Five Class of 2013 basketball recruiting questions and answers

With college basketball's spring signing period coming to an end earlier this month and most of the pieces in the Class of 2012 falling into place, recruiting attention has officially to the Class of 2013.

The rising senior crop is strong at the top with stars like Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon and Texas twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison. A handful of other players have a chance to play their way into being mentioned with that group this summer.

Top 100 talents are coming off the board quickly as 28 have already delivered verbal commitments and another – No. 34 Nigel Williams-Goss of Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) – is expected to make a decision today.

MaxPreps looks ahead and tackles five big questions swirling around the game's next wave of prospects.

Can Kentucky reel in the nation's top recruiting class for the fifth year in a row?
Chances are we won't know the answer to this question until next spring. It looked unlikely this spring until UK scored big with Nerlens Noel late in the process.

John Calipari is the game's ultimate closer on the recruiting trail and the Wildcats are certainly in the mix with enough top prospects to make it happen. Eight of the Top 10 prospects in the MaxPreps Class of 2013 Top 100 are on the board for the defending national champions.

Will Lorenzo Romar take Washington to the next level?
Romar has won 219 games and made six trips to the NCAA Tournament in 11 years at Washington. The Huskies have captured the Pac-10/12 regular season or tournament title in each of the past four seasons. But key recruiting misses – Terrence Jones comes to mind – have prevented Romar from putting the program over the top nationally.

The Huskies are a player for top prospect Parker. Romar and UW were the runner-up for Drew Gordon in 2008 (he chose UCLA before transferring to New Mexico) and are considered the early leader for his superstar younger brother, Aaron. The younger Gordon is No. 2 in the MaxPreps Class of 2013 Top 100 and led Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) to California's Division II state title in March.

Even if Washington swings and misses at that pair, elite prospects Jabari Bird (No. 12), Isaac Hamilton (No. 14), Williams-Goss (No. 34), Zach LaVine (No. 58) and spring riser Marcus Lee are all realistic possibilities.

Which powerhouse college program is in need of a big year on the recruiting trail?
Even on the heels of signing Top 20 Class of 2012 prospects Amile Jefferson and Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke needs an influx of elite-level talent if Mike Krzyzewski – now 65 years old – wants to add another national title to his legendary resume.

The Blue Devils have plenty of solid program players, but a first-round NCAA Tournament exit in 2012 hardly suggests a team knocking on the door of another Final Four appearance.

Duke is off to a good start in 2013 with a commitment from sharpshooting Texas guard Matt Jones. Club circuit teammate Randle is also in play and the Cameron Crazies would love to see Parker in Durham. Coach K and company have trailed the Chicago phenom exhaustively and have been seen as a major player for his services from the start.

Which schools are off to hot starts?
Not surprisingly, North Carolina has already garnered a pair of five-star commitments from Isaiah Hicks and Nate Britt. But beyond the usual suspects, Michigan and Alabama deserve a mention.

John Beilein and the Wolverines have verbals from three Top 100 rising seniors in point guard Derrick Walton Jr., promising wing Zak Irvin and post man Mark Donnal. A fourth pledge, Austin Hatch, was seriously injured in a plane crash last fall that took the lives of his father and stepmother. Hatch has stated he is determined to return to the floor and play for the Wolverines in 2013.

Alabama could add significantly to its front line if 6-8 Shannon Hale and 6-9 Jimmie Taylor follow through with their early commitments and wind up in Tuscaloosa.

Kansas is the fourth program with multiple Top 100 commitments with 6-7 Georgia swingman Brannen Greene (No. 22) and scoring guard Conner Frankamp (No. 54), who is coming off one of the biggest club circuit performances of the weekend after drilling 11 3-pointers in a game.

Is there a player capable of being the centerpiece for a national championship team as a freshman, like Anthony Davis?
Parker, Randle and Gordon are all capable of being that guy in the right situation. It may not be a single player, but players rather, that best answers this question.

The school that gets one Harrison twin is getting both, and together they will be more impactful than any singular star in the class. Both 6-5 guards, they led Fort Bend Travis to the Texas Class 5A state championship game as juniors and are competitive and skilled with a killer instinct. Andrew is the point guard while Aaron can man either guard position and actually beat out his brother for district player of the year honors over the winter.

Baylor, Kentucky and Maryland are viewed as the most serious contenders for the duo's services.

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