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Gators trio tops SEC, nation

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Our third in-depth examination of the results of the Nov. 8-15 national signing period features the members of the Southeastern Conference. As a group, the SEC finished third among all conferences in fall recruiting, trailing (by narrow margins) only the ACC and the Pacific-10. In fourth place is Conference USA, and the recruiting of the schools in that league will be focused on here next week.

FALL 2000 SEC RECRUITS 1. 6-11 Ga. PF/C Kwame Brown (Florida) 2. 6-9 Mo. PF/SF David Lee (Florida) 3. 6-7 Va. SF James White (Florida) 4. 6-1 Miss. PG Maurice Williams (Alabama) 5. 6-3 Va. WG Rashaad Carruth (Kentucky) 6. 6-8 Ala. JC SF/PF Kei Madison (Alabama) 7. 6-11 Ga. C Larry Turner (Georgia) 8. 6-8 Ala. PF Marco Killingsworth (Auburn) 9. 6-6 1/2 Calif. SF/PF Chuck Hayes (Kentucky) 10. 6-9 Texas JC C/PF Shawnson Johnson (LSU) 11. 6-7 Fla. JC PF Kedrick Brown (LSU) 12. 6-8 Ohio PF/SF Elgrace Wilborn (Tennessee) 13. 7-0 Ga. C Marcus Campbell (Mississippi State) 14. 6-5 Ky. WG/SF Josh Carrier (Kentucky) 15. 6-3 Tenn. WG Earnest Shelton (Alabama) 16. 6-4 La. WG Dwayne Mitchell (Auburn) 17. 6-8 Ala. JC SF Greg Johnson (Auburn) 18. 6-8 Texas JC SF/PF Thomas Davis (LSU) 19. 6-4 Fla. WG Winsome Frazier (Mississippi State) 20. 6-6 Fla. SF/WG Derek Stribling (Tennessee) 21. 6-3 Ga. WG Michael Dean-Liggons (Georgia) 22. 6-5 Tenn. SF/WG Jason Holwerda (Vanderbilt) 23. 6-5 Ohio WG/SF J.J. Sullinger (Arkansas) 24. 6-2 S.C. PG Jarod Gerald (Georgia) 25. 7-1 1/2 Tenn. C Wesley Morgan (Mississippi State) 26. 6-5 Texas SF/PF Corey Smith (Vanderbilt) 27. 6-3 Tenn. WG/PG Jonathan Loe (Mississippi) 28. 5-11 N.C. PG Justin Johnson (Mississippi) 29. 6-6 Miss. SF Kendrick Fox (Mississippi)

Of the 29 fall recruits by SEC schools, 16 are currently ranked among our early-season national top-200 prep seniors, including 12 of the top 100 and five of the premier 25 prospects. In addition, five other SEC fall signees rank among the top 100 junior college sophomores.

As for the individual schools, four (Florida, Kentucky, Alabama and Louisiana State) have corralled recruiting classes that are among the nation's 25 best, with Florida's terrific trio (all ranked among the top 10 high school seniors!) comprising the No. 1 crop. The overall athleticism of future Gators Kwame Brown (6-11 PF/C), David Lee (6-9 PF/SF) and James White (6-7 SF) is unmatched by any other recruiting class in the nation.

All three Kentucky signees (led by sensational three-point shooter Rashaad Carruth ) are top-100-caliber prepsters, while Alabama has roped two from the top 100 (blue-chip PG Maurice Williams is the best) plus a highly regarded junior-college sophomore (6-8 1/2 SF/PF Kei Madison ) who had signed twice previously with Indiana but failed to qualify academically. Madison apparently changed his mind when Bob Knight was axed. Each of LSU's three recruits is a touted junior-college frontcourtman.

Four more SEC members (Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State and Tennessee) have fall recruiting aggregations that rank among the nation's top 55, with all four landing a top-100 prep senior plus one from the second 100. The other four universities in the league, however, didn't fare nearly so well, though Arkansas is the only one of them to have no more available scholarships (barring attrition) to work with in the spring. Neither Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Arkansas or South Carolina signed a single prospect currently ranked among the nation's top 200 prep seniors.

Now let's look at each SEC member, in order of the quality of the fall recruiting class of each. Every signee will be listed, with a short comment summing up the results for each school. We've also listed in the table above all 29 SEC recruits in order of potential, based on our current individual rankings.

FALL 2000 SEC RECRUITING

1. FLORIDA (No. 1 class nationally) 6-11 Brunswick (Ga.) Glynn Academy PF/C Kwame Brown (ranked No. 7); 6-9 St. Louis Chaminade PF/SF David Lee (No. 9); and 6-7 Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy SF James White (No. 10).

