Brick: Early Signing Period Breakdown

Brick Oettinger | Mailbag

November 20, 2009

Brick Oettinger, basketball recruiting analyst for the ACC Sports Journal and ACCSports.com, weighs in with his views on the Class of 2010 now that the early signing period has finished.

Rob Harrington and I just finished my team rankings for Prepstars.com. So far ACC schools have landed seven of the top 20 classes nationally.

North Carolina was No. 2 (behind No. 1 Memphis) and Duke followed at No. 4. N.C. State is at No. 6 but this assumes that verbal commitment Luke Cothron stays with the Wolfpack. If you take him out of the mix, State’s ranking obviously would drop.

Then I think there’s a bit of a qualitative gap. I have Wake Forest at No. 14, Florida State at No. 15, Maryland at No. 16 and Virginia at No. 19.

Here’s a closer look at the ACC’s top four classes.

1) UNC

Harrison Barnes, WF (No. 1); Reggie Bullock, WF (No. 14); Kendall Marshall, PG (No. 21).

Most likely all three of these guys will be McDonald’s All-Americans. The major needs this year – point guard and outside shooting – have obviously been filled.

2) Duke

Kyrie Irving, PG (No. 4); Josh Hairston, BF/WF (No. 29); Tyler Thornton, PG (No. 86).

The key guy is Irving, of course, who is a terrific player. I thought Josh Hairston at the end of the summer was playing his best ball. Because he didn’t play well at some early events I think people dropped him down below where he should be. Some other recruiting analysts don’t have him in the Top 50.

3) N.C. State

Ryan Harrow, PG (No. 17); Lorenzo Brown, WG/PG (No. 26); Luke Cothron, BF (No. 36)

If Brown had qualified out of high school he would have gotten consideration for the McDonald’s All-American game last year. Harrow I would vote to be a McDonald’s All-American this year. He was terrific in Vegas at the end of the summer. Before that I hadn’t been quite as enamored with him.

4) Wake Forest

Travis McKie, WF/BF (No. 45); J.T. Terrell, WG (No. 58); Melvin Tabb, BF (No. 80); Carson Desrosiers, BF/C (No. 104); Tony Chennault PG (No. 107).

I think Terrell’s capable of proving us all wrong. When he’s hot he can score on anyone and put up big numbers. But he’s also erratic.

BIGGEST GETS

You have to start with Barnes and Irving. I think they are clearly at the top of the list in terms of talent.

When you factor in needs, you have to include Harrow for N.C. State. Lord knows they needed a top caliber point guard and he is one.

BIGGEST MISSES

Will Barton (No. 8) – Maryland tried to get in on him but he picked Memphis.

Fab Melo (No. 15) – Florida State went after this big man, but he opted for Syracuse.

Tobias Harris (No. 16) – Georgia and Maryland were part of a group of schools that finished behind Tennessee in this race.

Jelan Kendrick (No. 19) – Georgia Tech was in the mix, but he joined Barton in Memphis’ huge class.

UNDERRATED

Rion Brown, WG/WF (No. 39 ) Most of the scouting services didn’t have this MIami recruit in the top 50. They have him somewhere in 50-100 range. In Philadelphia at the Reebok All-American Camp, he put on a show. He’s a fine athlete with a very good 3-point stroke and just about an automatic mid-range jumper.

OVERRATED

The one I’ve got a lower than a lot of other analysts is Desrosiers. I’ve got him at No. 104 and I’ve seen at least one scouting service that put him in the top 40. I saw him play him several times over the summer. He did have a big game in Vegas I didn’t see.

He has good skills. He’s 6-10 and he runs the court well. But he’s not a great athlete. He’s also in need of considerable strength to be an effective inside player.

The State of Recruiting In: Georgia, Nov. 19

Adam Van Brimmer | Mailbag

November 19, 2009

Georgia Tech still has ground to cover to catch Georgia in in-state recruiting.

Meet BC FB Recruit Chase Rettig

Beth Mechum

November 18, 2009

BC QB recruit Chase Rettig will come cross-country to play next season.

ACC Football Commitment Lists: Coastal Division, Nov. 18

Jim Young | Mailbag

ACCSports.com

November 18, 2009

Sometime it’s news when there actually is no news.

