Before we move on with profiling the recruitments of some of the All-Americans selected for this year’s McDonald’s, Jordan and Hoop Summit games, we bring back our list of top available prospects to see where the nation’s best stand.
NEWS AT THE TOP
- Josh Selby of Lake Clifton (Baltimore, Md.) trips to Kansas for the second time this year this weekend. He took an unofficial visit for the Jayhawks’ Midnight Madness event – Late Night in the Phog – back in October.
Selby, a 6-foot-3 scorer, took an official to Arizona in January and has Connecticut on his calendar for Feb. 28 with Kentucky to follow March 7.
If necessary, he could use his fifth official visit to go to Syracuse or any number of the other teams that have been calling on him, but look for Selby to pick from the four schools above.
- There are two wild cards in the senior class.
C. J. Leslie of Word of God (Raleigh, N.C.) visited Kentucky last weekend and has been to hometown North Carolina State for several games this season, who he once committed to as an underclassman.
The two are the perceived favorites for the 6-8 combo forward, along with Florida who also expects to get a visit from this versatile talent.
UCLA and Oregon are making a move as they recently had staff watch him play in-person. Connecticut has made the trip down to Word of God this season, as well, and is another to watch for.
Leslie has official visits to use, so this may go the distance...or he could pop for one of his leaders without taking the process any further.
Terrence Ross was in the news last week after leaving Montrose Christian of Rockville, Md. The 6-foot-6 swingman is back at Jefferson High School in Portland, Ore., where he played as a sophomore. Westwind Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) or Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) were also mentioned as possibilities.
Policy at Montrose Christian prohibits players making official visits during the season. This opens the door for him to make trips if need be, and he does have all five official visits to work with.
Ross committed to Maryland last spring with a number of West Coast schools as others he considered. Expect those finalists to jump back in the mix now that he’s back home.
Ross is a 2010 prospect, but with an odd situation like this it wouldn't be a shock to see him re-classify into the 2011 class.
- A trio of top backcourt players used all five of their official visits and are in the final stages of deciding.
Brandon Knight of Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is coming off a January official to Miami and has tripped to all four of his other finalists – Connecticut, Florida, Kansas and Kentucky.
Cory Joseph of Findlay Prep – by way of Canada - also has been on officials to finalists Connecticut, Minnesota, Texas, UNLV and Villanova.
Doron Lamb of Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) has done the same. The Queens, N.Y., native is coming off a January visit to Arizona where he spent time on campus with Josh Selby. He has also been to Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma. He’s considering West Virginia, as well. Lamb took an unofficial visit to Morgantown recently as Oak Hill played in an event nearby.
- Another trio has made the rounds, but still has one official visit in their back pockets.
Ray McCallum of Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) has tripped to Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma and UCLA, but recently gave a top four with Oklahoma the one not making the cut. He’s also considering Detroit, where his father is the head coach.
Trey Zeigler of Mount Pleasant (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) has officially been to Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma and UCLA, and an unofficial to Michigan State. His father is head coach at Central Michigan and that is another possibility.
Terrence Jones of Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) spent time officially at Kentucky, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington. Oregon is his fifth finalist and he has been to Eugene in an unofficial capacity.
WEEKLY WRAP
- Take another point guard off the board.
In the past two weeks, the Pac-10 and Atlantic 10 scored commitments from Jordin Mayes (Arizona) and Daryl Traynham (Massachusetts). Now the SEC makes a pick-up.
K. C. Ross - Miller, 6-0 point guard from God’s Academy of Dallas, Texas, committed to LSU this week following a visit to campus last weekend. He chose the Tigers over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Florida, South Florida and Oral Roberts.
Ross-Miller was named to the all-tournament team at late January’s Great Southern Showcase in Mississippi, a gathering of the south’s independent and prep schools. God’s Academy plays a national schedule.
Following his freshman year of high school, he committed to Kentucky and the old staff under Billy Gillispie. He opened his recruitment last spring after the coaching change.
- Chanse Creekmur is headed to Arizona State following a long recruiting road that included previous verbal commitments to Santa Clara and in-state Iowa.
The 6-foot-6 shooter of Marshalltown in Des Moines is averaging 20 points per game this year but is suspended for the rest of the regular season for conduct issues. He missed the team’s game last Friday against Ames and All-American senior Harrison Barnes but could return for the playoffs.
- Justin Coleman, who burst on the scene when he was named to the All-Star game at June’s NBA Players Association Top 100 camp, visited Louisville this past weekend and offered up a verbal as a result. He committed to the Cardinals over interest from Arkansas, Connecticut, Marquette, Providence and South Florida.
Word is Coleman may have a ways to go in qualifying academically as the 6-4 scorer is on his fifth high school. He made an underclassman transfer from Louisa of Richmond, Va., to Henrico of Richmond, and this year has landed at Huntington Prep of Huntington, W.Va., after making stops in the early part of the school year at Christian Life Center in Humble, Texas and James Monroe of Fredericksburg, Va.
Huntington Prep is being mentioned as one of the teams to play in early April’s National High School Invitational, won last year by Findlay Prep.
