By JACK LeGWIN
Dennis Smith Jr. has announced that he will be graduating high school early, and will enroll at N.C. State in January.
“It’s mainly for rehab purposes,” Smith Jr. said on ESPNU Thursday. “I can rehab everyday there, and thankfully my grades are good enough for me to do it early.”
T.J. Leaf is moving from one Pac-12 school
By ADAM ZAGORIA and JACK LeGWIN
De’Aaron Fox, the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2016, is off the board to Kentucky.
The 6-foot-4 Fox out of Katy (TX) Cypress Lakes, who has drawn comparisons to Washington Wizards guard John Wall, also considered Kansas, LSU and Louisville. He made his announcement Thursday on ESPNU.
“It felt like a family there,” Fox told ESPNU after his announcement. “When I went on my visit, every fan knew who I was. They were greeting me like I had been there my whole life. Getting to know the players and Coach Cal, I felt like I had the best relationship out of any coach that recruited me, I felt like I had the best relationship with him, so that’s what set it apart.”
Fox said that the success of past Kentucky guards was a contributing factor in his decision.
“That was a huge part,” Fox said. “I asked guys why they went to certain schools, and I asked a couple of point guards that he had, and they said that Coach Cal is a great coach to play for, and ultimately, that’s why I went there.”
Fox also reiterated that he wants Malik Monk to join him at Kentucky.
“I’m trying to get him on board with me,” Fox said.
De’Ron Davis is headed to Indiana.
The 6-foot-10 Davis, who is ranked the No. 10 power forward in the Class of 2016 by 247Sports.com, also considered Mississippi State.
“Coach Tom Crean is an absolute powerhouse coach,” Danny Fisher, Davis’ coach at Overland Park (CO, told SNY.tv over the weekend. “They’ve built a great relationship. Coach Crean’s ability to develop players and the history of Indiana basketball, the Field house and their academic program for De’Ron is really, really impressive as well.”
Davis joins shooting guard Curtis Jones and small forward Grant Gelon in Indiana’s 2016 class.
Fisher says Davis will make an impact.
By MATT CITAK
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski commented on his No. 1 – ranked recruiting class, which includes the top two projected picks in the 2017 NBA Draft in Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles.
Duke’s class is currently ranked No. 1 by Scout.com, ahead of No. 2 Michigan State and No. 3 UConn.
Coach K had some very high praise for Tatum out of St. Louis (MO) Chaminade, who he called “the best scorer” of all the kids he’s seen in high school.
“He’s over 6-8 and he can shoot the ball extremely well,” he said of Tatum, who signed his NLI on Wednesday. “But he can also drive it. He can also post. He’s a good passer and defender. He can play multiple positions, but is a very, very gifted scorer and a very mature player.”
Coach K was very impressed with Tatum’s maturity level. Although a top prospect in the country, Krzyzewski described Tatum as a “very low maintenance guy” that doesn’t want any attention. “He wants to do great in high school, then do great at Duke, and hopefully from there on.”
St. John’s will be without freshman point guard Marcus LoVett for the entire season after he was named a partial qualifier on Wednesday.
That leaves Italian freshman Federico Mussini as the lone pure point guard on a rebuilding team with a first-year head coach in Chris Mullin.
St. John’s was notified by the NCAA of its final decision after exhausting the appeals process. LoVett will remain enrolled at St. John’s, but must complete a year of residence at the University before participating in game competition. He is permitted to practice with the team as he works toward meeting NCAA continuing eligibility requirements.
“The University disagrees with the NCAA’s decision and the process it used in reviewing Marcus’ initial eligibility waiver request,” said St. John’s interim athletic director and general counsel Joseph Oliva, Esq. “We have engaged in several conversations with the NCAA to express our concerns that their process may have violated Marcus’ legal rights. Unfortunately, it appears that the NCAA elected to disregard these concerns. We have advised Marcus and his family to consult with appropriate legal counsel about the options that may be available to challenge the NCAA ruling and the standards it applied in this process.”
You could fill an entire Division 1 college basketball roster with the players who signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday from St. Thomas More (Conn.) and Oak Hill Academy (Va.).
Seven players from St. Thomas More, led by longtime coach Jere Quinn, signed on Wednesday, while six players signed from Oak Hill, coached by the legendary Steve Smith.
“Party time,” Smith Tweeted, along with a picture of a cake featuring logos of all six schools.
