http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/where-duke-unc-pack-stand-in-2011-recruiting

Quote :

"Duke and North Carolina don't have McDonald's All-America-caliber big men locked up, but do have commitments from some high-powered prospects. N.C. State has a commitment from a big guy in Joseph Uchebo who may be better than any post player the Blue Devils or Tar Heels get in the Class of 2011. With the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions concluded, here's a look at how the 2011 basketball recruiting class is shaping up for the three Triangle ACC schools: Duke: Michael Gbinije, a 6-foot-6 shooter from Richmond, gives the Blue Devils an excellent forward prospect who will reduce the impact of losing Kyle Singler after his senior season. The Blue Devils also have a commitment from 6-8 Brandon Adams of Brandon, Miss., who has a big body at 250 pounds but isn't a top-50 prospect because he's not a highly skilled scorer - yet. If Duke doesn't get Quincy Miller, a 6-8 power forward from Westchester Academy in High Point, it might not end up with a big-time post scorer in this class. Duke's most pressing issue at this point is to lock up 6-4 scoring guard Austin Rivers of Winter Park, Fla. He's rated as one of the top five players in the class, and the Blue Devils appear to be in excellent shape with him. North Carolina: The Tar Heels are in good shape at a couple positions. They have an excellent inside-outside forward prospect committed in 6-8 James McAdoo of Norfolk, Va. P.J. Hairston, a 6-5 wing from Greensboro, puts North Carolina in great shape at that position when you consider that Harrison Barnes (who may only stay one season) and Reggie Bullock are in the 2010 class. With Kendall Marshall coming in to play point guard in 2010, point guard isn't a big need in 2011. But the low post is, especially because Alabama transfer Justin Knox has just one year of eligibility remaining. Will the Tar Heels offer Cody Zeller or Marshall Plumlee? Is there another big target out there who hasn't materialized yet? Roy Williams always seems to find answers in recruiting, and it will be interesting to see what he comes up with. N.C. State: It's impossible to overstate the value of 6-9 Joseph Uchebo, the Oak Ridge Military big man who's reclassifying from 2012 into 2011 and has committed to N.C. State. At the Tournament of Champions, Uchebo demonstrated remarkable ball handling ability and a toughness that may make him one of the top big men in his class. Along with Richard Howell, he should make the Wolfpack strong up front in 2011-12 and 2012-13 even if C.J. Leslie does only stay one season. Uchebo is all N.C. State has committed at the moment in 2011, but the Wolfpack's needs aren't as great because its 2010 class (Leslie, Lorenzo Brown, Ryan Harrow) is so strong. Getting Jerome Seagers or Quinn Cook out of the Washington, D.C., area would improve N.C. State's depth at point guard. The Wolfpack also could use a scoring forward like Gbinije or McAdoo, but doesn't appear likely to get one of that caliber. Still, with Uchebo emerging as a high quality big man, N.C. State is in good shape at a key position. Read more: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/where-duke-unc-pack-stand-in-2011-recruiting#ixzz0pc7gSnmF"

6/1/2010 11:03:00 AM

So, I guess it's safe to assume that Uchebo will be moving up the rankings before too long? Everyone seems so impressed by him.

[Edited on June 1, 2010 at 12:16 PM. Reason : ]

6/1/2010 12:16:07 PM

good to see Uchebo getting some love. Mabye he'll be upgraded to 4 stars by the end of the summer.

6/1/2010 1:04:21 PM

Say what you will about Sid, but there are few coaches out there that can spot talent early as well as Sid can.

6/1/2010 1:18:40 PM

^yep, he has been unreal with his early evaluations, he can detect a star months or sometimes years before anyone else does.

I wonder if all this love for uchebo is going to be a bad thing. He is sure to get some offers from the big time schools (Kentucky, UNC, Duke, etc.) if he gets 4-5 stars. How committed to us his he?

6/1/2010 1:30:42 PM

^him reclassifying to 2011 definitely helps us in that regard, but as others have pointed out he is from Nigeria and his family lives in the area so it seems doubtful that he would de-commit anyways.

6/1/2010 1:52:09 PM

yeah I don't really get that vibe from Uchebo that he would de-commit.

A character such as Cothron seemed sketchy and a little uncomfortable from the start. And CJL had a front-row seat to the John Wall show and figured he could do the same.

6/1/2010 2:38:04 PM

I get the feeling we're in with Cook strictly because of Lowe. I think if UNC or Duke doesn't offer due to roster numbers then State would be right up at the top of his list, I just hope that Lowe can start State winning again to help out in all aspects of his job so that instead of being a school a recruit would go to a if a big college power didn't offer.

