Love This NC Newspaper Headline About UK Hoops

Kentucky, ACC enticing top recruits

Rivers leads a strong group that gives Duke the league's top class, but no one matches Kentucky's haul.

By Ken Tysiac
ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com

Posted: Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2010

RALEIGH - Duke is getting the ACC's top recruit, North Carolina is adding a couple of likely McDonald's All-Americans and N.C. State is expected to sign muscle and potential in its frontcourt.

But as the fall national signing period begins today for men's college basketball, Kentucky is the team making a national splash.


Here are six things fans can expect as recruits make their commitments official beginning today:

Kentucky is loading up

Last season, the Wildcats got to the brink of the Final Four with four freshmen who wound up being first-round selections in last summer's NBA draft.

Expect more of the same during 2011-12. Small forward Michael Gilchrist, power forward Anthony Davis and point guard Marquis Teague are considered the top players in their class at their position.

All-Star Sports analyst Bob Gibbons has a fourth Kentucky recruit, 6-foot-9 Kyle Wiltjer, among his national top 10.

"Their class is so good, I can't tell beyond a shadow of a doubt which guy is going to have the biggest impact," ESPN.com recruiting analyst Dave Telep said. "And they're all going to have an impact."

Duke leads the ACC

Austin Rivers, a 6-4 shooting guard from Winter Park, Fla., is the top-rated player coming into the ACC.

The son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, he is rated No.1 overall by ESPN.

"He could be a more athletic version of Jon Scheyer for Duke," said Gibbons, who ranks Rivers No.2 behind Gilchrist. "He shoots it much better than Scheyer did as a high school player and more prolifically. He is a tremendous scorer with great basketball instincts."

Analysts expect Rivers to stay at Duke for one season, and perhaps two, before leaving for the NBA. Point guard Quinn Cook, forward Michael Gbinije and center Marshall Plumlee give the Blue Devils additional pieces to make up the best class in the ACC. ESPN has Duke's class No.2 in the nation behind Kentucky.

North Carolina is adding blue-chippers.

James McAdoo, a 6-8 power forward, reminds Telep of former Wake Forest center Tim Duncan with his maturity and stoic approach to the game.

Greensboro's P.J. Hairston, a muscular shooting guard at Hargrave Military Academy, adds long-range scoring ability.

"North Carolina has a couple guys coming in that will have great careers at North Carolina and make a lot of money beyond that," Telep said.

The Tar Heels also are getting a preferred walk-on in 6-7 Jackson Simmons, who turned down multiple Division I offers. And their class could get stronger in the frontcourt. North Carolina is waiting on 6-11 forward Cody Zeller - brother of North Carolina junior forward Tyler Zeller - and 6-9 center Adjehi Baru to announce their decisions.

N.C. State is getting big guys

Center Joseph Uchebo and forward Tyler Harris, both of whom committed to N.C. State, couldn't be more different.

Uchebo is a muscular 6-9 and physically mature enough to make an immediate impact as a rebounder. Harris is a slender 6-8 with perimeter scoring skills.

"There's no learning curve with Joseph Uchebo," Telep said. "And then Tyler Harris is a guy who's just growing into his body."

Wake Forest adds 2

First-year Wake Forest coach Jeff Bzdelik is adding a couple of under-the-radar players in 6-9 Daniel Green of Grapevine, Texas, and 6-3 shooter Chase Fischer of Ripley, W.Va.

Telep said Bzdelik's first recruiting duty was to keep the five-member class of 2011 coming to Wake Forest. Carson Desrosiers, Travis McKie, J.T. Terrell, Melvin Tabb and Tony Chennault have arrived as freshmen, so Bzdelik already has been successful.

Gibbons also is high on Fischer.

"I love Chase Fischer," he said. "He is a tremendous shooter and will be a definite asset to the program because of his ability to make 3-pointers and play either guard position."