Welcome to the July Live Period, college basketball recruiting's craziest month

Huuuuuuuuuuump Daaaaaaaaaay! This evening marks the beginning of the July Live Period, also known as the craziest month in the recruiting calendar. The next three weekends are all open to traveling coaches, and that means a healthy bump in recruiting coverage, player interviews, and over-analyzing prospect tweets.

Things aren't make or break for Villanova right now, and thus they shouldn't be make or break for you. Kids who we think might like 'Nova may fail to mention them in an interview to a rival beat writer. Kids might not say a word and play it close to the vest. Follow if you must, but don't overreact.

And remember, don't tweet at 'croots.

And now, the "news."

July Live Recruiting Period Primer | City of Basketball Love
A comprehensive preview of all of the events in July that will be hosting Philly-area talent.

Summer recruiting road map: Villanova builds on NCAA title | ESPN ($)
Coming off a national championship, Villanova doesn't have many needs. The Wildcats are still eyeing several top-50 prospects in the Class of 2017.

The biggest storylines in hoops recruiting's biggest month | ESPN ($)
The point guard domino effect is something to watch - especially since Villanova is involved with two of the best.

Big summer ahead for 7-footer Mohamed Bamba | ZagsBlog
Bamba is back from an ankle injury, and is planning to play with USA Basketball following the Peach Jam. He's planning to trim his list to ten schools sometime in August.

Brandon Randolph to cut list after Peach Jam | ZagsBlog
Randolph has taken recent visits to Villanova and Louisville and is planning to cut to around ten schools after the Peach Jam this weekend.

Three Big Five players counselors at Under Armour camp | Philly.com
Josh Hart is among 20 college players selected as counselors for the Under Armour All-American Camp to be held July 6-8 at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina

Good news: the hole in the ozone layer is finally starting to heal | Vox
Hey, look — the world got together and stopped an environmental catastrophe before it was too late.