are hosting 6-4 freshman Nick Williams and 6-9 freshman Michael Bell, who are transferring out of Kansas State and North Carolina State, respectively.

Williams, who started 25 games this season for K-State, is a combo guard out of Mansfield High School in Texas who averaged nine points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season in an average of 28 minutes per contest. Bell, a redshirt freshman, is a long, athletic post player who teamed alongside Maryland star sophomore Chris Wilcox in high school (Enloe H.S./Raleigh, N.C.).

CSI has already received commitments from 5-10 Aking Elting (East Bladen H.S./Elizabethtown, N.C.), considered among the best point guards in the Carolinas, and 6-10 Kelly Orchard (Bountiful, Utah). Six-foot freshman Ryan Davis, previously of San Jose State, has committed to CSI. The Golden Eagles' ace recruiter Cyriac is also working hard on getting 6-10 Sani Ibrahim (Oak Hill Academy/Mouth of Wilson, Va.), one of the country's top high school postmen, to Twin Falls. Ibrahim, who is considering early entry into the NBA draft, probably won't make a decision on CSI and junior college until May.

Sophomore reserve center Gabriel Hughes has asked for and received his release and will be transferring from the Cal basketball program. Hughes, the younger brother and teammate of graduating Cal senior Solomon Hughes, is a very long 6-11, and at 230 pounds, is a live-legged athlete known for his shot-blocking ability and rebounding.

With the early departure of Hughes and Jamal Sampson (who says he's entering the NBA draft), Cal is hosting a high school big man this weekend in 6-10, 215-pound Roderique Benson (Torrey Pines H.S./Del Mar, Calif.). Benson, a developing post man with an athletic body, will likely decide his college future between Cal and Oregon.

One of the toughest players in the NEPSAC (New England Prep School Athletic Conference) Class A was 6-5, 220-pound power forward Michael Clarke of New Hampton School (New Hampton, N.H.). He has made his decision to play for Central Connecticut State next season. The New York City native is an undersized, though highly active and aggressive performer in the paint.

On The Recruiting Trail