Rush is on for early signing
Word of God's Wall is checking out options, including Duke and State
Published: Fri, Nov. 14, 2008 12:30AM
Modified Fri, Nov. 14, 2008 03:36AM
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closeMany high school athletes became eligible to sign national letters of intent Wednesday.
The early signing period ends next Wednesday.
Athletes can commit to colleges at any time, of course, but there are only set periods during the year when athletes and colleges can make formal arrangements.
Recruiting classes taking shape
The Atlantic Coast Conference's men's basketball teams are expected to sign some of the best high school players in the country to national letters of intent during the signing period that started Wednesday.
Many players have made verbal commitments, but the commitments are not binding on the school or the player. National letters tie players to schools and the schools to the players.
The highest-ranked high school players in the country are given five stars by recruiting analysts.
The ACC is expected to sign five players who are rated with five stars by Scout.com during the early signing period that ends Nov. 19.
The five-star players headed to the ACC are power forward Milton Jennings (Clemson), forwards Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee (Duke) and guard Dexter Strickland and forward John Henson (North Carolina).
TIM STEVENS
MEN'S BASKETBALL COMMITMENTS AROUND THE ACC
FROM SCOUT.COM
The list of recruits for Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest appeared in Thursday's sports section. Here are commitments as of Thursday for the rest of the league:
BOSTON COLLEGE
None
CLEMSON
* F Donte Hill, Norfolk (Va.) Collegiate, 6 feet 3, 190 pounds
* F Milton Jennings, Summerville (S.C.) Pinewood, 6-9, 210
* F Devin Booker, Union (S.C.), 6-7, 215
FLORIDA STATE
* F Terrence Shannon, Forsyth (Ga.) Mary Person, 6-7, 205
GEORGIA TECH
* F Glen Rice Jr., Marietta (Ga.) Walton, 6-4, 180
* G Mfon Udofia, Stone Mountain (Ga.) Miller Grove, 6-1, 180
* F Kammeon Holsey, Sparta (Ga.) Hancock Central, 6-8, 200
* F Brian Oliver, New Castle (Del.) William Penn, 6-6, 200
MARYLAND
* C Jordan Williams, Torrington (Conn.), 6-8, 245
* C James Padgett, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Abraham Lincoln, 6-8, 217
* F Jin Soo Kim, South Kent (Conn.) School, 6-7, 170
MIAMI
* G Lisandro Ruiz-Moreno, South Kent (Conn.) School, 5-11, 170
* G Garrius Adams, Middle Creek, 6-5, 180
* F Donnavan Kirk, Detroit (Mich.) Country Day School, 6-8, 205
VIRGINIA
* F Tristan Spurlock, Springfield (Va.) Word of Life, 6-8, 215
* G Jontel Evans, Hampton (Va.) Bethel, 5-11, 185
VIRGINIA TECH
* C Cadarian Raines, Petersburg (Va.), 6-8, 210
* F Manny Atkins, Tucker (Ga.), 6-5, 195
* G Erick Green, Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI, 6-2, 175
* G Ben Boggs, Roanoke (Va.) Hidden Valley, 6-4, 180
Area athletes' commitments
The following high school athletes are expected to sign national letters during the early signing period. The names were provided by high school or club team coaches.
BASEBALL
* Bryan Bass, Northern Durham, East Carolina
* Zachary Bernard, Durham Jordan, North Carolina
* Eric Brady, Green Hope, Duke
* Jake Kline, Broughton, Furman
* Bryant Noteboom, Smithfield-Selma, Western Carolina
* Michael Zeblo, Broughton, Davidson
MEN'S BASKETBALL
* Garrius Adams, Middle Creek, Miami
* Ryan Kelly, Ravenscroft, Duke
* Brian McNair, Wilson Greenfield, Gardner-Webb
* Earnest Ross, Panther Creek, Auburn
* Tom Tankelewicz, Middle Creek, Charleston Southern
* Matt Wilson, Ravenscroft, UNC-Wilmington
* Michael Wooten, Graham, Radford
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
* Kelly Blake, Millbrook, Wofford
* Lakevia Boykin, Southeast Raleigh, Wake Forest
* Lindsay Cowher, Ravenscroft, Wofford
* Kelsey Evans, Wakefield, Western Carolina
* Jerelle Gorham, Durham Hillside, Howard
* Tamoria Holmes, Durham Hillside, Howard
* Alex Ingram, Athens Drive, Belmont Abbey
* Jessica Johnson, Northern Durham, Charlotte
* Courdne Miles, Graham, Carson Newman
* Jessica Monroe, Northern Durham, South Florida
* Elaine Morgan, Millbrook, East Carolina
* Erin Neal, Durham Hillside, Longwood
* Julee O'Neal, Durham Hillside, Howard
* Asia Williams, Durham Hillside, Wake Forest
* Sarah Wollett, Wakefield, Wingate
MEN'S GOLF
* Bo Andrews, Ravenscroft, Georgia Tech
* Rich Leeper, Carrboro, James Madison
* Michael Marshburn, Green Hope, East Carolina
WOMEN'S GOLF
* Megan Moore, Northern Durham, East Carolina
GYMNASTICS
* Alyssa Adrian, Green Hope, Pittsburgh
* Jaleesa Wilson, Panther Creek, Denver
MEN'S LACROSSE
* Taylor Womble, Panther Creek, Wingate
SOFTBALL
* Sarah Forgacs, Green Hope, Campbell
* Tiffany McCreary, N.C. Science & Math, N.C. Central
* Brittany Smith, Southern Lee, Virginia Tech
MEN'S SWIMMING
* Taylor Harris, Broughton, Florida State
* Zach McGinnis, Ravenscroft, Kentucky
WOMEN'S SWIMMING
* Kathy Hughes, Green Hope, East Carolina
* Elizabeth Oliver, East Wake, East Carolina
* Carly Smith, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
VOLLEYBALL
* Ashley Farwell, Wake Forest-Rolesville, USC-Aiken
* Molly Krull, Cardinal Gibbons, Tampa
* Michelle Nemesi, Cardinal Gibbons, Villanova
* Jordan Reaves, Holly Springs, Campbell
* Cayla Shortley, Cardinal Gibbons, North Carolina
* Katie Tatum, Person, Central Florida
* Lindsay Wise, Raleigh Charter, Georgetown
* Melissa Zidar, Cardinal Gibbons, Elon
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By signing a national letter, a student agrees to attend that school. The institution agrees to provide some financial aid for one year if the student is admitted.
Schools agree to not recruit a player once the athlete signs with another institution. Players may forfeit eligibility by signing with one school and attending another.
Athletes in all sports except football, field hockey, soccer, track, cross country and men's water polo may sign national letters during the early period.
Traditionally, about 90 percent of the top boys basketball players in the country make commitments before the end of the signing period.
This year, 84 players on recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons' top 100 list have made commitments.
Seven of the top 25 players, including six of Gibbons' top 11, have not made commitments.
Still weighing offers are No. 1 Xavier Henry of Oklahoma City and No. 2 Derrick Favors of South Atlanta. Also still available are No. 6 John Wall of Raleigh Word of God, No. 7 Renardo Sidney of Los Angeles, No. 9 Dominic Cheek of Jersey City, N.J., and No. 11 Lance Stephenson of Brooklyn.
Wall may not sign during the fall period. He is expected to visit Memphis this weekend and still has several schools on his list, including Duke and N.C. State.
Another player who may not sign early is Favors, who is being pursued by N.C. State, Georgia and Georgia Tech.
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