Starting Five: Adebayo on cusp
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The beginning of the early signing period is less than two weeks away and some of the biggest names on the board are getting closer to making a decision. Could five-star Bam Adebayo be one of those nearing his choice after a weekend visit? That and more in this week's Starting Five.
Adebayo visits NC State
Over the weekend, the nation's No. 7 ranked senior Bam Adebayo made what is likely going to be his last college visit. After previously visiting Auburn unofficially and Kentucky officially, the 6-foot-9 five-star big man from High Point (N.C.) Christian saw N.C. State.
For most of the past six months, State has been considered the behind-the-scenes team to beat and the early returns are that Adebayo had a strong official visit.
He was able to spend significant time with potential future head coach Mark Gottfried and the Pack also had his future point guard and summer teammate five-star Dennis Smith on hand to help out with making the pitch.
Adebayo told Jacey Zembal of The Wolfpacker.com that having Smith around helped, but he was also given a more clear vision of how he would be used in Raleigh and he was compared to a current NBA player.
"They practice hard and I liked their intensity and the way they play," Adebayo said. "They want to use me like a T.J. Warren possibly. I'm just more explosive than Warren. I can score around the basket, and then work on my perimeter game."
Adebayo has yet to set an announcement date, but right now it is looking strongly like he will make an early decision and N.C. State continues to look strong.
NC State Was A Sensational Experience 💉🔴⚪️ #WPN https://t.co/Z847Fmfcqf- Bam Adebayo✈️ (@Bloading0) November 1, 2015
Decision looms for Moore
Like Adebayo, four-star point guard Charlie Moore hasn't set a date for his decision just yet. But, it looks like an announcement could be coming soon from the 5-foot-11 point guard who ranks No. 57 overall in the class of 2016.
A scorer from Chicago (Ill.) Morgan Park, Moore was on campus at California over the weekend. After recent trips to VCU and Memphis, Moore looks to be in position to make his choice and his high school coach Nick Irvin indicated the decision might not be that far off.
Moore is a flashy and high scoring point guard who is one of 2016's premier ball-handlers. He hasn't named any leaders publicly, but the feel for this one is that it is starting to shift in the direction of Cuonzo Martin and the Golden Bears.
Kansas State lands power forward
Without much size left in the available pool, programs are searching high and low to find diamonds in the rough. Kansas State hopes that they have found one in 6-foot-8 post player James Love.
Currently ranked as a two-star prospect, the product of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage was an official visitor to Manhattan over the weekend and needed little time to announce that he has committed to the Wildcats.
A good athlete with a lean and wiry 205-pound frame to build on, Love is long-armed and his specialty is blocking shots as either a straight up man or help-side defender. He runs the floor well and he looks to have some scoring tools around the basket. Love is the second member of the Wildcats' 2016 class and joins four-star wing Xavier Sneed.
Blessed to say I have made my decision and committed to Kansas State University @KState_MBB #EMAW pic.twitter.com/zQAzi18wBX- SLIM (@kinglove_2016) November 1, 2015
Holiday ready early
Over the weekend, a handful of college teams hosted their first exhibition games. Sure, the competition may be against Division II or below teams, but it is live action. One performance that caught the eye of Rivals.com was the line put together by UCLA freshman Aaron Holiday.
Ranked No. 60 in the final 2015 Rivals150, Holiday is a guy that looked capable of making an instant impact because of his ferocious on-the-ball defense and ability to drive the basketball. However, just how ready he was to play the point and how much time he could take away from Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton was the question.
It is just one pre-season exhibition, but it looks like Holiday has forced his way into the starting lineup and that the Bruins will roll out a three-guard attack. During his debut, Holiday went for 18 points (6-14 FG, 0-3 3PT), seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. If he can provide even close to half of that production on a regular basis as the season goes on, the Bruins' ability to compete at the top of Pac-12 and make a potential run in the NCAA Tournament gets a huge boost.
Norvell coming off board
One four-star prospect who will make his choice is Zach Norvell. A 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Chicago (Ill.) Simeon -- and a summer teammate of the just mentioned Charlie Moore -- Norvell currently ranks No. 93 in the class of 2016 and will announce his decision Monday.
A well-built off guard who has worked hard to turn himself into a dangerous shooter along with a physical driver, Norvell is down to a final four of Florida State, Georgetown, Gonzaga and Iowa State.
On the day of his announcement, the general feel is that the Zags are the team to beat. The Seminoles have been rumored to be making some late noise in Norvell's recruitment so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him pick Florida State, but for now it looks like he will be headed West.
Should Norvell pick Gonzaga, he will join high end four-star big man Zach Collins and highly regarded Euro big man Killian Tillie as part of what is looking like another strong class for Mark Few and his staff.
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