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Top wing guards still undecided

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Latest: Tuesday October 10, 2000 09:38 PM

  Inside Game - Brick Oettinger - Recruiting Watch

In this contribution, let's look in-depth at the nation's premier high school senior wing guards. This position is both deep in talent and truly outstanding at the very top, as we consider 6-4 Kelvin Torbert of Flint (Mich.) Northwestern and 6-5 Julius Hodge of Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond's to be among the elite prospects in the Class of 2001.

Interestingly, 23 of the best 35 senior wing guards have already firmed up collegiate verbal commitments, but Torbert and Hodge are two of the 12 who have not yet selected a college, although a decision is expected from each within the next four weeks. Torbert, a strong 205-pounder with great hang time and accuracy on his mid-range jumpshot, has narrowed the field to Michigan State (the odds-on favorite), Connecticut, Cincinnati and Michigan.

Hodge's official campus visits this fall are to (in chronological order) Florida, Maryland, Syracuse (the school he has cheered for), and N.C. State, his four finalists since North Carolina withdrew from contention in July after getting a commitment from 6-6 Jackie Manuel of West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman. Julius is quite slender (175 pounds) but very versatile and accomplished as both a scorer and passer.

Note that there are at least a half-dozen highly regarded senior wing guards from California, five from Florida, and two from the same high school (Willowridge) in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston. Two top players at this position (Rashaad Carruth and Josh Carrier) have given verbal commitments to Kentucky.

Below are listed, in order of promise, the top 35 senior wing guards, along with their collegiate preferences. Verbal commitments are identified in all capital letters.

Two weeks from now we'll conclude our preseason national position rankings for the senior class by examining the point guards. We'll see that there are some extremely good prospects at this vital position.

Preseason Top 35 Wing Guards
Player  Ht.  School  Colleges 
1. Kelvin Torbert (No. 4 overall)  6-4  Flint (Mich.) Northwestern  Mich. St., Conn., Cincy, Mich. 
2. Julius Hodge (5)  6-5  Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond's  Syra., Fla., N.C. St., Md. 
3. Rashaad Carruth (21)  6-3  Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill  KENTUCKY 
4. Dommanic Ingerson (23)  6-4  Santa Barbara (Cal.) High  MICHIGAN 
5. Josh Childress (25)  6-6  Lakewood (Cal.) Mayfair  Kans., Stan., Ariz., UCLA 
6. Daniel Ewing (30)  6-4  Sugar Land (Tex.) Willowridge  DUKE 
7. Jackie Manuel (34)  6-6  West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman  NORTH CAROLINA 
8. Pierre Pierce (41)  6-3  Westmont (Ill.) High  IOWA 
9. Ben Gordon (45)  6-2  Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High  CONNECTICUT 
10. Salim Stoudamire (47)  6-2  Lake Oswego (Ore.) High  ARIZONA 
11. Keith Jackson (51)  6-5  Cincinnati (Oh.) Purcell Marian  XAVIER 
12. JaQuan Hart (55)  6-5  Flint (Mich.) Northern  Mich., Mich. St., Ia., Purd., Ill., Wisc., Marq., others 
13. Chey Christie (56)  6-5  Biloxi (Miss.) High  CLEMSON 
14. Martin Osimani (67)  6-4  Miami (Fla.) Champagnat Catholic  Miami-Fla., Colo., Wake, others 
15. Errick Craven (71)  6-2  Torrance (Cal.) Bishop Montgomery  SOUTHERN CAL 
16. Barry Elder (74)  6-5  Madison (Ga.) Morgan County  GEORGIA TECH 
17. Von Bittle (77)  6-2  Winston-Salem (N.C.) R.J. Reynolds  UNC CHARLOTTE 
18. Ernest Turner (81)  6-2  Somerdale (N.J.) Sterling  UNLV, Rut., Villa. 
19. LaVar Seals (87)  6-4  Chicago (Ill.) Providence St. Mel  DEPAUL 
20. Josh Carrier (92)  6-5  Bowling Green (Ky.) High  KENTUCKY 
21. Earnest Shelton (96)  6-3  Memphis (Tenn.) White Station  Wake, Tenn., Ala., Tulane 
22. Anthony Rice (100)  6-4  College Park (Ga.) North Clayton  MEMPHIS 
23. Dwayne Mitchell (102)  6-4  New Orleans (La.) John F. Kennedy  AUBURN 
24. Luther Head (103)  6-3  Chicago (Ill.) Manley  ILLINOIS 
25. Anthony Vasser (108)  6-7  Birmingham (Ala.) Woodlawn  Aub., Ala., UAB, Ga. Tech 
26. Adrian McPherson (110)  6-4  Bradenton (Fla.) Southeast  Miami-Fla., UNC, Ark., Tenn., Mich. St., So. Fla. 
27. Jermaine Harper (116)  6-3  Dyke (Va.) Blue Ridge School  VIRGINIA 
28. Winsome Frazier (118)  6-4  Miami (Fla.) Northwestern  MISSISSIPPI STATE 
29. Kenny Taylor (128)  6-3  Sugar Land (Tex.) Willowridge  BAYLOR 
30. Chris Hill (137)  6-2  Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence North  MICHIGAN STATE 
31. Stanley Jackson (139)  6-2  Dunnellon (Fla.) High  FSU, Ga. Tech, Ga. Southern, So. Fla., Ga. St., others 
32. J.S. Nash (142)  6-2  Moreno Valley (Cal.) Rancho Verde  OREGON STATE 
33. Keith Langford (144)  6-4  Crowley (Tex.) North Crowley  Miss., Okla., Kans. 
34. Dion Sherrill (149)  6-3  Detroit (Mich.) Henry Ford  Xav., E. Mich., Duq., Marq., others 
35. Mario Jointer (150)  6-4  Jackson (Miss.) Jim Hill  Miss., LSU, Tenn. St., La.-Monroe 
 

