VAN COLEMAN
Van is one of the nation's premier recruiting experts. E-mail
UCLA edges Kansas for the top spot as the spring recruiting period comes to an end, but the rankings aren't final yet.
As the spring signing period came to an end this week, the UCLA Bruins moved into the top spot in our recruiting rankings when 6-foot-10 post man J'Mison Morgan committed to the Bruins after being released from his national letter to LSU.He will give UCLA a solid replacement for All-American Kevin Love who has opted to enter the NBA draft next month.Love is expected to be a lottery pick.Morgan was the one piece that UCLA had to replace this spring to put them in line for another run at the national crown next winter.
Kansas added 6-foot-3 point Tyshawn Taylor, another player who was released from his national letter with Marquette when Tom Crean left for Indiana, to hold onto the No. 2 spot. OhioState jumped to number three by signing two top notch JUCO talents in Nicola Kecman and Jeremie Simmons.Memphis was the biggest mover so far in spring recruiting landing in the No. 4 spot after signing Tyreke Evans and Wesley Witherspoon.They may not be done yet, as they have a shot at Emmanuel Negedu (see below).Florida hung on to a top five spot, but just barely as Connecticut made a big push by signing 6-foot-9 Australian import Ater Majok this past month.Georgetown dropped to No. 7 while Louisville dropped out of the top five after Melquan Bolding de-committed and signed at Duquesne.North Carolina and Tennessee round out the top 10, they both added players during the spring period.So there is no doubt that the late signees had a major affect on the spring rankings.And we expect more to come.
Although the spring signing period just ended, we still have a couple loose ends in recent de-commits, Emmanuel Negedu and Malik Story.Negedu has listed Georgia Tech, Indiana, Memphis and Tennessee as the schools he will consider.Three of those four schools are among our top 20 classes.Story has already heard from Kentucky and Virginia Tech since gaining his release on Tuesday.So our final rankings could be a week or two away.In the meantime we'll update you on the changes that have occurred since the opening of the spring signing period last month.With that in mind, here's a look at our end of the spring signing period update of the nation's top 40 recruiting classes.
Class of 2008 Top 40 Recruiting Classes Update
1. UCLA 5 Recruits: Jrue Holiday 6-foot-3 PG North Hollywood Campbell Hall (Calif.); Malcolm Lee 6-foot-4 PG Riverside J.W. North (Calif.); Drew Gordon 6-foot-9 PF San Jose Archbishop Mitty (Calif.); Jerime Anderson 6-foot-2 PG Anaheim Canyon (Calif.); J'Mison Morgan 6-foot-10 C Dallas South Oak Cliff (Tex.).
2. Kansas 7 Recruits: Mario Little 6-foot-5 WF Chipola CC (Fla.); Tyrone Appleton 6-foot-3 PG Midland CC (Tex.); Marcus Morris 6-foot-9 WF Pennsauken Apex Academies (NJ); Markieff Morris 6-foot-10 PF Pennsauken Apex Academies (NJ); Travis Releford 6-foot-3 SG Shawnee Mission Bishop Miege (Mo.); Quintrell Thomas 6-foot-8 PF Elizabeth St. Patrick (NJ);Tyshawn Taylor 6-foot-3 PG Jersey City, NJ St. Anthony's
3. Ohio State 7 Recruits: William Buford 6-foot-5 SG Toledo Libbey (Oh.); B.J. Mullens 6-foot-11 C Canal Winchester (Oh.); Anthony Crater 6-foot-1 PG Wolfeboro Brewster Academy (NH); Walter Offutt 6-foot-3 CG Indianapolis Warren Central (Ind.); Jeremie Simmons 6-foot-3 SG Mott CC (Mich.); Nicola Kecman 6-foot-9 PF Eastern Arizona CC. Walk-on: Terrelle Pryor 6-foot-6 WF Jeanette (Penn.)-Football signee
4. Memphis 4 Recruits: Tyreke Evans 6-foot-5 CG Aston American Christian (Penn.); Matt Simpkins 6-foot-9 PF Lenoir Patterson School (N.C.); Angel Garcia 6-foot-10 PF East Chicago (Ind.); Wesley Witherspoon 6-foot-7 WF Lilburn Berkmar (Ga.). Note: Tigers are still looking and are one of the schools being considered by Emmanuel Negedu.
