Scout.com's top 100 seniors include 72 players who already have made commitments. That's not surprising because these players can begin signing national letters of intent in November.

More surprising is that among the top 75 juniors, 32 already have committed.

This year's juniors still have two years of high school basketball left. They have completed their sophomore seasons.

"It is getting pushed down more and more," said basketball recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports in Lenoir.

"It has reached the point that it is self feeding -- the seniors are committed so you get the juniors; the juniors are gone so you get the sophomores; the sophomores are committed so you go for the freshmen.

"Hopefully, most of the middle schoolers aren't being recruited.

"But seriously, I think players will continue to make very early decisions."

Area Atlantic Coast Conference programs are plucking their share of the elite players.

DUKE

2009

PF Mason Plumlee, Arden Christ School, 6-11.

2010

PF Josh Hairston, Spotsylvania (Va.) Courtland, 6-8; PF Tyler Thornton, Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga; SG Andre Dawkins Virginia Beach (Va.) Atlantic Shores, 6-4.

"Mike Krzyzewski is getting a lot of mileage as the U.S. Olympic coach," Gibbons said. "Dawkins is a really nice player, a good shooter.

"But Hairston and Thornton are two of the best players in the Class of 2010. They are tremendous."

Duke also still is recruiting some players in the Class of 2009, including 6-10 Ryan Kelly of Ravenscroft.

NORTH CAROLINA

2009

SG Leslie McDonald, Memphis Briarcrest, 6-4; SG Dexter Strickland, Elizabeth St. Patrick, 6-3; PF Travis Wear, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, 6-9; PF David Wear, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, 6-9; PF John Henson, Tampa (Fla.) Sickles, 6-10

2010

SG Reggie Bullock, Kinston, 6-6; PG Kendall Marshall, Arlington (Va.) O'Connell, 6-3

"Bullock is the No. 1 player in his class in North Carolina," Gibbons said. "He's just super.

"Kendall has started since his freshman year for the Boo Williams travel team, one of the top teams in the country. Plus, he plays for Joe Wootten.

"Kendall is a great passer and had an advanced knowledge of the game."

N.C. STATE

2009

PF Richard Howell, Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler, 6-7; SG Lorenzo Brown, Roswell (Ga.) Centennial, 6-4.5; SG Scott Wood, Marion, Ind., 6-5

2010

PG Ryan Harrow, Marietta (Ga.) Walton, 5-11; PF C.J. Leslie, Raleigh Word of God, 6-7

"Harrow is a player with a great deal of potential. Leslie is extremely talented. He can be just as good as he wanted to be. At times, he looks like one of the top prospects in the country, but he needs to be a little more consistent."

WAKE FOREST

2009

SF Ari Stewart, Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler, 6-7; SG C.J. Harris, Winston-Salem Mount Tabor, 6-2

2010

PG Tony Chenault, Philadelphia Neumann, 6-1; SG J.T. Terrell, Burlington Cummings, 6-3

"The big news is the Deacons getting Ari. He is very good, very athletic. Some people liken him to Josh Howard."

MUSTANG COMMITS: Tom Tankelwicz, a 6-foot-t guard at Middle Creek, has committed to Charleston Southern.

Tankelwicz averaged 8.0 points per game during the Mustangs' 27-3 season in 2007-2008.

"I'm expecting him to have a great senior year," Middle Creek coach David Kushner said. "He was overshadowed a little last year, but he has worked hard and gotten better."

Tankelwicz chose Charlestown Southern over Coastal Carolina, Kushner said.

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