Mid-major basketball programs making noise on the recruiting trail

It's unusual for college basketball programs outside the "Big Six" (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC) to gain multiple verbal commitments from highly-touted prep prospects at this point in the recruiting process.

If a player's junior season and summer play don't entice high-major programs to offer, most prospects will take one last shot with their senior seasons in an effort to draw the attention of the big boys.

But not all follow that path. Central Florida, Dayton, Delaware, Virginia Commonwealth and Xavier are among the programs having success in landing quality commitments early.

"I don't buy into the high-major/mid-major stuff," Dayton commitment LaDontae Henton said. "I had high-major schools looking at me as well, but Dayton is a Top 25 team every year and consistently gets into the tournament. It was the right fit for me and the best situation."

Here's a deeper look at the 2011 recruiting efforts of the aforementioned five programs;

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Verbal commitments: Rod Days, Wayne Martin, Kasey Wilson
Analysis: Former Marshall head coach and Florida assistant Donnie Jones has taken over in Orlando and is having success early on locking down Sunshine State talent.

Days, an athletic 6-foot-6 wing, is the headliner. The Sagemont (Weston, Fla.) senior is the highest-rated prospect (No. 78) in MaxPreps.com's Top 100 committed to a mid-major program.

Martin, a 6-7 forward, was a key member of a 31-1 team at Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.) last winter. The Stallions finished No. 6 in the final national rankings.

Wilson is another wing/forward-type in the 6-6 range who averaged more than 20 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior at North Port (Fla.).

DAYTON
Verbal commitments: Percy Gibson, LaDontae Henton
Analysis: On the heels of an outstanding 2010 recruiting class that featured three Top 100-caliber guards, the Flyers are adding muscle in 2011 with wing/forward Henton and Gibson, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound post player.

If Dayton continues to recruit this well under Brian Gregory, the Flyers may join the likes of Gonzaga and Memphis as programs in mid-major conferences with high-major talent. Gibson and Henton – both Michigan natives – have played with and against each other since middle school but are ready to embrace a new state and town.

"Dayton is a great town," Henton said. "The fans go crazy for their Flyers. There's not a better college town in the world than Dayton."

DELAWARE
Verbal commitments: Larry Savage, Marvin King-Davis, Kaleed Lewis-El, Jarvis Threatt
Analysis: Coming off a 7-24 season in 2009-10, Delaware is a surprise in this category but keep an eye on head coach Monte Ross and the Blue Hens in the Colonial Athletic Association. Whatever Ross is selling, recruits are buying.

"When I first started talking to Delaware I wasn't going to rule it out but I knew the basketball team wasn't really that good," said Threatt, who officially visited the campus last week. "But after seeing the team and meeting the coaching staff, I said, 'I could see myself playing here.'

"Coach Ross was a big part of it. When you see the head coach at the AAU games, that means a lot. He preached to me that he would look out for me on and off the floor. He sold it to me well."

In addition to Threatt, a clutch and competitive 6-1 point guard from Highland Springs (Va.), the Blue Hens will add backcourt help from Lewis-El, a standout at defending New Jersey state champion Trenton Catholic Academy.

Savage is an undersized forward playing in a prestigious high school program at Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) that Threatt describes as a "workhorse."

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
Verbal commitments: Treveon Graham, Pierria Henry, Briante Weber
Analysis: With an intriguing freshman class already on campus including Ohio guard Rob Brandenberg, California 7-footer D.J. Haley and 6-9 Juvonte Reddic, head coach Shaka Smart could really solidify his program with another solid recruiting effort.

Early indications point to that happening. Henry had a great junior season at South Charleston (W.Va.) and surprised many by not waiting around for major-conference offers.

The biggest development for VCU came Monday when McDonogh 35 (New Orleans) super-sleeper Jernard Jarreau pledged to the Rams. At 6-10, Jarreau can handle the basketball on the perimeter and has a confident stroke from beyond the 3-point line. Since making the commitment reports say he will keep his options open with Virginia Commonwealth as the leader.

XAVIER
Verbal commitments: Darwin Davis Jr., Jalen Reynolds, Dezmine Wells
Analysis: Xavier doesn't think of itself as a mid-major and isn't recruiting like one.

Davis runs the show for one of Indiana's top high school programs at Bloomington South and is rated No. 96 in MaxPreps.com's 2011 Top 100. He averaged a team-high 15.6 points and 5.3 assists per game as a junior for the 23-1 Panthers.

Wells is moving on to Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.) this season after making a name for himself in North Carolina's independent school scene and with Chris Paul's CP3 All-Stars.

Reynolds' junior season at Stevenson (Livonia, Mich.) was sidetracked by an eligibility squabble after transferring, but he has been touted by those in the know as one of Michigan's top 2011 prospects.