That’s what we’re telling ourselves here at ACCSports.com. Today we present you the updated Coastal Division commitment lists that actually have, umm, no updates.

I’m not pointing the finger at Miami, which has been a consistent contributor to the commitment lists this fall. But the rest of you out there in the Coastal need to get cracking.

Key:

# Indicates that the player originally signed with school in 2008, but did not qualify at the time.

% Indicates that the player originally signed with school in 2009, but did not qualify at the time.

^ The first star number is from Rivals.com. The second one is from Scout.com.

Brick: Class of 2011 Update (Part 1) Nov. 17

Brick Oettinger | Mailbag

November 17, 2009

Check out part one of Brick Oettinger’s latest update on top Class of 2011 hoops recruits.

Telep: Barnes Behind The Scenes

Dave Telep | Mailbag

November 17, 2009

Dave Telep goes behind the scenes of Harrison Barnes’ big announcement.

ACC Football Commitment Lists: Atlantic Division, Nov. 17

Chris Hempson | Mailbag

November 17, 2009

Jim Grobe and the Wake Forest coaching staff continue to pile on the recruits, with another commitment this week.

The Demon Deacons added their 18th commitment with the addition of Georgia-native Ben Emert. Although he currently plays running back for his high school team, he’ll likely see action as a fullback in Winston-Salem.

Florida State also appears to be stopping the bleeding with its recruiting class. The Seminoles firmed up a commitment from defensive end Darious Cummings, who had earlier been tagged with the “soft verbal” label.

Other than that news, though, there wasn’t much else going on. In fact, there was nothing else going on.

So on to the lists we go…

Key:

# Indicates that the player originally signed with school in 2008, but did not qualify at the time.

% Indicates that the player originally signed with school in 2009, but did not qualify at the time.

^ The first star number is from Rivals.com. The second one is from Scout.com.

More On Maryland Hoops Recruit Ashton Pankey

Jim Young | Mailbag

ACCSports.com

November 16, 2009

Maryland landed Class of 2010 forward Ashton Pankey on Monday afternoon.

Brick: Barnes Breakdown - How UNC Edged Duke

Brick Oettinger | Mailbag

November 16, 2009

Harrison Barnes is the latest head-to-head recruiting victory for UNC over Duke.

(Nike/Kelly Kline)

Harrison Barnes’ decision to sign with North Carolina was no doubt a surprise for many fans and some scouts, who heard the plethora of rampant (often false) rumors and believed that because Duke had gotten involved sooner (certainly than UNC) and received four separate campus visits compared with just two for the Tar Heels, the Blue Devils held perhaps a commanding lead on the inside track.

However, if you look carefully at the assortment of relevant factors that are discussed below, it becomes easier to understand why he made his decision in favor of the Heels, and how Carolina overcame a considerable deficit to win out on signing day.

1. Great basketball tradition:
Both schools have plenty of this, so call it a wash. In fact, of the six finalists, four (UNC, Duke, Kansas, UCLA) would be included on any logical list of the top programs in college hoops history. Barnes said two of his highlights during the recruiting process were meeting UNC legend Dean Smith and UCLA legend John Wooden (now 99 years old!), two of the top coaches in the history of American sports.

2. Excellent academics:
This was important for Barnes (3.8 GPA) and his family. While both universities are quite highly regarded, arguably this would go into the Duke column, except for factor No. 3.

3. Highly rated undergraduate major in business:
North Carolina has this, but Duke (which, like UNC, has a superb MBA graduate program) currently lacks an undergraduate major in business. The closest thing to it is a major in economics. Advantage: UNC.

“The Kenan-Flagler Business School is unbelievable,” Barnes said. “It will really set me up for life after basketball.”

4. Possibility of graduating in three years:
Since significantly fewer credits are required to graduate from Duke, the advantage here went to the Blue Devils, especially with the specific, recent, high-profile examples (including star guard Jason Williams) of the successful execution of such a plan in Durham, and with Barnes’ recent declaration that a three-year plan was extremely important to him.

However, with enough advanced-placement credits, thoughtful planning and lots of summer school, it’s conceivable to graduate from UNC in three years, and Barnes obviously came to embrace this idea. In recent decades, basketball players (including those in the NBA) from both schools have impressive graduation percentages, especially compared with the rest of the nation.