I highly doubt Uchebo would decommit as well. Guy has roots in one area in the entire USA and Raleigh is the best fit for him there. I also think part of his reclassifying was that he saw State would need another post player after Tracy Smith leaves so its a win/win situation.

6/1/2010 2:50:36 PM

There's ~0% chance that Uchebo goes to a school besides NC State

6/1/2010 3:17:29 PM

OH OKAY.

6/1/2010 3:29:14 PM

the only 5 star Center in the 2011 class is Rakeem Christmas @ #6.

the next best centers, according to scout, are:

25. Mikael Hopkins
26. Angelo Chol
31. Amir Williams
32. Marshal Plumlee

Quin Cook is listed as #20 and a 5*.

So if Uchebo is better than Plumlee @ #32 (according to the N&O writer and he saw both of them at the same tournament), then is he up there with Hopkins? could he get to 5* level with some hardwork this summer?

Whatever the answer, exciting times indeed to be a wolfpack fan. And he's not going to decommit.

6/1/2010 3:40:38 PM

Looks like McAdoo is enrolling early at carolina. I guess he and Knox replace their front-court woes from the Wears transferring and Davis going pro.

6/1/2010 3:53:24 PM

not a done deal yet, but looking that way according to various sources

6/1/2010 4:01:39 PM

alright, I didnt think uchebo would leave, I got the same "vibe" as you guys did from him based on his roots in the area, playing time, etc. But its always hard to tell when you have the likes of Calipari and ole Roy whispering in his ear once he starts to gain some notoriety

6/1/2010 4:03:50 PM

i bet they neglected to mention the McAdoo thing before Knox decided to sign with them

6/1/2010 4:07:59 PM

knox will be gone before mcadoo gets there

[Edited on June 1, 2010 at 4:24 PM. Reason : .]

6/1/2010 4:24:34 PM

6/1/2010 4:26:57 PM

looks like i didn't read aph's post

6/1/2010 4:57:56 PM

that's relatively frustrating. i really thought those two transferring would hurt them at least a little bit.

6/1/2010 4:59:10 PM

^exactly, for once in a long, long time it looked like the tide was finally turning with our 5th ranked recruiting class and UNC coming off an NIT appearance with a super thin froncourt due to transfers...but like 2 weeks later it's back to UNC being stacked with talent and virtually assured of being top 10 preseason.

6/1/2010 5:33:14 PM

I just hope that since he's coming in a year early he'll take longer to adjust. I could never imagine a world where a top State recruit could qualify early because we were weak at a position coming into a season. This is why I kind of hoped the Wear Twins would stay - they'd fill two spots that could be filled by players better than they were.

6/1/2010 5:37:32 PM

Jeez, this is ridiculous. The kid is only 17. Dawkins to Duke last year after Elliot Williams transferred and now McAshit to UNC. At least Uchebo transferred from Nigeria and was unfairly penalized because of his transcript. He really is supposed to graduate in 2011.

Pretty soon we're gonna see kids playing college bball that don't have their driver's license yet.

6/1/2010 11:58:06 PM

You realize that Dawkins had reclassified as a freshman when he transferred high schools right? He was 17 when he graduated.

6/2/2010 2:21:44 AM

Dawkins actually graduated on time even though it was "early"

6/2/2010 2:25:34 AM

so we couldn't get Zo in last year because he didnt qualify

but Duke and UNC can scramble and somehow get these kids enrolled a year early when they need help

i don't get it

6/2/2010 8:49:35 AM

there's not much to get. roy williams and coach k are better at this than sidney lowe.

6/2/2010 8:54:38 AM

Y'all act like Uchebo didn't just reclassify to graduate in 2011 to fill the void left by Tracy. Also, let me repeat this again so some of you can get it through your thick skulls: ANDRE DAWKINS WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR 4 YEARS.

6/2/2010 1:25:28 PM

im excited about uchebo and howell. apparently they both can dribble really well for their size and are pretty good scorers

6/2/2010 1:55:20 PM

Quote :

"Cook Making Cuts 2011 point guard prospect Quinn Cook will be one of the most highly sought-after prospects between now and next spring's signing period (if his recruitment ends up lasting that long). He appears to be in the process of narrowing things down, having said recently that he is dropping Maryland from his list of suitors. It's a tough break for the Terrapins, especially because Cook plays his high school ball in Maryland. But several other teams remain in the mix to sign Cook, including Duke, Georgetown, Kentucky, North Carolina, NC State, UCLA and Villanova. As we've written previously, Duke, Kentucky and UNC could all have a bit of a logjam at their guard positions in 2011-12, depending on how things shake out, so that could be something for Cook to consider. High school teammate and fellow member of the ESPNU Super 60 rankings, power forward Mikael Hopkins is also considering the Hoyas, which may or may not play a role in Cook's decision. He's certainly a player to keep an eye on going forward."