Regional notes

Once again, our focus is upon those prep seniors (or juniors) and junior college sophomores who have announced verbal commitments during the two weeks since our last contribution.

EAST

  • 6-10 Waterbury (Conn.) Holy Cross PF/C Mark Konecny (ranked No. 130 nationally) committed to Syracuse over Connecticut and interest from Seton Hall and North Carolina.
  • 6-7 Napoleanville (La.) Assumption SF Darrel Owens (top 250) confirmed his commitment to Georgetown (as had been earlier rumored) over LSU and Tulane. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior.
  • 6-9 Winston-Salem (N.C.) R.J. Reynolds PF/C Jason McDougald (unranked in top 300) announced for Penn State over Virginia Tech, UNC Wilmington and Old Dominion.
  • 6-9 Broadalbin (N.Y.) Perth PF/C Brent Sniezyk (unranked) opted for Siena over Marist and Richmond.
  • 6-3 Greenbelt (Md.) Eleanor Roosevelt WG Delonte West (unranked) selected St. Joseph's over Manhattan.
  • Both 6-7 Dwight (Ill.) High PF Brandon Krug (unranked) and 6-1 Germantown (Pa.) Germantown Academy PG Mike Slattery (unranked) picked Delaware. Krug also was hearing from Illinois-Chicago, Loyola-Chicago, Illinois State and others.
  • 6-6 Pittsburgh (Pa.) Shadyside Academy SF Mark Lovett (unranked) chose Yale over Princeton, Cornell, William & Mary, and Columbia.
  • 6-9 C/BF Ryan Randle, a sophomore at Allegany Junior College in Cumberland (Md.), verbally committed to Maryland. He's a former prep star at Duncanville (Tex.) High.