5. Florida 5 Recruits: Eloy Vargas 6-foot-10 PF Plantation American Christian (Fla.); Erving Walker 5-foot-7 PG Middle Village Christ the King (NY); Ray Shipman 6-foot-4 SG Miami Monsignor Pace (Fla.); Kenneth Kadji 6-foot-10 C Bradenton Pendleton School (Fla.); Alan Chaney 6-foot-9 PF New London (Conn.)
6. Connecticut 5 Recruits: Nate Miles 6-foot-7 WF Lenoir Patterson School (NC); Kemba Walker 6-foot PG New York Rice (NY); Scottie Haralson 6-foot-4 SG Jackson Provine (Miss.); Charles Okwandu 7-1 C Harum CC (Penn.); Ater Majok 6-foot-9 CF Martinsville Heat Academy (Virg.).
7. North Carolina 4 Recruits: Tyler Zeller 7-foot-1 C Washington (H.S.) IN; Ed Davis 6-foot-9 PF Richmond Benedictine (Va.); Larry Drew 6-foot PG Woodland Hills Taft (Calif.); Justin Watts 6-foot-3 SG Durham C.E. Jordan (N.C.)
8. Georgetown 4 Recruits: Greg Monroe 6-foot-10 PF Gretna Helen Cox (La.); Chris Braswell 6-foot-9 PF Chatham Hargrave Military (Va.); Jason Clark 6-foot-2 SG Arlington Bishop O'Connell (Va.); Henry Sims 6-foot-9 PF Baltimore Mt. St. Joseph's (Md.)
9. Louisville 4 Recruits: Samardo Samuels 6-foot-8 PF Newark St. Benedict (NJ); Terrence Jennings 6-foot-10 C Fitchburg Notre Dame (Mass.); Jared Swopshire 6-foot-8 WF Bradenton Pendleton School (Fla.); (3) Kyle Kuric 6-foot-5 WF Evansville Memorial (Ind.)Note: The Cards dropped out of top five when Melquan Bolding decided to sign with Duquesne rather than head to Louisville.
10. Tennessee 5 Recruits: Scotty Hopson 6-foot-6 SG Hopkinsville, KY University Heights; Renaldo Woolridge 6-foot-7 WF North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (Calif.); Phillip Jurick 6-foot-10 C ChattanoogaEast Ridge (Tenn.); Daniel West 6-foot-2 PG Saginaw (Mich.); Bobby Maze 6-foot-2 PG Hutchinson CC (Kan.). Note: Vols are among the schools involved with Emmanuel Negedu.
11. WakeForest 3 Recruits: Al-Farouq Aminu 6-foot-9 WF Norcross (Ga.); Tony Woods 6-foot-10 C Rome (Ga.); Ty Walker 6-foot-10 C Wilmington New Hanover (NC)
12. Oklahoma 5 Recruits: Willie Warren 6-foot-4 SG Fort Worth North Crowley (Tex.); Orlando Allen 6-foot-11 C Paris CC (Tex.); Kyle Cannon 6-foot-8 PF San Jacinto CC (Tex.); Ray Willis 6-foot-5 WF Atlanta Westlake (Ga.); Juan Pattillo 6-foot-7 CF College of Southern Idaho CC.
13. Arkansas 6 Recruits: Courtney Fortson 6-foot-1 PG Lenoir Patterson School (NC); Rotnei Clarke 6-foot-0 SG Claremore Verdigris (Okla.); Andre Clarke 6-foot-9 PF Mendenhall Genesis One (Miss.); Brandon Moore 6-foot-9 C New Orleans Holy Cross (La.); Jason Henry 6-foot-7 WF Cincinnati Harmony Community (Oh.); Montrell McDonald 6-foot-6 WF Cowley County CC (Kan.).
14. Oregon 6 Recruits: Michael Dunigan 6-foot-9 C Chicago (Farragut) (Ill.); Matt Humphrey 6-foot-5 SG Chicago Hales Franciscan (Ill.); Drew Wiley 6-foot-6 WF Vida McKenzie River (Ore.); Josh Crittle 6-foot-8 PF Chicago Hales Franciscan (Ill.); Teondre Williams 6-foot-4 SG Norcross Meadowcreek (Ga.); Garrett Sim 6-foot-1 PG Portland Sunset (Ore.)
