Nerlens Noel changed gears and re-classified from the 2013 class to the 2012 class in February.
Photo by Jim Redman
Never count out John Calipari.
Amid speculation he was headed to Georgetown, No. 1 overall Class of 2012 prospect
Nerlens Noel spurned the Hoyas and picked recently-crowned national champs Kentucky during a live ESPNU announcement Wednesday. Syracuse was the third finalist for his services.
Calipari and the Wildcats also landed MaxPreps.com's No. 1 prospect in 2011 with Anthony Davis and are in contention for their third straight top-ranked recruiting class. Five star prospects
Archie Goodwin and
Alex Poythress along with 6-foot-11 four star center
Willie Cauley have also made a pledge to Kentucky in the 2012 class.
Noel, a 6-10, 215-pound defensive dominator, has taken a bit of an unconventional path to stardom. He transferred to
Tilton School (N.H.) from Everett High School in Massachusetts in the fall of 2010 and repeated his sophomore year.
Noel's stock soared last summer while playing with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC), leading the Leo Papile-coached squad to a 21-1 record in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League and the season-ending Peach Jam title.
After an outstanding would-be junior season at Tilton, Noel looked poised to challenge Chicago phenom Jabari Parker for the No. 1 ranking in the Class of 2013. That battle never materialized as he announced plans to re-classify and return to the 2012 class in February, ending his sub-collegiate career abruptly. His recruitment was fast-tracked and Kentucky and Syracuse emerged as early favorites.
The pursuit of Noel was intense, highly-publicized and according to
Pete Thamel of the New York Times, a tangled web of handler hopefuls, mentors, coaches and hangers-on.
Noel's shot blocking prowess and ability to take over games on the defensive end helped him overtake Shabazz Muhammad for the honor of top prospect in the Class of 2012. His offensive ability is undersold – he simply lacks an identity on that end of the floor. He likes to float to the perimeter and showcase his ballhandling ability but operates well from the high post and has solid shooting touch.