“(UNC) laid out a three-year academic plan for me during my official visit, and that was extremely important,” Barnes said. “When I saw that, a lot of things fell into place in my mind. I’m really excited about it. Everyone knows about playing basketball at North Carolina. I can’t wait to get started academically, too.”

5. Elite head coach:
With Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams both already in the Hall of Fame, this is a draw. Coach K has three NCAA championships and also coached the victorious 2008 USA team in the Olympics. Williams has a pair of NCAA titles in the past five seasons, including 2009, and the third-best winning percentage in the history of major college basketball.

6. The program’s recent success:
See No. 5 and give the edge to North Carolina.

7. Relationships with coaches and players:
As for coaches, Barnes spoke very positively at his press conference about his one-on-one connections to Williams and Krzyzewski. Meanwhile, Harrison and deluxe Duke signee Kyrie Irving have been in regular contact, but Barnes also is a good friend of fellow UNC signees Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock. Overall, Barnes’ own words implied that the Tar Heels got the nod on this factor.

“We developed a lot of trust in our relationship,” Barnes said of Williams. “It was great to see how, even though we developed that relationship, he didn’t get comfortable with that. He still kept coming to see me. He still kept calling me. He really put in the time and the effort.”

“(The Tar Heels) knew they had to make up a lot of ground,” Barnes told Scout.com. “I would say Coach Williams worked just as hard, if not harder, than any of the coaches that recruited me. In the end, that really put them over the edge, with how much he pursued me. We built a great relationship over that time, and we became great friends, and I just cannot wait to play for him.”

8. Quality of teammates and recent recruiting/chance to win at least one NCAA championship:
Simply put, UNC appears to have a relatively slight advantage in talent, hence in the likelihood of winning an NCAA title (or two?) after Barnes arrives next year.

9. Opportunity to quickly crack the starting lineup:
Though both teams have other quality wings, Barnes is the best high school wing forward prospect since LeBron James, thus we can’t imagine that he would sit on the bench for either school. Call it even.

10. Up-tempo style of play:
While UNC under Williams consistently has been at or near the top nationally in average points per game, just three years ago Duke was last in the ACC in this category. The Blue Devils are playing faster than that now, but this still has to fall in the Heels’ column.

11. Family input and the Jordan factor:
Barnes’ personable mother Shirley accompanied her son to various spring and summer events as well as on campus visits (unofficial and official) in March, June, September, October and early November. She (and Harrison) did a remarkable job of presenting a public impression of total impartiality, but some sources believe Shirley developed a preference for the Tar Heels on their official visit to Chapel Hill on Sept. 4-6, when they watched UNC’s talent-laden Pro Alumni Game and got to speak with Harrison’s namesake (it’s Harrison Jordan Barnes!) and the family’s favorite player, Michael Jordan.

“I think going down on that official visit and just being there for the Alumni Game, and seeing both the past and present mixed together, was a great experience for me,” Barnes said. “What really brought them to the forefront was my official visit there. It was an unbelievable visit.”

12. Pass-oriented point guards:
Projecting to the 2010-11 season and beyond, UNC’s Kendall Marshall and Larry Drew II are both passers first and foremost, while Duke’s Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry and conceivably (if he picks the Blue Devils over Florida) Austin Rivers from the high school Class of 2011 are scoring point guards, though Tyler Thornton (probably a reserve) is pass-oriented. Irving’s matchup favors Duke, yet most forwards (likely including Barnes) would rather play with a passing point guard than a shooting one.

13. Hard work and persistence:
“Hard Work” is the title of Williams’ new autobiography, and that concept was omnipresent in his relentless pursuit of Barnes. This past spring, most in the college basketball world expected Barnes to end up at Duke. Over the summer, Williams personally changed the dynamic of Barnes’ recruitment, with the coach’s frequent appearances at the player’s games, and with Williams’ extensive planning and attention to detail leading up to and during Barnes’ in-home visit and his official trip to Chapel Hill.

“I’d say North Carolina didn’t start at the top of our list,” Shirley Barnes said. “But Coach Williams was very consistent. We were probably looking in a different direction. But he kept plugging away at it. He was always a step ahead of everyone else. Always.”

