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Early signing period: News of opening day

MORE: What to watch | 2012 team rankings
Rivals.com will have updates right here throughout the day as news breaks.
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Gary Harris to Michigan State
Michigan State's basketball recruiting class went from good to great on Wednesday night with the addition of five-star shooting guard Gary Harris to a group that includes Rivals150 recruits Denzel Valentine, Kenny Kaminski, and Matt Costello.
Click here for the complete update from SpartanMag.com
K-State gets good news
Kansas State is among those waiting on the decision of Robert Upshaw. But, the Wildcats did get positive news from a three-star big man while they wait.
Wednesday, multiple sources confirmed that Laimonas Chatkevicius finally made things official for Frank Martin's program after months of rumors had him as a Wildcats lock.
A native of Lithuania, Chatkevicius is a long and lanky 6-foot-10, 230-pound big man who is currently prepping at South Kent (Conn.) Prep. He played during the summer with MoKan Elite and recently generated positive buzz with his play at the legendary IS8 league in New York City.
Upshaw decision by Monday?
Rivals.com caught up with Ceylon Sherman, the mother of Robert Upshaw, and got the latest on the No. 43 ranked prospect in the Rivals150.
Upshaw is down to Fresno State, Georgetown, Kansas State and Louisville and the hope is that he will have a decision by Monday.
Click here for the complete update with the latest on Upshaw
Sooners get boost
The Oklahoma Sooners received a big boost to their early recruiting class on Wednesday when three-star combo forward Jarion Henry committed to Lon Krugers program.
Initially a member of the class of 2011, Henry - who ranked No. 119 in 2011's final Rivals150 - signed with New Mexico coming out of high school. Academics forced him to go to prep school and now La Jolla (Calif.) Prep coach Bobby Bossman has confirmed that Henry will sign with the Sooners.
Henry joins a class that already includes top 100 guards Buddy Hield and Jelon Hornbeak. It should also be noted that Henry's father, Skeeter, was a forward at Oklahoma during the Billy Tubbs era.
Harvard in the mix
It had looked for a while as if Zena Edosomwan would sign during the early period. That early signing isn't looking so likely anymore.
The product of North Hollywood (Calif.) Harvard-Westlake, currently ranked No. 128 nationally in the class of 2012, is at a crossroads in making a choice.
Among the three-star power forward's finalists is Harvard. While the 6-foot-8 senior has outstanding grades, he has not yet been been cleared by Harvard admissions and is likely going to wait until he gets that news before making a decision.
That Edosomwan is willing to wait until he hears back from admissions at Harvard is surely a good thing for Tommy Amaker's Crimson. Edosomwan is still heavily considering USC and California and neither school would be a surprise pick at this juncture.
Strong day for Stanford
The signatures are all in for Johnny Dawkins and his staff at Stanford.
The Cardinal inked a class that currently sits just outside of the national top 25 in Rosco Allen, Grant Verhoeven and Christian Sanders.
A skilled four-star combo forward from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman, the 6-foot-8 Allen is the headliner of the group. Verhoeven is one of the class of 2012's most physical players and the ranked three-star Californian brings a lunch pail with him to the basketball floor. Sanders is a three-star shooter from Texas who can really stretch defenses.
San Diego State signs two
Steve Fisher has signatures from two quality recruits who he believes can help San Diego State continue its winning ways. Rivals150 post prospect Skylar Spencer is a formidable shot blocker who fits well with an up-tempo style of play. Three-star prospect Matt Shrigley is a physical and versatile forward who can impact the game in a variety of ways.
Juco star headed to USC
At USC, head coach Kevin O'Neill and his Trojans staff have received two signed letters of intent Wednesday. And even though the Trojans have a third commitment, another LOI isn't expected unless there's a big change in plans.
Let's start with the guys that signed. Four-star shooting guard - and former Wake Forest player - J.T. Terrell is arguably the top player in the junior college ranks. Terrell is high scoring, athletic and has no fear about letting shots fly when he's on the floor.
The Trojans' other signee is literally an international man of mystery. He is 6-foot-8 combo forward Strahinja Gavrilovic, a native of Serbia who arrived at La Jolla (Calif.) Prep earlier this year. Not many have seen the three-star senior, but reports from those who have are encouraging.
Finally, high school shooting guard Larry Lewis remains committed to the USC program. However, the 6-foot-3 won't be signing until the spring.
Harris nears decision
One of the most heavily discussed prospects yet to make his decision is five-star shooting guard Gary Harris. However, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern should have a decision in shortly.
