National notebook: Coaches hit the phones

June might be slow in the high school basketball world, but there is plenty going on with team camps, commitments, unofficial visits and the start of 2009 recruiting.

Rivals.com breaks it all down in this week's national notebook.

Coaches officially begin class of 2009 recruitment

Recruits' phones began ringing from coast to coast on Friday because college coaches can make their first calls to class of 2009 prospects. The NCAA allows college coaches to start their contact with the rising juniors on June 15. Coaches are permitted to make one phone call a month to the prospects.

Of the 40 players nationally ranked by Rivals.com in the class of 2009, only one is committed to a school. Kyle Hardrick, a native of Norman, Okla., committed to Oklahoma in May 2006.

Rivals.com has only 10 other players of record as commitments in the class of 2009. The most recent one slid under the radar. Louisiana State landed 6-foot-4 guard Brandon Mitchell out of Amite (La.) High School. He pledged to the Tigers on Tuesday, shortly before he participated in LSU's team camp.

After 2008's rather mediocre class, the 2009 kids will certainly be evaluated a little earlier than usual as teams look for the future. Don't be surprised if point guard is the most desired position. Of the 11 players in the class that are committed, three are point guards.

LSU added Texas guard Tommy Mason-Griffin last winter. Kentucky landed GJ Vilarino shortly after the Wildcats reshuffled the coaching staff. DePaul secured Cully Payne when he was a freshman.

Click HERE to view the Rivals.com top 40 rankings for the class of 2009. Rivals.com National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer is currently in St. Louis for the Nike Hoop Jamboree – where he will see a majority of the top prospects in the class of 2009 (and beyond).

Commitment catch-up

June is considered the rest month in the busy travel basketball calendar, but it also a good time to take unofficial visits because of the extra free time. June is also a good month for commitment news.

The nation's sixth best prospect, Samardo Samuels, made a bit of a surprising pick when he announced he would play for Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals. The five-star big man visited the Big East school last week. He said he liked the opportunity to play right away and wants to learn from a coach that has been in the NBA.

"I've asked all of their players about Coach Pitino and everyone at the school had nothing but good things to say about him," Samuels told Rivals.com the night of his commitment. "They all said he tries to win everything he coaches and that he sticks to his word. He's been through it all at every level and knows what it takes to get to where I'm trying to get to. Who better to trust than somebody that has been there?"

Is Tyreke Evans next for Louisville?

- Thad Matta and his Ohio State staff seem to land anyone they want these days. But for the first time since taking over the Big Ten school, Matta is actually losing somebody. Nevada forward Luke Babbitt pulled out of his verbal pledge to the Buckeyes and opted for a school 10 minutes away from his home in Reno, Nevada. He'll suit up for Mark Fox instead.

Babbitt, a four-star forward, is the highest profile commit in terms of national rankings to head to Nevada. His impact could be just as important as Nick Fazekas' for the Wolf Pack.

Decisions soon?

Five-star wing forward Devin Ebanks will announce his decision on Saturday at the Rumble in the Bronx tournament in New York. The 6-foot-8 prospect from St. Thomas More (Conn.) will decide between Indiana, Miami and Rutgers.

Four-star guard Grant Gibbs of Iowa is down to four schools, and he could make a decision by the month's end. The 6-foot-5 combo guard told Rivals.com he is looking at Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin and Gonzaga. He has visited every school except Gonzaga, where he could visit at the end of the month.

Al-Farouq Aminu, the nation's No. 3 player overall, is down to Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest. A decision could happen at next month's Nike Peach Jam. He has unofficially visited all three schools.

Mid-majors reload

June is already off to a hot start for the mid-majors. A number of programs have landed key players for the future.

New St. Louis coach Rick Majerus is off to a hot start. He recently landed Kansas big man Willie Reed, an intriguing post player that local pundits believed could have ended up at a Big 12 school after a strong July. The 6-foot-9 big man will line up with Rivals150 center Brett Thompson.

The Billikens have also landed Wisconsin combo guard Kwamain Mitchell, a 6-foot-2 defender with a good deep touch. Illinois guard Matt Roth, one of the elite shooters in the country, is a major target for SLU and could potentially be next to pop.

New Mexico coach Steve Alford went to Texas to land a key shooter in Chris Babb. Dayton secured a pledge from in-state guard Chris Johnson. Northern Iowa has a big-time point guard coming to the Missouri Valley in John Moran.

Team camp rules the Peach State

Rivals.com has spent a lot of time at some well-run team camps in Georgia. The first stop took us to the North Georgia mountains for the Truett-McConnell College event, which featured 25 teams from the Peach State and Alabama.

Five-star sophomore Derrick Favors had little trouble dominating the competition at the camp. The 6-foot-9 rising junior could have easily dominated every game to the tune of 40 points and 20 rebounds. Instead, he played more of a subdued role at times and showed off his ability to handle pressure. At times, he was triple-teamed in the post and worked his way out of trouble.

Offensively, he stepped out and knocked down a couple of bank shots from the wing - a la Tim Duncan. Favors was a force on the glass and as a shot-blocker. A top-five prospect in 2009, Favors admitted his thoughts are far from recruiting. However, he mentioned Georgia, Florida and Georgia Tech are showing interest.

Kevin Murphy, a 6-foot-4 rising senior from Creekside High School in Atlanta, was the talk of the camp because of his quick trigger and ability to score. The mid-major target lit teams up for 30 to 40 points at a constant clip (but also took a high volume of shot attempts) and showed off a keen ability to knock down the perimeter shot. Murphy said he has interest from the likes of Charleston Southern, James Madison, Drake, Fordham and Georgia heading into July, where he'll play with the Georgia Stars AAU program.

Georgia Tech was the next stop, where a couple of 2009 prospects shined.

Centennial's Lorenzo Brown had it rolling against Westlake in Georgia's powerful 5A division on Saturday afternoon. The silky smooth guard connected on four 3-pointers in the first half and scored a game-winning basket for the tournament runners-up. The rising junior is putting all of his tools together and developing beautifully into an elite level player. Brown said he is high on Connecticut, Ohio State, Oregon, Florida and Wake Forest.

Collin Reddick, a defensive-minded 6-foot-7 center from Whitefield Academy, shined as well. The class of 2009 prospect blocked shot after shot, using his 6-foot-11 wingspan nicely. He also rebounded like a man possessed. He's carving out a spot for himself at the high-major level.

At the Canton (Ga.) Cherokee team camp, two sons of NBA players went at it. Glen Rice, Jr. and Shawn Kemp, Jr. squared off with their respective teams. Rice, a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Marietta (Ga.) Walton, came close to a triple-double. However, his individual effort fell short in the matchup against Kemp's Cherokee team.

Rice is an awkward player because he doesn't possess great speed, but he's a versatile player with a long wingspan. He has above-average athleticism and a knack for making the right play. Surprisingly, he's not a great shooter. He grabbed a huge offensive rebound over the outstretched arms of Kemp, an athletic 6-foot-9 sophomore, with six seconds to play in a tight game. Rice also rose up and dunked home a couple of baskets over Kemp, who is a good-looking shot-blocker.

On tap

Rivals.com will be on the road next week for the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp at the University of Virginia and the USA Youth Development Hoop Festival in Colorado.

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