ACC Basketball Recruiting Roundup March 10

One day before the ACC Tournament begins, let’s take a quick trip around the league to see what the latest recruiting news has to offer.

Clemson

Kendall Williams (SG, 6′2″, 2010) has chosen to play at New Mexico, picking the Lobos over Clemson despite Clemson’s best efforts to land him. Clemson has already gotten a commitment from Marcus Thornton (SF, 6′7″, 2010) for the class but is still looking to land Juco forward Ricardo Ratcliff (PF, 6′9″, 2010). Ratcliff is also considering Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama.

Virginia

Virginia has already pulled a large class for 2010 and is still looking to bring in more. With James Johnson (C, 6′8″, 2010) anchoring the class that includes K.T. Harrell (SG, 6′3″, 2010), Will Regan (C, 6′8″, 2010), Joe Harris (SG, 6′5″, 2010), Billy Baron (PG, 6′1″, 2010) and Akil Mitchell (PF, 6′7″, 2010), the Cavaliers will be looking to bring in a major new look next season. 2011 is still wide open for the Cavs.

Wake Forest

Wake Forest is in the top three for Tyler Olander (PF, 6′9″, 2010), who is also being pursued by Virginia but doesn’t list them as a favorite. Wake’s main competition for Olander is UConn (he’s from Storrs, CT) and Florida. Wake already has commits from Carson Derosiers (C, 6′11″, 2010), Travis McKie (SF, 6′6″, 2010), J.T. Terrell (SG, 6′3″, 2010), Melvin Tabb (PF, 6′8″, 2010) and Tony Chennault (PG, 6′1″, 2010).

North Carolina

This year’s North Carolina team has had to deal with unexpected losses on the court and the whispers about talented recruits coming in next year. Without a doubt, UNC is loading up on guards and wings with possible one-and-done superstar Harrison Barnes (SF, 6′6″, 2010), along with Reggie Bullock (SG, 6′6″, 2010) and Kendall Marshall (PG, 6′3″, 2010). These players will have to shore up a depleted back court and try to get the ball in to the UNC big men.

Duke

The pride of the 2010 class for the Blue Devils is Kyrie Irving (PG, 6′2″, 2010), who also might be gone after one year. Duke also landed Josh Hairston (PF, 6′8″, 2010) and Tyler Thornton (PG, 6′2″, 2010), both solid players who should see court time quickly.

Maryland

Maryland missed on Tobias Harris but landed Mychal Parker (SF, 6′6″, 2010) , Terrell Stoglin (SG, 6′0″, 2010) and Ashton Pankey(PF, 6′8″, 2010). Pe-Shon Howard (PG, 6′2″, 2010) is also in the class but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to step in and replace Vasquez’ output by himself. Maryland also has a commitment from Hankur Palsson (SF, 6′6″, 2010).

We’ll cover more of the ACC next, and work in our coverage of the first round of the ACC Tournament (in person).

ACC Tournament Tickets 2010

I will be in attendance for the 2010 ACC Tournament after seeing how cheap the acc tournament tickets were, probably because UNC fans aren’t as interested this year. But, I will be there taking in the action and checking out some players I haven’t seen in person since they were in high school.

The ACC tournament is one the best college atmospheres, rivaled (in my mind) only by the Big East’s tournament because of the depth of talent in both conferences. Although I expect Duke to prevail this year, that’s not to say it’s an easy field for them.

NC State Recruiting Battle: C.J. Leslie

So NC State is in a recruiting battle for CJ Leslie (SF/PF, 6′9″, 2010) and their main competition is John Calipari and the University of Kentucky. Leslie seems to like the Wildcats but lists both the Pack and the Wildcats as his two current favorites. Leslie is also playing for Word of God in Raleigh, NC so his proximity allows him to be completely aware of what NC State has to offer. Leslie also is considering Florida and UCLA, and has interest from Maryland and Tennessee.

Leslie is a definite star player with NBA SG/SF potential and size. He can handle the ball on the break, slash to the rim and shoot from outside. His ballhandling is developing into the elite guard level and he’s definitely got the potential and speed to become a game changer and get to the pros. It remains to be seen if he’ll be playing his college ball in the SEC or ACC, but he’s definitely one that will be a name in the college ranks. He has an explosive offensive game that might benefit from an open court style of play.

