FASTBREAK RECRUITING

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The 5-foot-8 point guard from Manhattan's Rice High School, FastBreak's No. 3 national point guard prospect, gave a verbal commitment to Seton Hall and then was instrumental in delivering the nation's No. 1 prospect -- Philadelphia Roman Catholic 6-9 forward Eddie Griffin -- to the Pirates on Monday in a national recruiting coup.

Griffin, FastBreak's top national prospect, could pave the way for two more top prospects -- 6-8 center/power forward Jeff McMillan of New York and 6-3 wing Rashid Dunbar of New Jersey -- as coach Tommy Amaker has blown away the competition for this year's top class. He already had FastBreak's No. 30 prospect on board -- WF Marcus Toney-El (6-5) of New Jersey, who committed in early July.

Barrett and Griffin were teammates at the adidas ABCD Camp in New Jersey this summer. Griffin, Toney-El and Dunbar are AAU teammates for the Timmy Thomas Playaz, which finished second at the adidas Big-Time Tournament in Las Vegas last month.

While Griffin gets our vote as the nation's most polished player, there has been speculation he may go pro this year or after just one year at college. We believe he is at least two years away from any such jump, if not more. Fortunately for the college game, Griffin has said he favors going the college route for at least a year or two.

With Barrett's assist in the recruitment of Griffin in mind, here's our breakdown of the top 10 point guards heading into this season.

Our pick for No. 1 is Lansing, Mich., star Marcus Taylor. The 6-3 Taylor skipped the summer circuit with the exception of an appearance at the Nike Camp in Indianapolis, where he was named one of the top five campers. Michigan State is the school to beat for this pure playmaker.

At No. 2, Omar Cook (6-1) of Middle Village Christ The King could help North Carolina forget about losing Griffin (many believed the Tar Heels were the early favorite for the agile forward). North Carolina is the leader for Cook, who at a solid 190 pounds is the best power point guard prospect in the class.

Barrett checks in at No. 3. A diminutive lead guard with tremendous vision and quickness, and the strong bond he already has with other members of Seton Hall's fabulous class will only make their freshman season that much smoother.

FastBreak's No. 4 point guard prospect is Louisiana's Chris Duhon (6-2), a versatile combo guard from Slidell Salmen High School. Duhon was MVP of the Big-Time Tournament in Las Vegas, and this week announced his official visit dates. Duhon will head to Duke first (Sept. 24-26), followed by Kentucky (Oct. 15), Texas (Oct. 22) and then possibly LSU and UCLA. Duke is the clear-cut leader for his signature. He can quarterback a team and drop 3-pointers all night.

Our No. 5 prospect is yet another New Yorker, Queens St. John's Taliek Brown (6-1). He could decide in the next few weeks among leaders St. John's, Syracuse, UConn, Ohio State and Massachusetts. The Johnnies seem to be the leader for this physical point guard who is cut from the same mold as Cook.

Midwesterner Imari Sawyer (6-1) of famed Chicago King High is our pick at No. 6. Sawyer is a slashing, scoring lead guard with lots of offensive firepower. DePaul and Illinois top his list of schools.

At No. 7, fast-riser Adam Boone (6-2) of Minnetonka, Minn., has enjoyed a big summer. Boone is the backup in case Duhon somehow slips through Duke's fingers, while Minnesota, Wisconsin and others are in the hunt as well. He is another classic quarterback when it comes to running a club.

Our pick as the No. 8 point guard is California native Avery Queen. The 5-8 Queen, who spent last season at Maine Central Institute, has moved to Winchendon (Mass.) Academy. Michigan is the leader for this ultra-quick dervish.

At No. 9, Oak Hill (Va.) Academy standout Cliff Hawkins (6-2) is another point that could play either guard position at the next level. A slasher who is among the best athletes in the class, Hawkins committed last week to New Mexico, giving first-year coach Fran Fraschilla a great building block. With Steve Blake headed to Maryland this fall, Hawkins takes over at the point for the defending national champions at Oak Hill.

Finally, our No. 10 point guard prospect is another Midwesterner, Andre Owens (6-3) of Indianapolis Perry Meridian High. Owens had a solid summer and has committed to Indiana.

Among other top prep point guards in the news, Severn, Md.'s Derrick Snowden (6-0) committed to Villanova on Monday and Chicago's Jitim Young (6-3) committed to Northwestern last week.

On the recruiting trail
Next to Barrett and Griffin, the biggest blockbuster to come down the early recruiting pike was the dual commitment last week of Alabama stars Gerald Wallace (6-7) and Mario Austin (6-9) to Alabama. This was another coup for Mark Gottfried, a coach looking to make a statement. Wallace is FastBreak's No. 6 prospect, while Austin is No. 44 and one of the fastest-rising centers in the nation.

Elsewhere, prep school standout PF Caron Butler (6-6) of MCI committed to UConn, while WG Willie Shaw (6-5) of Bronx, N.Y., committed to St. John's. FastBreak No. 28 Bernard Robinson (6-6) will likely follow Hawkins to New Mexico, but may still take visits -- including Michigan early next month.

Additionally, top 75 swingman Omar Weaver (6-6) of Compton, Calif., has committed to Fresno State.