    SOUTH

  • Both 6-7 Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian SF/PF Levi Watkins (No. 64) and 6-10 Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic C/PF Jordan Collins (No. 91) have declared that they will sign this fall with N.C. State. Watkins, who averaged 17.2 points and 10.4 rebounds last season, was also sought by Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Florida State. Collins (15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots per game) turned down finalist Virginia.
  • Virginia, however, did land a commitment from 6-3 Dyke (Va.) Blue Ridge School WG/PG Jermaine Harper (No. 116), a native of Gardena (Cal.) who averaged 17.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists at Blue Ridge as a junior. He rejected overtures from California, UNLV, Villanova, Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia Tech and Rutgers.
  • 6-3 WG/PG Jonathan Loe (unranked), a native of Southhaven (Miss.) who attended Bartlett (Tenn.) High last season and now reportedly is at Germantown Academy in Germantown (Pa.) near Philadelphia, opted for Mississippi over Tennessee Tech and interest from Tulane, UAB, Houston and Alabama.
  • Both 6-7 Hollandale (Miss.) Simmons PF Jasper Johnson (top 300) and 6-1 Lilburn (Ga.) Berkmar PG James Pattman (unranked) committed to Southern Mississippi. On Johnson's trail were Georgia Tech, LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Vanderbilt and Mississippi. Pattman's list included Holy Cross, Pennsylvania, Hampton, Radford and Furman.
  • 6-10 Hicksville (N.Y.) Holy Trinity C Sean Corrigan (unranked) gave the nod to Loyola-Maryland.
  • 6-2 Wabash Valley (Ill.) Junior College WG Darren Tarver selected George Mason over Bowling Green, Ohio University, South Alabama and Alabama-Birmingham.
  • 6-4 Roanoke (Va.) Cave Spring junior WG J.J. Redick (No. 16 in the Class of 2002) gave a very early verbal commitment to Duke. Redick, an outstanding jumpshooter and fine student who was wooed by virtually every major hoop program, averaged 23.4 points as a sophomore and has established himself as an elite prospect.

    MIDWEST

  • 6-7 Carrollton (Tex.) Newman Smith PF Jason Maxiell (No. 62) chose Cincinnati over Kentucky and Arkansas.
  • Both 6-7 Chicago (Ill.) Marshall PF Kelly Whitney (No. 94) and 6-7 Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King SF Chuck Bailey (top 300) announced for Michigan. Whitney also considered Purdue, Iowa, Iowa State, Indiana State, Siena, Bradley and St. Joseph's. "Sleeper" Bailey attracted attention from Iowa, Marquette, Michigan State, Toledo and South Alabama.
  • 6-1 Fond Du Lac (Wisc.) Goodrich PG Travis Diener (No. 145) chose Marquette over Wisconsin, Utah and St. Louis.
  • 6-1 Tallulah (La.) McCall PG Donald Perry (No. 170) decided to cast his lot with Indiana interim coach Mike Davis and the Hoosiers. His other finalists were St. Louis, Tulane and Louisiana Tech.
  • 6-2 Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Christian Academy PG Randy Pulley (No. 187) picked St. Louis over Xavier, Villanova, Tennessee and Clemson. He averaged 22 points and 10 assists per game last season. Also headed to the Billikens next year is 6-8 Stevensville (Minn.) High PF John Seyfert (unranked), who turned down Montana and Gonzaga.
  • 6-8 Austin (Tex.) Reagan SF O'Neal Mims (unranked) will matriculate at Minnesota after considering George Washington, Stephen F. Austin and others.
  • 6-8 Chicago (Ill.) Whitney Young PF/C Josh Williams (top 300) gave good news to Illinois-Chicago over Indiana State and interest from Iowa, Iowa State, Marquette, Syracuse and Xavier.
  • 6-1 Norwich (Conn.) Norwich Free Academy PG/WG Mark Jones (unranked) committed to Dayton over Boston University, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers and Manhattan. He averaged 17 points and seven assists per game as a junior.
  • 6-4 Cincinnati (Oh.) Western Hills SF/WG Darryl Peterson (unranked) selected Akron as his collegiate destination.
  • 6-10 Kimball (Mich.) Royal Oak C Ryan Stennent (unranked) announced for Eastern Michigan.
  • 6-4 Lima (Oh.) High WG Sammy Villegas (unranked) cast his lot with Toledo.
  • 6-4 Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral WG Leon Petty (unranked) chose Bowling Green.
  • 6-4 Ferndale (Mich.) High WG Herb Goliday (unranked) picked Central Michigan.
  • 6-0 Spokane (Wash.) Ferris PG Eric Benzel announced plans to sign in November with Denver.
  • 6-8 Schoolcraft (Mich.) Junior College sophomore PF Sam Hoskins committed to DePaul.