No, Harris won't make a decision between his final choices of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State and Purdue on Wednesday. But, his decision should be coming within the next few days. Harris' father, Gary Harris Sr., confirmed to Rivals.com on Wednesday that his son is hoping to have his decision made by the week's end.
While the family has been extremely tight-lipped about the decision, recent talk behind the scenes favors Tom Izzo's Spartans and Matt Painter's Boilermakers.
Two on hold for South Carolina
At South Carolina, head coach Darrin Horn and his staff have three players committed. However, only three-star big man Tyrone Haughton will sign his scholarship papers during the early signing period.
High school teammates Carlos Morris and Ian Baker of Jacksonville (Fla.) Arlington Country Day are not expected to sign until the spring. Morris is an athletic shooting guard and Baker a true point guard who can score when needed. Both of the three-star prospects had to cancel planned official visits to Columbia due to travel issues in October. Sources are indicating that there are no plans for the duo to rescind their commitment.
Top 25 class
The ink is dry on the entire No. 24-ranked recruiting class for Chris Mack and his staff at Xavier.
National letter of intents have been sent in by Semaj Christon, Jalen Reynolds, Myles Davis and James Farr.
A four-star prospect, Christon is a quick and elusive floor general who has a chance to be a four-year starter in Cincinnati. Reynolds originally was a member of the 2011 recruiting class and the 6-foot-9 forward was ranked No. 110 in the final ranking for that class. Davis is a shooter who also fits into the Rivals150 while Farr is a three-star forward with some upside.
Kansas HS talent
For the third time today, a Kansas high school has produced two Division-I signees on the first day of the signing period. Four-star shooting guard Buddy Hield and power forward Lawrence Fejokwu of Bel Aire (Kan.) Sunrise Christian signed scholarships today.
Hield signed with Oklahoma while Fejokwu inked with St. Peter's.
Ranked No. 94 nationally in the class of 2012, Hield is an explosive 6-foot-4 wing scorer who plays a game similar to that of Missouri senior Marcus Denmon.
St. John's drops out of team rankings
The Big East's loss is the Big Ten's gain. Ricardo Gathers' decommitment from St. John's has knocked the Red Storm out of the top 25, and Purdue has taken their place.
Complete team recruiting rankings top 25
Big 12ers land big-time talent
Arlington (Texas) Grace Prep has turned into a major hot spot for high level basketball prospects. Wednesday afternoon, Ray Forsett's program's top two seniors made their college plans official.
Five-star big man - and top five player nationally - Isaiah Austin made everything final with Baylor while four-star shooting guard Jelon Hornbeak inked with conference foe Oklahoma.
Austin is a long, thin and highly skilled big man, who prefers a skill game to that of a brute insider. Hornbeak is an explosive scoring guard who can also help some at the point.
Kentucky begins to build class
Kentucky has a signed Letter-of-Intent from one of its two committed recruits in Kansas big man Willie Cauley. On Tuesday the Wildcats expect to receive a second Letter-of-Intent from Archie Goodwin.
Other potential Kentucky signees during the early period are Alex Poythress, who will sign on Thursday, and Jarnell Stokes. - Jerry Meyer
Beavers get small forward
Oregon State fans and coach Craig Robinson officially inked Rivals150 small forward Langston Morris-Walker.
The product of Berkeley (Calif.), who currently ranks No. 146 in the class of 2012, confirmed with Rivals.com that he has sent in his letter of intent. An athletic wing and versatile utility player on both ends of the floor, Morris-Walker headlines what is a solid effort in Corvallis. Both power forward Jarmal Reid and center Maika Ostling are high three-star prospects who have been in the class of 2012 rankings at one point or another.
Morris-Walker said that he's focusing on "getting ready for this beast."
Help for the Hoosiers
Nobody can blame Tom Crean and his staff at Indiana for feeling pretty good today. The Hoosiers have their entire 2012 class inked and are holding on to hope that they can somehow land Gary Harris.
Our friends at Peegs.com put together a great look at the Hoosiers class.
Kudos to Cleveland State
Cleveland State doesn't often get a lot of talk in recruiting circles, but Gary Waters and his staff have put together a pretty impressive recruiting class.
Wednesday, the Vikings got a boost when three-star forward Junior Lomomba from Madison (Wis.) Memorial announced that he would head to Cleveland for college.
