College basketball's early signing period began today and several of the nation's top prospects wasted little time making verbal commitments official.
MaxPreps will release updated team recruiting rankings Friday following what could be a big Thursday with three Top 25 prospects expected to make a decision.
Alex Poythress
Photo by Nick Koza
Five-star forward
Alex Poythress, rated No. 13 in the MaxPreps Class of 2012 Top 100, has Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Memphis and Vanderbilt in the mix for his services.
Gary Harris, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard ranked No. 21 among all seniors nationally, will end a spirited recruiting battle between Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State and Purdue.
No. 22 prospect
Robert Carter, a 6-8 forward from
Shiloh (Snellville, Ga.), appears headed for Florida, Georgia or Georgia Tech.
Wednesday highlights* No. 2 overall prospect
Mitch McGary, a 6-10 center originally from Chesterton, Ind., announced last Thursday he is headed to Michigan and made it official by delivering a National Letter of Intent to Ann Arbor today.
"Mitch possesses a unique blend of size and skill with a motor to run, rebound and compete, which will serve him well at this level of college basketball," Michigan head coach John Beilein said via press release in his first opportunity to comment publically on the star recruit. "He initiates contact inside while being very comfortable on the perimeter with the ball. Mitch loves the University of Michigan and loves playing basketball and will bring energy and enthusiasm to our team."
* Baylor announced the signing of three prospects, including No. 4
Isaiah Austin, a 7-footer from
Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas).
"In recent years, Baylor has become known for its athletic versatile big men, such as Quincy Acy, Ekpe Udoh, Perry Jones III and Quincy Miller," Baylor head coach Scott Drew said via press release. "Isaiah continues that trend and is someone who can pass, dribble and shoot, but still possesses a 7-foot-tall frame which allows him such a huge size advantage on opposing players."
The Bears also landed Top 100 point guard
L.J. Rose and 6-11 forward
Chad Rykhoek.
* New head coach Mark Gottfried has energized the North Carolina State fan base with early success on the recruiting trail. The Wolfpack locked in guards
Tyler Lewis and
Rodney Purvis, as well as forward
T.J. Warren on Wednesday. All three are regarded as Top 100 prospects.
* Maryland is another program experiencing recruiting success with a first-year coach. Mark Turgeon collected signatures from
Seth Allen,
Shaquille Cleare and
Jake Layman. Cleare is the most highly-regarded of the trio. The 6-9, 280-pound center is a native of the Bahamas and checks in at No. 24 in the Class of 2012 Top 100.
The early signing period runs through Nov. 16. Basketball prospects can also sign during a spring window from April 11 to May 16.
Among those opting for a spring decision will be No. 1 overall prospect
Shabazz Muhammad, a 6-6 shooting guard from
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.). Muhammad is being courted by the likes of Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, UNLV and USC.