Check out some video of Leslie here (#5 for WOG):

NCAA Comes Down on Renardo Sidney

Although not part of the ACC basketball recruiting world, Renardo Sidney and the investigation by the NCAA into his recruitment has ramifications everywhere in college basketball. Now that the NCAA has lowered the boom on Sidney and his family, I can’t help but question why the recruit is bearing all of the responsibility while the people who actually had the deep pockets to pay Sidney are walking away unscathed.

Tobias Harris To Tennessee

So the sudden trip to Bruce Pearl’s Tennessee program over the past week was more than just a last minute stop. Today Tobias Harris (PF, 6′8″, 2010) committed to Pearl and the Volunteers, giving Bruce a serious big man in the class.

NC State Lands Big Man; Harris Painted on Giant Rock…

NC State has not been shy about picking up early commitments in the past, and now they’ve landed Joseph Uchebo (C, 6′9″, 2012), a player originally from Nigeria and currently playing in North Carolina at Oak Ridge Military Academy. I don’t have much info on Uchebo, so I will have to drop by Oak Ridge and get some video, but he seems like a big post player that Lowe is probably looking to develop.

Photo courtesy Rivals.net

Meanwhile, as we mentioned yesterday, Tobias Harris (PF, 6′10″, 2010) made a surprise visit to Tennessee, here’s some Q&A with Harris. Vol fans apparently knew he was coming even though it was a surprise, as evidenced by the fact that they had time to paint the side of a giant rock with his name an jersey. However, I’d like to point out that since the player in the painting is facing ‘away’, they might just change the name on the jersey whenever a recruit visits:

NC State Still Hot on Leslie; Harris Visits Tennessee

Tobias Harris (PF, 6′8″, 2010) just finished an expected visit to Georgia Tech, and then followed up that visit with an unexpected visit to Tennessee. Bruce Pearl and Tennessee are proving that they are becoming one of the top programs in the country, and Harris’s upcoming announcement is still up in the air.

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NC State is still high on the list for C.J. Leslie (SF, 6′8″, 2010), who is also highly considering Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, UConn, Georgetown and Tennessee. Oregon has also been mentioned. Although Leslie plays his high school ball in NC State’s back yard, he’s not on an imminent timetable like Harris at this point.

Saying ‘high on the list’ is possibly a misnomer, since Leslie has maintained no favorites at this time.

As for Leslie’s skills and game, I will have more in the near future, but from my perspective, he’s much more of a 3 than a 4, he can shoot from outside and plays facing the basket.

Maryland Lands Big Man

While a couple ACC teams continue to wait on top big man Tobias Harris (PF, 6′8″, 2010) to announce, Maryland has landed Ashton Pankey (PF, 6′8″, 2010) out of St. Anthony High School in New Jersey. Maryland’s recruiting woes over the past couple of years might be clearing up, especially at the post.

Maryland had reportedly also been recruiting Roscoe Smith (SF, 6′7″, 2010), but he is reportedly no longer considering the Terps.

Tobias Harris is Next

With the Harrison Barnes (SF, 6′7″, 2010) recruiting saga over and UNC the victor, ACC recruiting turns to the next big 2010 recruit that might play ball in the ACC and hasn’t committed. That would be Tobias Harris (PF, 6′8″, 2010), who is considering Maryland, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and West Virginia along with some other schools.

Barnes just completed a campus visit to Maryland, and he’ll visit Georgia Tech next. ACC fans won’t have to wait long to find out where Harris is going, he’s scheduled to announce on November 19th, although it likely won’t have the fanfare of Barnes.

Harris is a true post player who works hard in the paint, and would be able to get minutes in either the Big East or ACC.

Harrison Barnes Picks UNC

And Harrison Barnes, the all-world Iowa standout has picked UNC and will play for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels. A massive pick up for an already loaded UNC team.

The have landed a top offensive player, with a lot of maturity and poise. Gotta love his ability to put the ball on the floor and take a defender off the dribble. He’ll be fun to watch at the collegiate level.