Lomomba joins a class that already includes three-star forward Darnell Harris who initially signed with Florida International last year before heading to prep school this year. Others expected to ink with Cleveland State over the next few days include Ohio big man Malik London, Ohio swingman Gary Akbar and clever Michigan combo guard Bryn Forbes. - Eric Bossi
Kansas kids sign
It's not all that often that two kids on the same high school team in Kansas sign with division one programs. Today, it's happened twice in the Sunflower state.
After dual signings earlier in the day at Wichita (Kan.) Heights, the Olathe (Kan.) Northwest duo of Willie Cauley and Shavon Shields have made their college choices official.
A four-star big man who ranks in the national top 40, Cauley will be taking his shot-blocking prowess and athletic ability to Kentucky. A 6-foot-5 three-star wing, Shields will follow in the footsteps of his father (future NFL Hall of Famer Will Shields) and spend his college days at Nebraska. - Eric Bossi
Notre Dame class accounted for
The nation's 16th ranked recruiting class is now totally accounted for.
Four-star small forward Cameron Biedscheid, four-star big man Zach Auguste and three-star face-up four man Austin Burgett have all sent in their national letter of intents to Notre Dame.
While the class already has a lofty ranking, it could ultimately turn out to be even better. An athletic big man, Auguste was one of the summer's biggest risers and word is he's looked tremendous during fall workouts. Biedscheid, has outstanding length, is a big time scorer and looks like a potential all-league performer in the Big East as he adds strength. - Eric Bossi
Cougars celebrate
The signings weren't ever in doubt, but fans of the Houston Cougars can officially celebrate the additions of Danuel House and Chicken Knowles.
The five-star House and the four-star Knowles each signed letters of intent during ceremonies at their schools on Wednesday. The Cougars third commitment, three-star big man Valentine Izundu, should be signed by the day's end as well. - Eric Bossi
Dayton lands Scott
Columbus (Ohio) Northland sure has been good to Archie Miller and his staff at Dayton.
Already in possession of a commitment from Northland's three-star power forward Jalen Robinson, the Flyers picked up a signing day commitment from another three-star power forward at the school.
Former Cincinnati commit Devon Scott picked up the phone and called the Flyers staff this morning to tell them that he is on board. An athletic kid with upside, Scott will sign early but the exact timing hasn't been set. - Eric Bossi
Dayton has an outstanding early class that includes the three-star bigs from Northland and Rivals150 point guard Jevon Thomas.
Anderson in at UCLA
UCLA is expecting a Letter-of-Intent from Jordan Adams later this afternoon, but the Bruins have already received a signed Letter-of-Intent from the star of its two-man class Kyle Anderson. With little fanfare, Anderson faxed his Letter-of-intent to the UCLA basketball offices early this morning. - Jerry Meyer
All Roses for Baylor
Not that there were any questions about whether or not L.J. Rose planned to sign his letter of intent with Baylor, but it's always nice for a staff to find out the deed has been done. The four-star point guard made things official at Houston Westbury Christian on Wednesday as he signed his LOI during a ceremony at his school.
Brewster Academy players sign
The Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy recruits have all signed their Letters-of-Intents. They include Mitch McGary to Michigan, T.J. Warren to North Carolina State, Aaron Thomas to Florida State, Semaj Christon to Xavier and Jalen Reynolds to Xavier. - Jerry Meyer
Longhorns wait on Ridley
Rick Barnes and his staff at Texas are expecting to get signed letters of intent from at least three of their recruits today. Big man Prince Ibeh, point guard Javan Felix and wing Ioannis Papapetrou will all make things official for the Longhorns. Big man Connor Lammert, though, won't actually sign until Monday morning because his father is out of town.
Of course that leaves five-star big man Cameron Ridley out there. Quietly, the situation between Ridley and Texas has turned into one of the more interesting storylines of the early signing period. Over the past couple of months, there have been lots of rumors and whispers that the 6-foot-10 shot-blocker could be looking to re-open his recruitment and possibly head to prep school for 2012-2013 instead of making his way to Austin.
Sources close to the recruitment are indicating that as of now they still expect Ridley to sign on. However, exactly when the signing will take place is still up in the air and it's a situation that Rivals.com will be monitoring closely. - Eric Bossi
Aggies nab backcourt duo
Despite the recent health issues for new Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy, the Aggies secured LOIs from their four-star backcourt duo of J-Mychal Reese and Alex Caruso.
Buzz surrounds Jackets
Can Georgia Tech find a spot in the top 25 of the national team recruiting rankings? First-year coach Brian Gregory has secured a National Letters of Intent from Rivals150 prospects Marcus Hunt and Chris Bolden.
