Junior 5-star Giddens to trim list soon

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THE RIVALS150: Class of 2014 - Class of 2015

For Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler center Daniel Giddens, the 2013 City of Palms Classic didn't go as he had hoped. Wheeler was defeated in the second round a loaded Paul VI (Va.) team after beating Yates (Texas) in the first round, but the five-star prospect had a great week in Fort Myers, Fla., individually. He made his presence felt in the paint on both ends, particularly defensively as he recorded nine blocks in the loss Paul VI.

Because of his ability to anchor the back of a team's defense, schools all across the country have extended scholarship offers to Giddens. With a good feel for the schools involved with him, Giddens hopes to take the next step in his recruitment in the near future by trimming his long list down to a more manageable number.

"I haven't received any new offers lately, but I will be trimming my list down shortly," Giddens revealed to Rivals.com. "I'll probably get it down to 10 schools and go from there. I'll make my decision in the summer. I'm looking for a school with a great alumni base, a school that can help me after basketball, and the best place to get me to the next level in basketball."

Most recently, Giddens made his way up to Columbus for an unofficial visit to Ohio State.

"It was a really good visit. I met the coaches, talked to the team, toured the campus and saw the game against North Dakota State. I got to see all the facilities and everything they have there, so it went well," Giddens said. "Ohio State, academically, is an excellent school. They are crazy about their athletes as well."

Maryland, soon to be a Big Ten rival with Ohio State, is another school working to secure a commitment from Giddens.

"I like Maryland," Giddens said. "I'm going to try to get up there soon. I like their coaches and I like the environment around their program."

Florida, which had an assistant on hand to check on Giddens at City of Palms, appears to be another contender for the No. 18 overall prospect in the 2015 Rivals150.

"I'm definitely going to try to visit Florida soon," said Giddens. "They got a good team. They have Chris Walker there now, so I'm pretty interested in them too."

Both in-state schools were also in attendance to see Giddens at City of Palms, and both schools have his full attention in the recruiting process.

"Georgia is the hometown school. Coach Fox and the other coaches there are doing a good job and they are trying to get the program to where it needs to be," Giddens said. "I haven't had a chance to see Georgia Tech play yet, but I like Coach Gregory and also Marcus Georges-Hunt and Robert Carter. They have a good team there."

Arizona, Indiana, Louisville, Marquette, N.C. State, Texas and UCLA are among the other schools to have offered Giddens, while others such as Kansas and North Carolina continue to track his progress.

Dan McDonald is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.

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