15. Florida State 6 Recruits: Chris Singleton 6-foot-8 WF Dunwoody (Ga.); Derwin Kitchen 6-foot-4 PG Iowa Western CC (Ia.); Xavier Gibson 6-foot-11 C Dothan Northview (Ala.); Luke Loucks 6-foot-4 PG Clearwater (Fla.); Deividas Dulkys 6-foot-3 SG Henderson Findlay Prep (Nev.); Pierre Jordan 5-foot-11 PG Dunwoody (Ga.)
16. West Virginia 4 Recruits:Kevin Jones 6-foot-7 WF Mount Vernon (N.Y.);Roscoe Davis 6-foot-10 PF Chatham Hargrave (Virg.); Darryl Bryant 6-foot-2 SG Bronx St. Raymond's (N.Y.); Devin Ebanks 6-foot-9 PF Oakdale St. Thomas More (Conn.)
17. Minnesota 5 Recruits: Devron Bostick 6-foot-5 WF Southwestern Illinois CC; Paul Carter 6-foot-8 PF Missouri State-West Plains CC; Colton Iverson 6-foot-10 C Yankton (SD); Devoe Joseph 6-foot-3 SG Toronto Pickering (Ont.); Ralph Sampson Jr 6-foot-11 C Duluth Northview (Ga.) Note: Gophers are still looking to add one more this spring, so they could challenge for top five spot.
18. Arizona 4 Recruits: Brandon Jennings 6-foot-1 PG Mouth of Wilson Oak Hill (Va.); Jeff Withey 7-foot-0 C San Diego Horizon (Calif.); Brenden Lavender 6-foot-5 SG Mesa Mountain View (Ariz.); Kyle Fogg 6-foot-3 SG Brea-Olinde (Calif.). Note: Wildcats dropped out of top ten when Emmanuel Negedu decided to look elsewhere last week.
19. Kentucky 4 Recruits: DeAndre Liggins 6-foot-6 WF Henderson Findlay Prep (Nev.); Darius Miller 6-foot-7 WF Maysville Mason County (KY); Kevin Galloway 6-foot-6 WF Southern Idaho CC (Id.); Josh Harrellson 6-foot-9 C Southwestern CC (Ill.). Note: Wildcats have inquired into Malik Story's situation so they could add one more this spring.
20. Alabama 4 Recruits: JaMichael Green 6-foot-8 PF Montgomery St. Jude (Ala.); Tony Mitchell 6-foot-7 WF Swainsboro (Ga.); Andrew Steele 6-foot-3 CG Birmingham John Carroll (Ala.); Anthony Brock 5-foot-9 PG Itawamba CC (Miss.)
21. Indiana 6 Recruits:Nick Williams 6-foot-5 SG Mobile Leflore (Ala.); Devon Dumes 6-foot-2 CG Vincennes CC, (Ind.); Tom Pritchard 6-foot-9 C Lakewood St. Edward's (Oh.); Matt Roth 6-foot-3 SG Washington (Ill.); Verdell Jones 6-foot-4 PG Champaign Central (Ill.); Tijan Jobe 6-foot-11 C Olney Central CC, (Ill.)
22. Duke 3 Recruits: Elliott Williams 6-foot-4 SG Collierville St. George (Tenn.); Aleksander Olek Czyz 6-foot-8 Reno (Nev.); Miles Plumlee 6-foot-10 PF Arden Christ School (N.C.)
23. Nevada 6 Recruits: Luke Babbitt 6-foot-8 PF Reno Galena (Nev.); Joey Shaw 6-foot-7 Southern Idaho CC (Id.); Mark McLaughlin 6-foot-4 SG Kenmore Inglemoor (Wash.); London Giles 6-foot-3 SG Dallas Kimball (Tex.); Dario Hunt 6-foot-8 PF Goldsboro Charis Prep (N.C.); Ahyaro Phillips 6-foot-8 PF Fork Union Military (Virg.)
24. Missouri 6 Recruits: Kim English 6-foot-5 WF Fitchburg Notre Dame (Mass.); Keith Ramsey 6-foot-9 PF Okaloosa-Walton CC (Fla.); Miguel Paul 6-foot PG Lakeland Kathleen (Fla.); Steve Moore 6-foot-8 PF Independence Truman (Mo.); Marcus Denmon 6-foot-2 SG Kansas City Hogan Prep (Mo.); Laurence Bowers 6-foot-7 PF Collierville St. George (Tenn.)