“It’s safe to say that North Carolina had the best in-home,” Harrison Barnes told Scout.com. “I just enjoyed Coach Williams coming into my home. I think they had the best combination of the relaxed approach, but at the same time they got their business model across. They weren’t too laid-back, but it wasn’t strictly business.”

Here are a couple of other observations on Barnes and his college choice. As we stated recently to ACCSports.com, we rank him the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2010 because: “He’s the one guy who not only doesn’t have a weak area, but does everything better than good. He’s either very good or better than that in all facets of the game.”

Also, we find it intriguing that while UNC and Duke are less than 10 miles apart and have been archrivals as well as elite national powers going back to the 1960s, they haven’t often duked it out head-to-head for prime prep prospects, at least not in cases where they remained two of the favorites to the end.

Furthermore, until recent years, the Blue Devils had the clear advantage. Among those that come to mind are Art Heyman (Duke), Larry Miller (UNC), Dick DeVenzio (Duke), Dennis Wuycik (UNC), Danny Ferry (Duke), Christian Laettner (Duke), Bobby Hurley (Duke), Grant Hill (Duke), Shane Battier (Duke), Brandan Wright (UNC), Leslie McDonald (UNC) and, of course, Barnes (UNC).

Harrison Barnes Picks UNC

Jim Young | Mailbag

ACCSports.com

November 13, 2009

Landing Harrison Barnes addes to Roy Williams’ reputation as a dominant recruiter.

(Nike/Kelly Kline)

Behold the recruiting power of Roy Williams.

Harrison Barnes was supposed to be the prototypical “Duke kid.” He was supposed to be the next Shane Battier.

Instead, Barnes will be a Tar Heel next season.

He finally put an end to one of the most compelling recruiting sagas in recent memory when he announced his college choice this afternoon on ESPNU. And in typical fashion, it ended with a twist.

“I just wanted to let you know I’ll be joining you guys next year on the squad,” Barnes told Williams and the UNC players via Skype. “I can’t wait to play with all you guys.”

For a long time, going back to Barnes’ “surprise” visit to Duke last basketball season, the 6-7 swingman from Ames, Iowa had been considered a Duke lean. But North Carolina made a strong push at him and Barnes refused to give any indications about what his final decision would be until he sat in front of ESPN’s cameras.

During the run-up to the announcement there was all sorts of drama. Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams wound up at Barnes’ house on the same night. Rumors swirled wildly as fans desperately searched for any signs that would indicate Barnes’ intentions.

“The thing about this recruitment that made it different from everything else is this kid could have won the World Series of Poker,” said Dave Telep, national recruiting director for Scout.com and a frequent ACCSports.com contributor. “He just flat-out didn’t tip his hand. As good as we once thought Julius Hodge was at it, this guy is better.”

Of course, UNC isn’t giddy about landing Barnes because he’s good at keeping a secret. There’s a reason – many reasons actually – why Brick Oettinger ranked Barnes as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2010.

“He’s the one guy who not only doesn’t have a weak area but does everything better than good,” Oettinger said. “He’s either very good or better than that in all the facets of the game.”

Telep had similar praise.

“There just aren’t many guys with his talent, his size and his drive in college basketball,” Telep said. “He’s a freight train small forward.”

Barnes now joins a UNC recruiting class that already included top-flight point guard Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock, one of the nation’s top shooting guard prospects.

“Not only is Coach Williams good at instructing the game,” Barnes said. “I thought I had developed a great relationship with the players. I’m just so anxious to play with them.”

The uber-rich get even richer. And they do it at the expense of their biggest rival, Duke. It’s another head-to-head recruiting victory for Roy Williams over Mike Krzyzewski, to go along with Leslie McDonald and Brandan Wright.

Telep cautions though, about writing off Duke completely in the Tobacco Road power struggle, pointing out the importance of landing point guard Kyrie Irving.

“This would have taken a really good class and made it one of Duke’s all-time classes,” Telep said.

Instead, landing Barnes just bumped Roy Williams’ reputation as a recruiter up to mythical status.

“This only furthers the legend,” Telep said. “He is awesome when it comes to the acquisition of talent.”