No more Alabi

It is over. Solomon Alabi is off the board. The nation's top remaining center is now a committed man. The 7-foot-1, 230-pound center from Montverde (Fla.) Academy is headed to Florida State.

Alabi, the No. 24 ranked player in the class of 2007, visited all three of his suitors, FSU, Virginia and Arizona, and took less than a week to sort through the information he gathered while on his visits before committing. According to his high school coach Kevin Sutton, Alabi was looking for a comfort level.

"I felt the most comfortable there and they did a great job of recruiting him. All three schools did a great job of recruiting him," Sutton said. "He built a great relationship with the coaches at Florida State and knowing that he was going to spend the next four years of his life somewhere he wanted to feel the most comfortable and that is why he is going there."

The rapidly improving big man gives the Seminoles a nice 1-2 punch down low as Alabi will team up with Oak Hill forward Julian Vaughn. Also committed to Florida State is Georgia wing Jordan DeMercy. Sutton said he believes Alabi will continue to improve in Tallahassee.

"I think he will adapt very well at Florida State," Sutton said. "They've been down here every chance they could and they've been happy with the progress that he has made. I think their influence on him will be tremendous. With coach (Leonard) Hamilton's experience in the NBA and associate head coach Stan Jones's involvement with Solomon, I think he'll be very good."

Alabi brings a defensive minded presence to the frontline and a quick improving offensive attack. Sutton said Alabi will make an impact as a shot-blocker first.

"His defense is definitely ahead of his offense," Sutton said. "He'll do things that will help them and he'll continue to improve on offense…When they continue to work with him, he'll only improve their interior work."

And that is just what Florida State needed in the class of 2007.