Alabi close to finding home

With one more visit on the schedule, five-star center Solomon Alabi knows he is on the clock for a decision. The 7-foot-1, 230-pound prospect from Montverde (Fla.) Academy could be the next impact big man off the board.

Alabi, the nation's top uncommitted center and No. 24 ranked player in the country, returned home from an official visit to Arizona over the weekend and according to his coach Kevin Sutton, things went well.

"He had a good time. I got the feeling that he enjoyed the visit a lot," Sutton said. "They showed him all of the success they had with their alumni and met with their academic advisors and support system. He got to see it all. It was good."

Virginia was the first school to host the big man and Sutton things were just as good in Charlottesville as they were in Tucson.

"It was your typical, good visit," Sutton said. "He had a chance to see their new facility, which is one of the best in the country. Coach (Dave) Leitao and coach (Rob) Lanier were back again here (on Tuesday). They have just done a great job of recruiting him, a great job."

There is a common belief in the recruiting world that Alabi is Florida State's to lose. Sutton said that isn't exactly the case.

"I think it would be presumptuous to say that he was Florida State bound. I will say they have done a very good job of recruiting him," Sutton said.

"In my 21 years of coaching, I have not seen a head coach recruit Solomon quite like coach (Leonard) Hamilton and Stan Jones have recruited Solomon. And the same token, UVa has been working him very hard. It's not a foregone conclusion that he is headed to Florida State. He is visiting this weekend and they will probably put the proverbial best foot forward and assess things afterwards."

After a visit to Tallahassee, Alabi will be wrapping up his heated recruitment. But it won't be a quick decision, Sutton said.

"His greatest strength is his greatest liability," Sutton explained. "He is very conscious of his academics so being gone for three consecutive weekends has been hard on him because he wants to study and keep it straight in the classroom. So, the timeline will probably be sometime in October."