25. Mississippi 6 Recruits:Terrence Henry 6-foot-8 PF Monroe Carroll (La.); Brandon Wilson 6-foot-5 WF Monroe Carroll (La.); Terrico White 6-foot-6 WF Memphis Craigmont (Tenn.); DeAundre Cranston 6-foot-9 C Daytona Beach CC (Fla.); Murphy Holloway 6-foot-7 WF Irmo Dutch Fork (S.C.); Will Bogan 6-foot-1 PG Caldwell Vallivue (Id.)
26. Washington State 6 Recruits: Klay Thompson 6-foot-7 WF Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.); DeAngelo Castro 6-foot-8 Seattle Ferris (Wash.); Michael Harthun 6-foot-3 SG South Medford (Ore.); Nick Witherill 6-foot-4 SG Phoenix Saguaro (Ariz.); Marcus Capers 6-foot-5 Montverde Academy (Fla.); James Watson 6-foot-8 PF Springtown (Okla.)
27. New Mexico 5 Recruits: Isaiah Rusher 6-foot-8 PF Jackson Mississippi Elite Christian Academy (Miss.); Phillip McDonald 6-foot-5 SG Cypress Community Christian (Tex.); Will Brown 6-foot-8 PF Lenoir Patterson School (NC); Curtis Dennis 6-foot-4 SG Henderson Findlay Prep (Nev.); Nathan Garth 6-foot-1 PG Memphis Hamilton (Tenn.)
28. Michigan State 3 Recruits: Delvon Roe 6-foot-8 PF Lakewood St. Edward (Oh.); Korie Lucious 5-foot-11 PG Milwaukee St. Pius X (Wis.); Draymond Green 6-foot-7 PF Saginaw (Mich.)
29. Washington 4 Recruits: Isaiah Thomas 5-foot-8 PG SouthKentSchool (Conn.); Elston Turner 6-foot-4 SG Roseville (Calif.); Scott Suggs 6-foot-5 SG Washington (Mo.); Tyrese Breshers 6-foot-7 PF Los Angeles Price (Calif.)
30. USC 4 Recruits: Demar DeRozan 6-foot-5 Jr Compton (Calif.); Donte Smith 5-foot-11 PG Mt. San Antonio CC (Calif.); Percy Miller 6-foot PG Beverly Hills (Calif.);Leonard Washington 6-foot-6 CF Lake Charles Washington-Marion (La.).Note: Trojans dropped out of top 20 when Malik Story decided to go elsewhere this past week.Will others follow if Mayo situation worsens?
31. Vanderbilt 4 Recruits: Steve Tchiengang 6-foot-9 PF Monteverde Academy (Fla.); Lance Goulbourne 6-foot-8 PF Princeton Hun School (N.J.); Jeff Taylor 6-foot-6 WF Hobbs (N.M.); Brad Tinsley 6-foot-3 SG Oregon City (Ore.)
32. Xavier 5 Recruits: Kenny Frease 7-foot-1 C Massillon Perry (Oh.); Mark Lyons 6-foot-1 PG South Kent Prep (Conn.); Brad Redford 6-1 SG Frankenmuth (Mich.); Brian Walsh 6-foot-4 CoraopolisMoonTownship (Penn.); Terrell Holloway 6-foot PG Cincinnati Harmony Community (Oh.)
33. Pittsburgh 5 Recruits: Jermaine Dixon 6-foot-3 SG Tallahassee CC (Fla.); Nasir Robinson 6-foot-5 WF Chester (Penn.); Travon Woodall 6-foot-0 PG Jersey City St. Anthony's (NJ); Aston Gibbs 6-foot-2 SG West Orange Seton Hall Prep (NJ); Dwight Miller 6-foot-8 C Houston St. Pius X (Tex.)
34. Iowa 6 Recruits: Matt Gatens 6-foot-5 WF Iowa City City High (Ia.); Devan Bawinkle 6-foot-4 SG Highland CC (Ill.); Anthony Tucker 6-foot-4 SG Minnetonka Hopkins (Minn.); Andrew Brommer 6-foot-8 PF Rosemont (Minn.); Jermain Davis 6-foot-4 SG Kirkwood CC (Ia.); Aaron Fuller 6-foot-7 WF Mesa (Ariz.)
