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| Wednesday, February 7 |
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| Still plenty left on the recruiting table By David Benezra and Mark Mayemura Special to ESPN.com | |||
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We have already looked at the big winners from the early fall signing period, but like the week after Thanksgiving, there are some leftover tidbits to digest from the period in addition to the fact that not all the prime turkey was snatched off the shelves this fall.
Maurice Williams,a 6-foot-1 point guard who was said to be wavering in his commitment to Alabama, did in fact sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Bama. Williams is an impact recruit and the Tide did well to beat out Mississippi State for his services. They owed them one for losing out on Mario Austin to them at the 25th hour last year.
Rick Rickert (6-11), who was said to be wavering from his commitment to Arizona, did in fact change his mind and signed an LOI with Minnesota. There was a lot of family pressure on Rickert to do so. In addition, rumors have Rickert already considering playing just one year at UM before leaving for the NBA.
Eddie Curry did sign with DePaul, so they will be moved up among the elite recruiting classes. Again, we cannot worry about whether or not the 6-11 Curry will play in Chicago next year for the Blue Demons or 'Da Bulls!
You wouldn?t think that somebody named Curry could use any seasoning, but Curry would be the better for it. Of course, the Bulls could use an upgrade at center, even if it?s a poorly seasoned Curry.
There are already a lot of rumors regarding coaching vacancies at some of the major programs and that could make what would normally be a somewhat lackluster spring very interesting.
Among the elite players remaining is 6-7 power forward Ousmane Cisse (St. Jude/Montgomery, Ala.). Cisse is the best power forward in the class, bar none. He has the requisite mean streak it takes to truly impact night after night, plays taller than his height, and always plays at a high energy level.
Louisville, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan, and Virginia have been the schools recruiting him since the get-go, with Louisville considered the school with the early edge.
DeSagana Diop (Oak Hill Academy/Mouth of Wilson, Va.) is also available. The 6-11 center is a big space-eater with a good work ethic. Virginia and North Carolina appear to have moved in front of the pack.
However, things could change dramatically for these and other players if high-profile jobs open up and high-profile coaches step in at the right time to take those jobs.
Other tunas available include 6-11 David Harrison (Brentwood Academy/Brentwood, Tenn.). Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, Kentucky and other big name schools came around, but Harrison will choose between Vanderbilt -- where his father coaches football -- and Colorado, where a brother attends.
Deng Gia (Milford Academy/Milford, Ct.) is reportedly, a "phenom," in the old-school vernacular. Gia, 6-10, is known as a spectacular shotblocker and he happens to have been placed at a prep school in UConn's backyard.
We have been out scouting and we got a good look (twice) at 6-8, 250-pound Chris Massie (Oxnard CC, Calif.), who has signed with Memphis. Since Massie is 24 going on 25, it has been strongly rumored that he will not attend college and will come out for the NBA draft instead. In that vein, more than a couple of NBA teams have scouted Massie.
Massie has very good skills for a big man, showing a nice shooting touch with range and the ability to finish around the basket. He is very lazy however, not something that a John Calipari would put up with at Memphis, and that would be a big adjustment for him.
Massie brings to mind Danny Fortson, the former Cincinnati great who now plays for the Golden State Warriors. Except that, while Fortson is a banger with a body who imposes his will on others to make his impact as a true power forward, Massie is more of a debutante/dilletante with the frame and skills to tease you into thinking that he is the real thing. Massie will make a play here and there, but just doesn't seem interested in participating in all the action while he's on the floor.
Of course, in this day and age, with the NBA willing to take anybody breathing with a big body, Massie might just make it even without the work ethic. But while Massie has promise, he has no upside and we were not blown away as he did not dominate the opponents in either contest.
Playing in the same tournament was 6-8, 235-pound Rafael Berumen, Jr. (Los Angeles CC, Calif.), who was a freshman at New Mexico last year. Berumen had 29 points and 20 rebounds in one game and he and Massie neutralized each other when their teams played each other, with both fouling out.
Berumen is a highly skilled big man who needs to be more aggressive in throwing his big body around. Look for him to be highly sought after in the spring.
In another tournament, Dixie CC, out of St. George, Utah, played Snow CC, from Ephraim, Utah, for the championship. Dixie features another former New Mexico player by the name of Drew Gaulden, a 6-8 wing. Gaulden is a leaper with a stroke, who transferred from New Mexico to Gonzaga before arriving at Dixie. Perimeter players with his size, athleticism, and skill level are hard to find. Gaulden should also attract a lot of interest come spring.
Size seems to be the theme in this particular column. Snow also featured a name that old-time UCLA fans should remember. There is a Vroman playing for Snow. That is 6-10 freshman Jackson Vroman. His father Brett cavorted around Pauley Pavilion for the Bruins in their glory days.
Mark Mayemura and David Benezra cover the national college basketball recruiting scene, both high school and junior college recruiting, at their Recruiting USA (www.recruitingusa.com) website. Call (818)783-2244 for subscription information.
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ALSO SEE Recruiting: Who got who? Recruiting: 'Jewel' of the islands Recruiting: Bruins get their Bozeman Recruiting: Bear or Bare market for Bruins? Recruiting: Extra work pays off for UK | |
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