Kelly taking time in choosing college

Ravenscroft basketball forward Ryan Kelly took some time off last week to relax at the beach.

That's news.

Few, if any, high school basketball players in the country have dedicated themselves to improving their basketball skills as much as Kelly.

The work includes daily 6 a.m. sessions during the school year and year-round shooting and weightlifting work

That effort, plus a growth spurt that has pushed him a little over 6 feet 9 in his socks, plus a 4.1 overall grade-point average make him one of the most highly recruited basketball players in the country.

Last week, Kelly trimmed his list of potential colleges to six.

The finalists are (in no particular order, he stressed): North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame.

"They are all great academic institutions, and I believe I would fit in well at any of them whether I was playing athletics or not," Kelly said.

He plans to make an official visit to Notre Dame on Sept. 13 when the Irish play Michigan in football.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has asked for a meeting, too, and he wants to visit all the campuses again.

The Notre Dame visit is the only one with a set date.

He has no timetable for making his final decision, but said when he was sure of his choice, he'd make an announcement.

"When I'm sure, I'll end my recruitment," he said.

Kelly has had a busy summer. He played with the D-One Sports team in the late spring and early summer.

He reported to the U18 national team tryouts in Washington on July 1 and made the team.

He played in Formosa, Argentina in the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. The USA team lost to Argentina 77-64 in the finals.

Kelly averaged 10 points and eight rebounds while starting all five games.

"It was an awesome experience," he said. "I had never experienced anything like wearing that national jersey and breaking the huddle with 'USA' instead of your team's name."

The U18 coach was Bob McKillop, the coach at Davidson, which was one of the schools Kelly cut from his list.

"It was hard to tell him that I wasn't going there, but it is hard to tell any coach that," Kelly said.

"The way I am looking at it is that I'm meeting some great men and have a chance to learn from them," Kelly said.

"I can't make a wrong decision from the schools on my list, but I want to make the best one."

Kelly said he wanted to become the best player that he can, but his biggest goal is a state championship.

"I've never won a state title," he said. "That's something I want very badly."

NOT DONE FOR WALL? Baylor seemed set to get a commitment from Raleigh Word of God point guard John Wall when the Bears added Wall's club team coach to their staff.

But there has been no announcement by Wall, and Word of God athletic director Kevin Washington doesn't expect one soon.

Baylor created a position as director of player development and hired Dwon Clifton, the coach of the D-One Sports club.

But Washington said Wall still is undecided.

"Right now, he is a little confused about what he should do," Washington said.

"John is still not sure. He wants to take a little time to think everything through.

"There are a lot of rumors about John being a lock to Baylor, but that is not true."

Wall is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the country by the rivals.com recruiting site and is in the top three according to scout.com.

DEACONS LAND TWO: Wake Forest picked up a pair of 2010 basketball recruits recently.

Burlington Cummings guard J.T. Terrell and Philadelphia St. Neumann point guard Tony Chenault both announced for the Deacons.

Terrell is a 6-3, 180-pound shooting guard and had been offered scholarships by Virginia, Miami and Charlotte.

He averaged 25.7 points per game during his sophomore season last year.

Chenault is a 6-1 point guard.

They are Wake's only known basketball commitments from the class of 2010.