Early signing period class rankings
The early signing period for college basketball came and went, and a there were some notable signees - and some notable things that didn't occur - last week.
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The changes had an impact in the team rankings as Rivals.com releases its final top 30 for the early signing period.
Singleton moves Seminoles up
The biggest National Signing Day news was Chris Singleton's college announcement. The four-star forward announced he was taking his game to Florida State. Singleton chose the Seminoles over Kentucky. The news wasn't shocking, but it was important to the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings.
Singleton's decision boosted Florida State from No. 14 to 10th. He joins fellow four-star prospects Xavier Gibson, Deividas Dulkys and Luke Loucks. Pierre Jordan, a high school teammate of Singleton's at Dunwoody (Ga.) High School, also signed with the ACC school.
Florida State also landed a commitment from junior college guard Derwin Kitchen. The 6-foot-4 native of Jacksonville, Fla., committed to Florida out of high school but ended up at St. John's. He never played a minute at the Big East school and is now at Iowa Western Community College.
Reason to squeal on the hill
What does adding Rotnei Clarke and Daniel Payne do to a team?
It pushed Arkansas into the top 30 team rankings, boosting the SEC school from No. 27 to No. 14 overall in the nation.
Clarke, the No. 81 ranked player in the class of 2008, decided on the final day of the early signing period and picked Arkansas over Oral Roberts and Oklahoma State. Clarke is one of the best shooters in the nation.
Payne, a 6-foot-7 forward from Coffeyville (Kansas) Junior College, also considered Illinois, Iowa, Wichita State, Kansas State, Kansas and St. Louis. He was ranked as the No. 2 junior college prospect in the country according to JucoJunction.com.
Arkansas now has a pair of four-star recruits in Clarke and Courtney Fortson, and a Rivals150 prospect in Brandon Moore - a forward from Louisiana. Andre Clark, a former Oklahoma commitment, and Terrance Joyner also signed. Both are three-star prospects.
Tubby makes a big statement
Minnesota was one of the first schools to actively pursue Canadian shooting guard Devoe Joseph, and the Big Ten program's persistence paid off when the four-star guard signed with the Gophers on the final day of the early signing period.
Joseph joins fellow Rivals150 prospects Ralph Sampson III, a major coup for the Gophers, and Colton Iverson in the class. Junior college prospects Devron Bostick (No. 4 in the nation, according to JucoJunction.com) and Paul Carter round out the class.
Minnesota moved into the top 20 after being unranked prior to the period opening.
Warren decides Sooner than later
Willie Warren is the Terrell Owens of high school basketball. The five-star guard is a game-changer. Much like the Dallas Cowboys receiver, Warren seems to always have something up his sleeve when the world is watching.
Warren's decision to play for Oklahoma came as a surprise during the signing period. He and his mother had long declared that they would wait until the spring to make a decision. However, Warren decided to sign with Jeff Capel's program.
The No. 12 player in the nation boosted the Sooners from an unranked team to No. 21 overall in the team recruiting rankings.
Are these ones that got away?
Mississippi State had the No. 12 overall recruiting class in the early signing period a day before prospects could ink National Letters of Intent. Scotty Hopson, a top-10 talent, was thought to be the gem of the class in the early signing period.
Hopson opted not to sign his letter of intent to Mississippi State, but has said publicly that he remains committed to the Bulldogs. Because of Hopson's decision not to sign, Mississippi State is not listed in the updated team rankings.
Connecticut ran into a similar situation. Longtime commitment Nate Miles opted not to sign with the Huskies, who were No. 20 prior to the signing period. Because it signed only one player, albeit a good one in point guard Kemba Walker, Connecticut is no longer in the top 30.
Big East teams flip flop
Louisville did not sign Melquan Bolding and Kyle Kuric, thus moving the Cardinals down one spot to No. 4. U of L flipped spots with Big East rival Georgetown.
MORE: Conference RankingsClick Bolding, the No. 143 ranked prospect, is working on his academics at Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) and plans on signing in the spring. Kuric, a three-star prospect, has also opted to wait until the spring to ink his National Letter of Intent. Here to view this Link. | Best by PositionClick Bolding, the No. 143 ranked prospect, is working on his academics at Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) and plans on signing in the spring. Kuric, a three-star prospect, has also opted to wait until the spring to ink his National Letter of Intent. Here to view this Link. | The Rivals150Click Bolding, the No. 143 ranked prospect, is working on his academics at Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) and plans on signing in the spring. Kuric, a three-star prospect, has also opted to wait until the spring to ink his National Letter of Intent. Here to view this Link. | Five-Star Freshman TrackerClick Bolding, the No. 143 ranked prospect, is working on his academics at Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) and plans on signing in the spring. Kuric, a three-star prospect, has also opted to wait until the spring to ink his National Letter of Intent. Here to view this Link.
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