Ben Simmons recruiting Antonio Blakeney, Noah Dickerson to LSU

LSU commit Ben Simmons should make a big impact on the Tigers himself. He’s arguably the best player in the 2015 recruiting class, but he’s not satisfied that will make LSU the best team it can be. So Simmons is doing his own recruiting work on undecided guard Antonio Blakeney and power forward Noah Dickerson, reports The Times-Picayune’s Randy Rosetta.

It’s been convenient for Simmons to recruit Blakeney since both have played for the Each 1 Teach 1 AAU squad this summer. It’s likewise made sense that Simmons, an Australian who will play for Montverde Academy in Florida this year, can recruit Dickerson. Dickerson and Simmons will be frontcourt mates at Montverde.

Blakeney, ranked as the 16th-best player in the 2015 class, has whittled his list of college possibilities to seven. He is considering Florida State, Louisville, Kentucky, USC, Missouri, Oregon and LSU. The 6’4 guard would immediately be able to compete for playing time with the Tigers.

Dickerson, a 6’8, 237-pound bruiser, is ranked 66th by ESPN and originally committed to Georgetown before backing out of his commitment. The Atlanta native could play in the post alongside Simmons, a talented combo forward who has the skillset of a perimeter player but the athleticism and size to play as a power forward in college.

Simmons’ game has blossomed since he came to the United States from Australia, but he’s hoping that he brings more than his own talent to Baton Rouge.