This fabulous group confirms Billy Donovan's status as one of the nation's very best recruiters, while assuring the Gators of a national top-10-caliber team for the foreseeable future.

2. KENTUCKY (No. 15) 6-3 Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy WG Rashaad Carruth (No. 21); 6-6 1/2 Modesto (Calif.) Modesto Christian SF/PF Chuck Hayes (No. 67); and 6-5 Bowling Green (Ky.) High WG/SF Josh Carrier (No. 91).

With some promising young big men already in the fold, Tubby Smith has elected to use all three available scholarships on wing players, although Hayes can also bang inside.

3. ALABAMA (No. 16) 6-1 Jackson (Miss.) Murrah PG Maurice Williams (No. 19); 6-8 1/2 Southern Union (Ala.) JC SF/PF Kei Madison (top 25 JC soph); and 6-3 Memphis White Station WG Earnest Shelton (No. 95).

Williams, also a baseball star, is among the top five or six point guards in the high school class of 2001, and Madison's last-minute switch is a real coup for Mark Gottfried's Crimson Tide.

4. LOUISIANA STATE (No. 25) 6-9 Lee (Texas) JC C/PF Shawnson Johnson (top 50 JC soph); 6-7 Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) CC PF Kedrick Brown (top 50 JC soph); and 6-8 Kilgore (Texas) Junior College SF/PF Thomas Davis (top 100 JC soph).

John Brady's staff went the juco route to shore up the frontcourt with former in-state prep stars, and the Tigers have two more scholarships available to give in the spring.

5. AUBURN (top 35) 6-8 Birmingham (Ala.) Parkway Christian PF Marco Killingsworth (No. 57); 6-4 New Orleans John F. Kennedy WG Dwayne Mitchell (No. 101); and 6-8 Southern Union (Ala.) JC SF Greg Johnson (top 100 JC soph).

Cliff Ellis has quickly built a very strong program, and this threesome assures that there will be little, if any, future drop-off.

6. GEORGIA (top 45) 6-11 Milledgeville (Ga.) Baldwin C Larry Turner (No. 53); 6-3 Rome (Ga.) Coosa WG Michael Dean-Liggons (No. 176); and 6-2 Mullins (S.C.) High PG Jarod Gerald (top 300).

While two scholarships remain available, this group provides a bit of everything, with Turner a rebounder/rejector, Dean-Liggons a scorer, and Gerald a playmaker.

7. MISSISSIPPI STATE (top 50) 7-0 Albany (Ga.) Westover C Marcus Campbell (No. 84); 6-4 Miami Northwestern WG Winsome Frazier (No. 118); and 7-1 1/2 Gallatin (Tenn.) High C Wesley Morgan (top 300).

This is a good crop, as both southpaw Campbell and sharpshooting Frazier were widely sought by big-time programs.

8. TENNESSEE (top 55) 6-8 Springfield (Ohio) South PF/SF Elgrace Wilborn (No. 83); and 6-6 Tallahassee (Fla.) Rickards SF/WG Derek Stribling (No. 135).

With two run/jump athletes already landed and two remaining scholarships, Jerry Green's Volunteers will try especially hard to snare a quality point guard in the spring.

9. VANDERBILT 6-5 1/2 Chattanooga (Tenn.) Christian SF/WG Jason Holwerda (top 300); and 6-5 Houston Lamar SF/PF Corey Smith (top 350).

We don't consider this to be the level of talent Kevin Stallings needs in order to succeed in the SEC, but that assessment will change markedly if 6-11 hometowner David Harrison (No. 14), whose dad is a football assistant coach for the Commodores, is secured in the spring.

10. MISSISSIPPI 6-3 Memphis Bartlett WG/PG Jonathan Loe (top 350); 5-11 1/2 Fayetteville (N.C.) 71st PG Justin Johnson (top 400); and 6-6 Oxford (Miss.) Lafayette SF Kendrick Fox (top 400, likely walk-on).

In order to salvage this recruiting year qualitatively, the Rebels need to rope a big-time inside operator in the spring.

11. ARKANSAS 6-5 Worthington (Ohio) High WG/SF J.J. Sullinger (top 300).

Sullinger is a good three-point shooter, but it's surprising that Nolan Richardson elected to use his sole available scholarship this fall on J.J.

12. SOUTH CAROLINA No recruits.

Eddie Fogler has a young team and just two available scholarships, so his staff recruited cautiously this fall, although that should change somewhat in the spring.

Regional Notes

Below is our present list, region by region, of the best three-point shooters among the nation's prep seniors. Note that Taurean Moy drilled a national-record 24 threes in one recent game, while Julius Hodge knocked in 11 in a single outing.

EAST

6-2 Lake Oswego (Ore.) High WG/PG Salim Stoudamire (Arizona)

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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