USA TODAY International Edition
Duke set to sign top basketball class,
Michigan State, Kentucky will have big signing day, too
Defending men’s national champion Duke is expected to have the nation’s top basketball signing class. The early signing period opens Wednesday and runs through Nov. 18.
According to the ESPN 100, Duke has three five- star commitments in top- ranked Harry Giles ( Oak Hill Academy; Mouth of Wilson, Va.), No. 2 Jayson Tatum ( Chaminade College Prep; Creve Coeur, Mo.) and No. 14 Frank Jackson ( Lone Peak, Utah). The fourth commit, No. 44 Javin DeLaurier ( St. Anne’s- Belfield School; Charlottesville, Va.), gives the Blue Devils an edge over Michigan State.
No. 8 Miles Bridges ( Huntington Prep, W. Va.) leads the way for the Spartans, alongside No. 17 Josh Langford ( Madison Academy, Ala.), a fellow five- star. Tom Izzo also has commitments from four- stars No. 29 Cassius Winston ( University Of Detroit Jesuit) and No. 39 Nick Ward ( Lincoln; Gahanna, Ohio).
Kentucky sent six players from last year’s squad to the NBA. The Wildcats have commitments from No. 23 Wenyen Gabriel ( Wilbraham & Monson Academy; Wilbraham, Mass.) and No. 31 Sacha Killeya- Jones ( Virginia Episcopal School; Lynchburg, Va.). Eleven of the top 25 players are uncommitted, nine of whom are at least considering Kentucky.
Among women’s teams, Maryland will bring in four of the top 30 players and five of the top 51 in the ESPNW Hoop-Gurlz ranking. Destiny Slocum, a point guard from Mountain View ( Meridian, Idaho), will be the future engine. Maryland will sign more high- end players than anyone else in the country and has the most depth, but as far as players at the top of the class, Baylor might be better with No. 1 overall Lauren Cox in the post and No. 8 overall player Natalie Chou and guard Calveion Landrum. All three are from East Texas, so Baylor didn’t have to travel far.
Oak Hill will have six seniors committing or signing. The group of Giles, Rodney Miller ( Miami, Fla.), Khadim Sy ( Virginia Tech), Joe Hampton ( Penn State) and Braxton Key ( Alabama) have announced decisions. The leaves Mario Kegler, an Oak Hill newcomer. Kegler, a 6- 7 forward, is said to be down to Maryland, Mississippi State, Baylor, Arizona State and Indiana.
Seventh Woods, the topranked player in South Carolina, is set to choose between South Carolina and North Carolina. “It has been a fun process and really hasn’t bothered me,” Woods, from Hammond Academy, told
The State in Columbia. “I know Wednesday it may die down a little bit or hype up even more, but I am looking forward to getting it over with. … Both fit my style of play, and I think I can be successful at all the schools I am choosing from. It just comes down to where I fit in best or where I want to call home, really.”
After the flurry Wednesday, ESPNU Recruiting Nation will be the home for two Thursday commitments. No. 2 point guard De’Aaron Fox ( Cypress Lakes, Texas) and No. 5 power forward T. J. Leaf ( Foothills Christian; El Cajon, Calif.) will commit during the 6 p. m. ET program.
Fox, ranked No. 7 overall by ESPN, is down to Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville and LSU.
Leaf, ranked 13th overall, will choose from among Oregon, San Diego State and UCLA. Leaf decommitted from Arizona in August.
Big man De’Ron Davis from Overland High in Aurora, Colo., will announce Thursday between Indiana and Mississippi State. A 6- 10, 235- pound power forward, Davis is ranked No. 38 overall and the No. 10 player at his position by the 247Sports Composite.