Clark, Benn approaching decisions

Philadelphia natives Bilal Benn and Shane Clark were teammates at Cardinal Dougherty High School. They are together again for a year of prep school at Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy. They also paired up on an official visit to Villanova this weekend.

Clark, a 6-foot-7 190-pound forward, is down to just Maryland and Villanova. There were rumors on Monday that Maryland had received a commitment, but those rumors are false, according to former Cardinal Dougherty coach Dave Distol.

"I've spoken to Shane three times since his Villanova visit and he's still 50-50 on Maryland and Villanova," Distol said. "He was trying to force himself to decide by Wednesday, but I told him to take his time and make sure that he's making the right decision. He has plenty of time."

Clark is travelling back to the northeast this weekend to participate in the Second Annual Eddie Griffin Challenge at Rutgers University. He'll stop home on his way to the game to discuss things with his family.

"He's going to talk to his mom face to face, and he could have a decision soon after that," Distol stated.

Clark is one of the more intriguing prospects in the class of 2005. He has terrific size and ballhandling ability and is very athletic. However, his perimeter shooting is streaky at best and he is not a big effort guy.

Benn, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, will also make the trip to play in the Eddie Griffin Classic, Distol says.

"Bilal is actually closer to a decision than Shane. His choice is to either sign with Villanova now or wait until spring," Distol said. "He's been getting a lot of attention from schools like Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Florida, and Georgia."

Benn will also make a pit stop on the way to the Eddie Griffin Classic this weekend.

"He's going to Villanova on Saturday before he heads up to the game for an unofficial visit to meet with the coaches and talk about his decision," Distol said. "I think that Villanova has done a great job with him and he's leaning heavily towards giving them a commitment."

Benn is a multi-talented player capable of playing three positions. Hargrave has used him extensively this year at the point guard spot, but he has the size/quickness combination to play both guard positions and swing to wing forward when needed. He'll need to work on his perimeter shooting as well in college.

Rivalshoops.com will keep you up to date on the latest with Benn and Clark.