Ari Stewart picks Wake Forest

After narrowing his choices to Wake Forest and Oregon, Ari Stewart (SF, 6’7″, 2009) has decided on the Demon Deacons, joining C.J. Harris in the class of 2009. I think that if Wake was able to keep some of their big time players around for a couple more years, they would be a real powerhouse, but that’s a tall order.

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Top Ten 2009 ACC High School Basketball Targets

These are my current top ten players who have either been contacted by an ACC school, offered a scholarship by an ACC school or committed to an ACC school. The ACC schools that are in the mix are in parenthesis next to the player’s name. This does not mean that ACC schools lead for these players OR that the order of listings is indication of a leader among the schools.

1. Derrick Favors, 6’9” C (Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State)

2. Xavier Henry, 6’6” SG (North Carolina)

3. Kenny Boynton, 6’2” SG (Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami)

4. John Wall, 6’3”, PG (Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia)

5. Dominic Cheek, 6’6” SG (North Carolina, Miami)

6. Daniel Orton, 6’9” C (Maryland, Wake Forest)

7. Dexter Strickland, 6’3” SG (Committed to North Carolina)

8. Jordan Hamilton, 6’7” SF (North Carolina State)

9. John Henson, 6’10” PF (Committed to North Carolina)

10. DeShawn Painter, 6’9” PF (Clemson, Florida State, NC State, Virginia)

A notable exception here is Lance Stephenson (6’5” SF), who is #2 on many rankings and is often tagged as being a UNC target. I am pretty much of the opinion that UNC is not actively recruiting Stephenson, so until I see or hear otherwise (send me a link if you’ve got something), I am dropping him from my list of ACC targets. This moves Xavier Henry (who I think is leaning towards Memphis and Kansas over UNC) into my #2 spot, and introduces target DeShawn Painter into the top 10.

I also am not adding DeShonte Riley (6’10” C) to the mix even though he’s listed Boston College as a possible school. I kind of like DeShawn Painter a little more at this point.

These rankings may change as I get to see more of these guys, either in person or on video.

UPDATE, 7/1/208:After I posted this back in May, 2008, there have been a lot of changes and commitments. So if you want to keep up when the player DB comes online, click here.

John Wall and Duke

Scout.com is reporting that Duke is now watching John Wall and may get involved with him. However, I really doubt he’s going anywhere but Memphis.

Louisville leads for Doron Lamb

Doron Lamb

Doron Lamb (6’4″, SG, 2010) has emerged recently as a big time prospect and it look like, for now, he is leaning toward the Big East. In this interview, he states that Louisville is his leader, and that he apparently is considering Rutgers as well, and that Syracuse and Duke are pursuing him but have not offered:

NB: What colleges do you currently hold an offer from?
DL: I got an offer from Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Louisville, St. John’s, Seton Hall, that’s it.

NB: [Which] schools [would you say] . . . are seriously recruiting you?
DL: Louisville, [that’s] the main one. Louisville and Rutgers, that’s the main ones.

NB: Are there any other ones that have not offered that are also heavily interested?
DL: Syracuse and Duke.

Kenny Boynton

Apparently Kenny Boynton(6’2″, combo guard) was able to really raise his stock over the weekend with his performance at the Real Deal on the Hill, getting rave reviews for his outside shooting and his scoring. Boynton has a reputation as a shooter and scorer who will take any shot, from anywhere, at any time. Duke is still in the mix for Boynton, as is Georgia Tech.

Dominic Cheek on ACC Schools

New Jersey shooting guard Dominic Cheek talks about his recruiting in this interview at North Star Basketball. Cheek is actively being recruited by several schools in the ACC, but he has always been a fan of UNC:

NB: What are some of the schools?
DC: Villanova, Texas, Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Florida, Marquette, Kansas, it’s just . . . a lot of colleges.

NB: What are you looking for in a school?
DC: Great academics and a great coach that can get me to the next level.

NB: Is there a school that growing up you’ve always wanted to play for, that you always dreamed of playing for?
DC: Oh yeah, it was North Carolina, [that was] my school really, [while] growing up.

However, Cheek points out that he does not have a clear leader at this point.

Some minor stuff

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Video: UNC Recruit Dexter Strickland

Possibly the highest rated player to sign with any ACC school thus far is Dexter Strickland, a 6’3” combo guard who looks like he might fit in well with the fast paced style that Roy Williams likes to employ.

It is unclear if Strickland will play much point at UNC, and his lanky shooting style reminds me some of current Tar Heel Wayne Ellington, with a better handle. His movements are very fluid, not quite as slick as Spanish wonder kid Ricky Rubio, but cut from similar cloth. Strickland probably has better hops than Rubio, and both are deceptively fast, streaking down the court, lulling their opponents to sleep before slashing to the rim.

UCLA’s Package Deal?

BruinReportOnline is reporting that top recruit Lance Stephenson might be a package deal with Renardo Sidney. I have not heard of any ACC schools involved with Sidney, so if that’s true Stephenson might be out of the ACC mix as well.

Georgia saving room for Derrick Favors

Georgia has signed a shooting guard for the 2008 class, and many from the Bulldogs fanbase believe they are saving room for Derrick Favors.

Derrick Favors, Lighting It Up; John Wall to Memphis?

Derrick Favors continues to light it up, routinely putting up 20-20 games even as he plays against the top recruits in the nation. However, one key aspect about Favors is his attitude towards improvement and goal setting:

“I wanted the eighth-graders to do 50 pushups a night,” says [Favor’s coach] Reddick, who played professionally in Europe for 12 years. “Derrick came up to me and said, ‘Coach, how many do your guys do a night?’ When I told him 150-200, he said that’s how many he was going to start doing.”

Favors also does not intend to transfer schools, which sets him apart from other top recruits. Putting up 20-20 against top competition is excellent, but the key element that separates great players from merely good (or merely talented) is work ethic and an innate drive to improve themselves.

Naturally, Favors is the prize recruit this year by all of the major programs, and the ACC programs reportedly in the mix are Georgia Tech, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Florida State.

Meanwhile, Jerry Myers muses about the possibility of Favors going to Duke. Jerry reports that NC State, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Georgia are already high on Favor’s list.

Elsewhere, top PG John Wall from the Raliegh, NC area may be headed to Memphis. This is also being reported by here, along with Xavier Henry and Karron Johnson

Duke Pursuing Derrick Favors

Scout.com is reporting that Duke is now actively recruiting 6’9″ C Derrick Favors [membership required]. I wondered when Taylor King decided to transfer from Duke if it wasn’t somehow to allow Duke to recruit more bigs.

However, I wonder if Duke can even get into the mix now? Favors already had high profile schools after him.

Favors is currently considered the #1 prospect of the 2009 class by most recruiting services.

Video: Derrick Favors Interview

Everybody’s #1, 6’8″ PF/C Derrick Favors of the 2009 class is featured in this video interview. He comes across as a very grounded young man, mentioning his defense and rebounding more than anything else.

As of this writing, the ACC schools pursuing Favors are reportedly Duke, Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and North Carolina State.