-- ESPN Rumors

6/3/2010 1:00:50 PM

In case you guys wanted to see videos of Cook, Seagears, Uchebo and Bishop, they're finally all up at PackInsider.com

Cook
http://packinsider.com/2010/06/video-quinn-cook-lives-up-to-the-hype-at-gibbons/

Seagears
http://packinsider.com/2010/06/jerome-seagears-looking-for-a-wolfpack-offer-highlightsinterview/

Uchebo
http://packinsider.com/2010/06/video-joseph-uchebo-owns-the-paint-at-gibbons/

Daniels
http://packinsider.com/2010/06/daniels-showing-improvement-highlights-and-video-interview/

We have a few more videos on the way (Rodney Purvis, Tyler Lewis, etc...), as well as an update with some new names that the staff is starting to evaluate.

[Edited on June 3, 2010 at 5:01 PM. Reason : ...]

6/3/2010 4:59:40 PM

Quote :

" It’s not like he’s giving up a fifth season of pre-college eligibility like Duke’s Andre Dawkins did last year or skipping the 11th grade like future N.C. State recruit Joseph Uchebo."

is this what he's doing? taking an extra math class over the summer so he can be a senior in high school this year? how's that different from what McAdoo is doing?

source: http://acc.blogs.starnewsonline.com/14337/is-unc-recruit-mcadoo-ready-to-take-the-wheel/

[Edited on June 4, 2010 at 5:46 PM. Reason : ...]

6/4/2010 5:45:40 PM

espn rankings of uchebo

Scouts Grade: 93
ESPN100 Rank: 75
Position Rank: 6 (this is shared with 4 other guys including plumlee)

6/4/2010 9:52:06 PM

^ I'd love to take some stock in that ESPN grade, but honestly they do shoddy work. They'd be better off looking at their Rivals and Scout pages and splitting the difference... and that's assuming that they don't already do that

^^ This kid is not "skipping" a year. He's taking a math class (I think) that he didn't have over the summer and getting back into the grade-level that's appropriate for his age.

http://packinsider.com/2010/05/wolfpack-commit-uchebo-reclassifies-to-2011/

Quote :

""When I come from Nigeria I was supposed to be in 11th grade. When I moved here my coach put me back in the 10th grade. When my school found out about my transcript, they want me to be in the 12th grade." said Uchebo.""

I believe the deal is that he came to the US from Nigeria when he was 16. He was old enough to be in 11th grade, but got placed in 10th due to not having the right courses completed. Now apparently they figured out that, with some summer school work, he could have a normal senior year course load and graduate in 2011.

Somebody fact check me, but I'm pretty sure this is the deal.

[Edited on June 5, 2010 at 3:13 AM. Reason : ^]

6/5/2010 3:11:26 AM

sounds right to me. Unless you got a copy of his transcript or talked to someone on the coaching staff, I don't know how else someone could verify this.

Regardless, I'm glad that he's getting into the right grade. I'll bet it was frustrating getting placed into the grade you just completed.

6/7/2010 9:59:17 AM

6/7/2010 12:18:11 PM

Nice work ... even though Sid's arms look hilarious on Zo

6/7/2010 12:56:47 PM

josh davis to tulane

6/7/2010 2:15:51 PM

In reality that pic should have Ryan's head on Sid's body and Lorenzo's head on Dereck's body seeing as how Sid was the PG and Dereck was the SG.

6/7/2010 2:24:47 PM

in reality, that pic wouldnt exist

6/7/2010 3:09:34 PM

and state would obviously be a 1 seed and wearing their white jerseys

6/7/2010 3:11:46 PM

and it wouldnt say "MIRACLE WORKERS"

it would say something like "PACK CLOSE OUT UNDEFEATED SEASON WITH NATIONAL TITLE"

6/7/2010 3:14:22 PM

it would say "HO HUM, BIG SURPRISE HERE"

6/7/2010 3:16:40 PM

in reality, they don't arrange themselves for that picture based on their position.

6/7/2010 3:21:11 PM

SEAN MAY SPECIAL REPORT: DESTRUCTION AND DEATH IN THE PIE-EATING CONTEST

6/7/2010 3:22:46 PM

in reality, sidney lowe's arms there would look even funnier on ryan

6/7/2010 3:23:11 PM

6/7/2010 3:52:35 PM

6/7/2010 4:05:20 PM

It would say: WAKE UP IDIOT

6/7/2010 4:45:48 PM

i don't get it

6/7/2010 7:02:04 PM

looks like Uchebo will be attending WOG next season

which means he'll be closer to campus and able to play some pick up with our guys

6/9/2010 5:57:44 PM