Now the Yellow Jackets are hoping to add four-star low post scorer Robert Carter to their pair of wing scorers. Landing Carter, who will announce his college choice Thursday, would place Georgia Tech in the top 25.
Ellis signs with KU
Five-star senior forward Perry Ellis is officially a Kansas Jayhawk. The 6-foot-8 senior signed his letter of intent during a ceremony at Wichita (Kan.) Heights.
Ranked No. 24 nationally in the class of 2012, Ellis wasn't the only Heights player to pen a letter of intent.
Three-star combo forward Gavin Thurman signed as well, making his commitment to Missouri State official.
Ledo signs
Providence has at least one of its elite backcourt prospects in the fold. Via his Twitter account, Ricardo Ledo announced that his signed his Letter-of-Intent with the Friars.
Three-star shooter Joshua Fortune has also signed. According to the Providence athletic department, new coach Ed Cooley will conduct a news conference at noon EST to discuss the Friars' recruiting class.
Providence currently has the No. 5 recruiting class in the country.
Buffs moving up
Tad Boyle and his Colorado program have had a successful 2012 recruiting effort. The Buffs will add a fifth recruit in Sterling (Colo.) point guard Xavier Talton. He joins four-star prospects Xavier Johnson and Josh Scott, and three-star prospects Wesley Gordon and Chris Jenkins.
This class is knocking on the door of top 25 status. The St. John's loss of Ricardo Gathers (below) and possible other developments this week could open that door for Colorado.
Gathers will not sign
Several high profile prospects will decide to sign with a school this week. Four-star forward Ricardo Gathers, however, has decided not to sign with St. John's during the early signing period.
Gathers, the No. 37-ranked prospect in the Rivals150, released this statement:
"I would like to announce that although I had previously selected St. John's University as the college I would attend through a verbal commitment, I have since decided to withdraw that commitment. I have recently realized that because the decision I make in choosing a university is one that will greatly impact my future, I must be 100% sure of the choice I make.
"I plan to devote time to analyzing all prospective scenarios and seriously considering how my decision will affect not only my basketball dreams and my education, but also considering how my decision will affect my family and those around me. I will be including St. John's in my options and have by no means ruled that choice out. I would like to spend my last year of high school focused on team goals and then making a decision about college in the spring."
A source close to Gathers indicated that the uncertainty of head coach Steve Lavin's future is a factor in Gathers desire to wait until the spring.
Also, the Reserve (La.) Riverside Academy product has been under significant pressure to stay in-state and help build back up the LSU program. - Jerry Meyer
Oak Hill plans
Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy players D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown), Tyler Lewis (North Carolina State), Jordan Adams (UCLA), Damien Wilson (Memphis) and A.J. Hammons (Purdue) are set to sign their Letter-of-Intents at 4 p.m. Eastern today.
White still unsure
The only thing clear about the Andrew White recruiting saga is that senior is still unclear as to what he's going to do.
Information from sources close to the recruitment of the 6-foot-6 small forward from the Charlottesville (Va.) Miller School has swung wildly between "he'll wait until the spring" and "he'll sign Wednesday".
Reached by text on signing day, the nation's No. 56 player in the class of 2012 said that he was still unsure of what to do.
"Still trying to figure out the best way to announce and where to (go)," said White when asked of his signing day plans.
Any number of schools are in the race, but as signing day approaches Georgetown, Kansas, Louisville, N.C. State and Texas continue to get the most run while others like Cincinnati and Richmond are getting some mentions as well. - Eric Bossi
Jefferson will wait
There won't be any signing day activities for Amile Jefferson. But, the nation's No. 36-ranked player is getting close to making his decision.
A 6-foot-8 combo forward at Philadelphia (Penn.) Friends Central, Jefferson will take one final visit to Stanford this weekend before announcing a decision.
"He's still got one more visit planned for this weekend and that is to Stanford," Jefferson's father Malcolm Musgrove told Rivals.com. "After he gets back, then we will sit down as a family and discuss all of the choices he has for school."
The four-star forward has already visited N.C. State, Ohio State, Connecticut and Kentucky. Also still in the running are local programs Temple and Villanova.
Over the past week or so, there has been rampant speculation that N.C. State has taken control of Jefferson's recruitment. If they have, nobody in Jefferson's camp is confirming it just yet.
"At this time I just think he needs to take this last visit," said Musgrove. - Eric Bossi
Eric Bossi can be reached at eric_bossi@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @ebosshoops.
Jerry Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@rivals.com. You can follow him on Twitter @3starmeyer.
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