    SOUTHWEST

  • 6-8 Halstead (Kans.) High PF Dennis Latimore (No. 43) selected Arizona over Kansas and UCLA. He averaged 25 points, 13.3 rebounds four assists and three blocked shots per game last season.
  • 6-8 Houston (Tex.) Lamar PF/SF Lawrence Roberts (No. 90) gave the nod to Baylor over Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Houston, Tulsa, Texas A&M and Louisville.
  • 6-1 Flint (Mich.) Southwestern PG Corey Santee (No. 192) committed to Texas Christian over Xavier, Marquette, Providence and Wisconsin.
  • 6-5 Worthington (Oh.) High lefty WG J.D. Sullinger (unranked) announced plans to sign with Akron.
  • 6-4 Bryan (Tex.) High WG Daryl Mason (unranked) chose Texas A&M over Tulsa, Vanderbilt, SMU and Southern Mississippi.
  • 6-4 Trinidad (Colo.) Junior College sophomore WG Gilson DeJesus gave a verbal commitment to Oklahoma over Kansas State, Colorado State, Long Beach State and Wyoming.

    WEST

  • 6-7 Los Angeles Washington Prep SF Andre Patterson (No. 24) selected UCLA over Michigan and Kentucky during a recent official visit to the Bruin campus. He moved to Los Angeles last spring after previously starring for Fort Wayne (Ind.) Concordia. Spencer Gloger, a 6-6 sophomore SF who averaged 12 points per game as a freshman at Princeton, has transferred to UCLA and will sit out the upcoming season under NCAA rules.
  • 6-9, 265-pound Fairfax (Va.) Pope Paul VI C Rob Little (No. 66) picked Stanford over finalists Michigan, Kentucky, Wake Forest and Tennessee, and interest from Duke and UNC.
  • 6-8 Plain City (Ut.) Fremont PF Jared Jensen (No. 178) opted for Brigham Young over Utah and Weber State.
  • 6-4 Walla Walla (Wash.) High WG Thomas Kelati (unranked) committed to Washington State.
  • Both 6-9 West Hills (Cal.) Chaminade PF/C Scott Borchart (unranked) and 6-8 Mesa (Ariz.) Dobson PF Jordan Legge (unranked) will matriculate at Santa Clara. Others on Borchart's list were California, San Diego State and Washington. Legge considered Gonzaga and California-Santa Barbara.
  • 6-9 Simi Valley (Cal.) High PF/C Dustin Villepigue (unranked) chose Gonzaga over St. Louis, California-Santa Barbara, Nebraska and Princeton.
  • 6-7 Longmont (Colo.) High PF Andy Osborn (unranked) gave a commitment to Loyola Marymount over Montana State, Southern Utah, SMU and Kansas State.
  • 6-5 San Diego (Cal.) Horizon WG/SF D.J. Brown (unranked) cast his lot with the University of San Francisco.
  • 6-2 Portland (Ore.) Jesuit PG Mike McGrain (unranked) verbally committed to the University of San Diego.

    Brick Oettinger is talent evaluator for the Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook and recruiting columnist for the ACC Area Sports Journal. For more information on either publication, call 1-800-447-7667.

     
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