35. Iowa State 6 Recruits: Jamie Vanderbeken 6-foot-10 C Tyler C (Tex.); L.A. Pomlee 6-foot-8 PF Davenport Central (Ia.); Dominique Buckley 6-foot-2 PG Romulus (Mich.); Wes Eikmeier 6-foot-3 SG Freemont Archbishop Bergen (Neb.); Jordan Hamilton 6-foot-10 C Lone Peak Highland (Ut.); Clinton Mann 6-foot-7 CF Overland Park Thomas Aquinas (Kan.) Note: If you include Lucca Steiger who's been sitting out due to NCAA ruling the Cyclones would jump into the top 25.
36. Texas Tech 6 Recruits: Darko Cohadarevic 6-foot-9 PF Seward County CC (Ks.); Nick Okorie 6-foot-0 PG South Plains CC (Tex.); Darryl Arnold 6-foot-4 SG Jacksonville CC (Tex.); Corbin Ray 6-foot-8 WF Katy Taylor (Tex.); Tyree Graham 6-foot-2 SG Fayetteville Village Christian Academy (NC); Robert Lewandowski 6-foot-9 PF Overland Park Blue Valley West (Kan.)
37. MississippiState 4 Recruits: Romero Osby 6-foot-7 CF Meridian Northeast Laurel (Miss.); Dee Bost 6-foot-3 CG Chatham Hargrave Military (Va.); Jacquiese Holcombe 6-foot-7 WF Georgia Perimeter CC (Ga.); Antiquawn Beckham 6-foot-5 SG New Hampton Prep (N.H.)
38. Clemson 5 Recruits: Catalin Baciu 7-foot-1 C Fletcher Veritas Christian Academy (N.C.); Andre Young 5-foot-9 PG Albany Deerfield Windsor (Ga.); Mbai Gato Oliver 6-foot-7 WF Hampton Bethel (Va.); Tanner Smith 6-foot-5 SG Norcross Wesleyan (Ga.); Bryan Narcisse 6-foot-7North Augusta (Ga.)
39. Auburn 5 Recruits:Tay Waller 6-foot-2 SG Okaloosa-Walton CC (Fla.); Frank Sullivan 6-foot-2 PG Uniontown R.C. Hatch (Ala.); Johnnie Lett 6-foot-11 C Okaloosa-Walton CC (Fla.); Kenny Gabriel 6-foot-7 PF King's Mountain Hope Christian (N.C.); Andre Malone 6-foot-4 SG College Park North Clayton (Ga.).
40. Maryland 3 Recruits: Sean Mosley 6-foot-4 SG Baltimore St. Frances (Md.); Augustus Gilchrist 6-foot-9 PF Hyattsville Progressive Christian (Md.); Tyree Evans 6-foot-3 MotlowState (Tenn.)
40. Cincinnati 4 Recruits: Yancy Gates 6-foot-9 PF Cincinnati Withrow (Oh.); Cashmere Wright 6-foot-1 PG Savannah Urban Christian (Ga.); Dion Dixon 6-foot-3 SG Chicago Crane Tech (Ill.); Steven Toyloy 6-foot-9 C Miami-Dade CC (Fla.)
Near Misses:Georgia (5) Recruits; Detroit (6) Recruits: Wisconsin (5) Recruits; UNLV (4) Recruits: Dayton (5) Recruits; Southern Illinois (5) Recruits; Virginia (3) Recruits; TCU (6) Recruits; Syracuse (3) Recruits: Rutgers (3) Recruits; St. Louis (7) Recruits.
Best of the Rest:St. Bonaventure (7) Recruits; Marquette (4) Recruits; Butler (6) Recruits; Northern Iowa (6) Recruits; SMU (6) Recruits; Utah State (7) Recruits; Rhode Island (5) Recruits; Wichita State (5) Recruits; Miami (FL) (3) Recruits; DePaul (3) Recruits; Fresno State (5) Recruits; St. Joseph's (5) Recruits; Duquesne (5) Recruits: Fordham (5) Recruits; Houston (4) Recruits; Morehead State (8) Recruits; Pepperdine (6) Recruits; UT-San Antonio (8) Recruits; Binghamton (4) Recruits; South Florida (5) Recruits; UC-Riverside (7) Recruits; LSU (3) Recruits; Hawaii (4) Recruits; Hofstra (4) Recruits; Seton Hall (3) Recruits; St. Joseph's (5) Recruits; Ball State (6) Recruits; Liberty (7) Recruits; Albany (5) Recruits.
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