Now that the 2010 class is front and center and has been for a couple of months there are a few trends starting to take shape. Today we will have a look at some of the most noticeable facts and questions thus far.
1. Ohio State is set to hold down the #1 spot in the rankings. The Buckeyes have five verbal commitments for the class including two of our top five and three of our top fifty. Jared Sullinger is arguably the #1 player in the country, Deshaun Thomas has seen his stock steadily fall at every site except for this one and he is going to be an absolute beast at the collegiate level. Jordan Sibert is also going to produce immediately.
2. Purdue has four verbal commits for the class. Terone Johnson, Anthony Johnson and Donnie Hale are all studs and Travis Carrol is going to be solid. This class could very well end up being the best in the nation if you count the fact that all four are most likely four year players.
3. Dayton is on a roll!! Having already signed two top players in the past three seasons. 2010 looks to be the official breakthrough year. Juwan Staten is a true top tier player. Ralph Hill and Brandon Spearman are both going to make an impact from day one as well.
4. Illinos has some great talent committed. Jereme Richmond, Crandall Head, and Myers Leonard will have the Fighting Illini once again able to fight for a Big Ten title.
5. The Maryland Terrapins have verbals from two of our top 100 players in Terrence Ross and Mychal Parker. Will this be the class that gets coach Williams and the Terps back on track?
6. Will Rick Pitino's off the court issues have any effect on his recruiting? He says it won't. I guess that time will tell. Even if it doesn't effect players wanting to come to Louisville, It could have an effect on his focus on and off the court.
7. Although John Calipari has never been named in any wrong doings, the perception is that he has broken a rule or committed a violation along the way. Will the Derek Rose incident have any effect on his 2010 efforts at Kentucky? As of the time that I am writing this article Kentucky is involved with just about every top un-committed 2010 recruit, but has yet to receive a verbal for the class.
8. Can Coach Crean reclaim the state of Indiana for the Hoosiers? With Indiana being home to about 10 top 100 players in 2011. 2010 has to be the year that Coach Crean makes a move towards reclaiming the state. The Hoosiers have verbals from Austin Etherington and Matt Carlino. But landing Plumlee or Zeller in 2011 would tell the likes of Ohio State, Purdue, Louisville and Duke that the Hoosiers are back.
9. Can coach Pastner keep the momentum alive in Memphis? The news coming down about Derick Rose's academic status and Latavious Williams bolting over seas, have not affected the young coach. He wasted no time in getting verbal commitments from Will and Antonio Barton. Can he add more and keep the Tiger's relevant?
10. Are the Florida Gators losing momentum? Nick Calathes left for Greece, the news came out that Eloy Vargas is looking for a new home. Austin Rivers may not be 100% committed and the Gators are coming off of back to back rough seasons.
Tony Kimbro is a versatile guard that is super strong with his left hand. He has a superb slashing game and an improving perimeter jump shot. Defensively he is a hustler, though he is out of position at times.Kimbro recently told us that he plans on visiting Oklahoma State, Louisville and Duke. Kimbro also told us that he liked Kentucky in this recent interview.
Kyrie Irving has narrowed his list of schools via the social networking site Twitter. "Duke Indiana Kentucky Georgia Tech Seton Hall and Uconn are on my list...sorry for not updating it last night..." I would expect more recruits to use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook in the future to cut their lists and even announce their decision to commit. Irving is currently rated the #16 player in the class of 2010.
Perry Ellis is among the better 2012 prospects on the nation and the sophomore to be has just added his most recent offer from Oklahoma. As of Friday 8/21/09 Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis and Oklahoma have offered the 6'8 Wichita native. He is quickly becoming one of the hottest commodity's in the class.
Ellis is extremely athletic and he is versatile enough to play either forward position or in the post. As of now Ellis projects as a top 10 player in the 2012 class. UCLA, Arizona, Texas A&M, Indiana, Kansas State and Western Kentucky have all showed strong interest in Ellis as well.
Jordan Shanklin spent the majority of his summer rehabbing a chin fracture and watching from the sidelines. After being cleared by doctors in early July, Shanklin burst back onto the scene at the Hoop Fest followed by some stellar play in Vegas at the Adidas Super 64. Shanklin is a team first point guard that uses his speed and quickness to push the pace and to get his teammates involved. He is among the top 10 players in the state of Kentucky regardless of class.
Recently Full Court Preps writer David Money was able to catch up with Shanklin, touching on a number of topics.
Since the interviews Clemson, Butler, and VCU have become heavily involved in Shanklin's recruitment. Shanklin does have an offer from Western Kentucky as well. Below are some highlights of the superb guard in action.
