Meyers mailbag: Chol has targets
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What would happen to the recruiting class ranking of a couple Pac-10 schools if they were to land Angelo Chol?
How would Brandon Knight and Marquis Teague work together at Kentucky if Knight comes back for another year?
And is highly coveted 2012 recruit Archie Goodwin due for a boost in the rankings?
These questions and more are addressed by National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer in this week's mailbag.
Chol and the Pac-10
Where do you think Angelo Chol will end up? Also, if he were to commit to Arizona or Washington, how would that affect each respective team's current 2011 class ranking?
- Brandon from Tucson
Chol is a tough read, and honestly I don't have a feel for where he is going to end up. Most every analyst is in my same boat, and you can make arguments for the chances of all five schools recruiting him: Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina and Washington.
Chol, a 6-foot-8 center from San Diego (Calif.) Hoover, will use his last visit Feb. 12 at Washington. Shortly after that visit, he is expected to make his choice.
Wherever Chol lands, he will provide athleticism to the frontline. His skill game is raw, but he has the type of athleticism that can help most any team.
Adding Chol to the Arizona class would likely push the Wildcats from their No. 9 ranking to the top five. A big part of that push, however, is from the rising stock of Nick Johnson.
Adding Chol to the Washington class would jump the Huskies ahead of Oregon in the Pac-10 and national rankings, and place them somewhere in the No. 16 to No. 19 range in the national rankings.
Switcheroo rare on signing day
Are there any big-time class of 2012 recruits that could change their commitment come signing day?
- Brandon from Omaha
I'd be interested in readers taking a stab on our message board as to why this is, but basketball signing day doesn't have a sliver of the drama that football signing day has.
In fact the only drama on basketball signing day is if someone makes his decision on that day. In the eight years I've been working for Rivals.com, I can't remember a prospect switching a commitment on signing day.
If I'm wrong on that, someone please correct me on the message board.
For the most part, basketball coaches don't recruit prospects committed to another school. Now, I'm sure there are exceptions, but that is generally the rule.
What is more likely to happen is that a committed prospect's camp will send out feelers to see if a school would recruit the prospect if he were to decommit. But those type of switches take place before the actual signing period.
Cat talk
If Brandon Knight returns, can he and Marquis Teague play together in backcourt? Who starts at the point? Who plays the two-guard?
- Hova from Florida
Most NBA draft boards have Knight listed as a late first-round pick. Since he likely is not a lottery pick, there is that chance that he stays for another year. I wouldn't, however, get my hopes up Kentucky fans, since being projected as a first-round pick seems to be the threshold for coach John Calipari's players.
If Knight were to return to Kentucky, he would play the two, and Teague would play the one. Now, if there were ever a system that can accommodate two point guards, it would be Calipari's offense. But on the other hand, moving to the second point guard would likely influence Knight to enter the draft.
Knight doesn't have the quickness, change of direction and passing ability off the dribble to match Teague. Teague is one of the most explosive and shifty players with the basketball. He has an uncanny ability to move laterally with the basketball to get around defenders while still maintaining vision of the court.
Knight is a better shooter than Teague, so the natural set-up would be for Teague to be the primary ballhandler and for Knight to fill the wing as a scorer.
Wells playing well
Where do you think Dezmine Wells moves up to since the last rankings given his late summer and this season at Hargrave. Top 40?
- Steve from Cincinnati
Wells is a very good player and has a ranking at No. 66, which we feel matches his abilities. He is a power wing who punishes defenders going to the basket. In transition, he is effective as a primary ballhandler.
When the game gets congested in the half court, however, Wells is limited. Shooting from the outside is not his strong point.
There is no doubt that Wells is the type of player who can help a college team win games. He is mentally and physically tough, defends, rebounds his position and attacks the basket.
I'm not saying he won't move up in the rankings, but I'm not sure he is a good enough ballhandler and shooter in the half-court game to reach top 40 status.
Difference of opinion
Can we expect Archie Goodwin to rise in the rankings or drop even though he has a lot going for him with a slew of offers from top colleges around the country?
- Justin from Missouri
That will depend on what Eric Bossi and I see in him this spring before we release a new Rivals150 for the 2012 class.
His success this year and the recruiting attention and offers he is receiving were fully expected from what we saw out of him last summer. I would only take notice if he wasn't getting this recruiting attention and offers.
We do have an ear open to voices we trust, and we do take notice when players receive offers. But college coaches miss in evaluations just like we miss at times. The bottom line is that we base our evaluations and rankings on what we observe. We might not always get it right, but you know you are getting our opinion and not an opinion influenced by the agenda of other scouts or coaches.
Jerry Meyer is a national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. Click here to send him a question or comment for his mailbag.
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