USA TODAY International Edition
Most top recruits won’t sign early
College basketball’s early signing period begins today, not with a bang but with a whimper. Unlike the first day of the February signing period for football, you won’t see legions of college sports fans surreptitiously watching ESPN on their smartphones or refreshing their browsers to see the latest reports of signings.
Only four of the nation’s top 10 men’s basketball recruits are expected to sign a national letter- of- intent today: Prime Prep ( Dallas) point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who is expected to sign with Southern Methodist; Findlay Prep ( Henderson, Nev.) small forward Kelly Oubre, who will sign with Kansas; Montverde ( Fla.) Academy point guard D’Angelo Russell, who is expected to sign with Ohio State; and Arsenal Tech ( Indianapolis) power forward Trey Lyles, who has said he will sign with Kentucky.
“For the top 10 or top dozen players, most of them are waiting for the best package, the best deal,” basketball scout Rick Bolus said. “Sometimes they’ll wait until the spring signing period, because they become more valuable. Some coaches will need to sign a five- star player to keep their job.”
That’s not to say the early signing period isn’t important. Plenty of players below the top 10 will don the caps of their future schools today and put ink to paper. Also, today is only the beginning of a one- week signing period in which top prospects will announce their future schools and, in some cases, sign.
The biggest announcement this week is expected to come Friday when Whitney Young ( Chicago) center Jahlil Okafor and Apple Valley, Minn., point guard Tyus Jones are expected to announce their “package deal” of signing with Kansas, Duke or Baylor. The pair played together on USA Basketball teams and have said for more than a year they would sign with the same college.
“It seems like these guys really thought it out,” said national recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer of 247Sports. com. “They’ve forged a bond and have played well together. I think everyone thinks Okafor and Jones are going to the same school.”
Two other top players expected to announce their choice Friday are Mater Dei ( Santa Ana, Calif.) small forward Stanley Johnson and Curie ( Chicago) forward Cliff Alexander.
Meyer says he is surprised that more elite players don’t delay their signings or commitments.
“They have leverage,” Meyer said. “To me, it’s kind of odd that these kids are signing with schools without having seen them play the season before they’ll be there.”
The actual signings can be anticlimactic. Unlike in football, once elite players are seniors and announce their college choices, it’s rare for a player to change his mind.
For the big names who sign this month, there is at least one benefit.
“It’s a great relief for him to have this out of the way,” Arsenal Tech coach Jason Delaney said of Lyles. “When you see pictures of him smiling when he made the announcement he was going to Kentucky, that was genuine. I think if you’re fully convinced of your decision, signing early is a good thing.”