UPDATE: Noel announced he will play at Kentucky next year
While the rest of the college basketball world waits for their recruits to come on to campus next fall for the Syracuse Basketball program they are still in the recruiting frenzy and it’s a “wait and see” until tomorrow night when the top recruit in the country for 2012, Nerlens Noel, will make his decision between SU, UK or G’Town live on ESPNU at about 7:30 p.m. EST. For the 6’10″/215 lbs center who re-classified from `13 to `12, and is the number one prospect of its class, this is a big couple of days, with today being his birthday and tomorrow telling the schools and their fans where he will end up. The young man has a blog on ESPN.com and I have to say several things caught my eye and made me think that Noel is going to be special not just on the court.
11 mins till my BIRTHDAY crazy excitedd !!!
— Nerlens Noel (@NerlensNoel3) April 10, 2012
Anyone who knows me knows my mom, Dorcina, has to sign off on any decision and that she will play a major part in any decision. So tonight is when I’ll talk to her about it all.
In a world that is full of handlers (or grabber ons) it is refreshing to see someone working closely with his mom/family on this process and having her being part of the decision. I compliment Noel for that! I hope that more and more of the future players think this way and do not let the so-called handlers make decisions for them based on friendships or shoe companies.
Any “recruiting guy” who says he has some news from a “source” is funny, too, because the source would have to be me or my mom and they’re not talking to her and I don’t talk to anyone. Like I always say, only believe what you read here.
This is also great to read from a player like this one. Finally someone who tells all that will listens that the sources are usually a lot of smoke and nothing more. I remember when I was that age and I would change my mind on something a lot less important than where to go to college, so I am sure that the top player in the class will probably be thinking it over and over and over again where he wants to go, and that means changing his mind, once, if not more. The reality could easily be that Noel has picked each of the schools over and over and then changed his mind, because he found something else to ponder over.
In the end this would be a great pick up for the Syracuse program, especially as it would take away a great talent from either a Big East foe in Georgetown or from one of the top programs in the nation in Kentucky. It would also put head coach Jim Boeheim’s squad right back in the talk of one of the teams that might win it all next season. For a program like SU, that is heading on out to the ACC, bringing in top recruits like this is definitely a nice way to enter the new conference. On the other hand, thanks to the great recruiting that coach Boeheim and his staff have done whether or not the young man comes to the Salt City isn’t going to change the fact that the Orange will be a top team when next year comes.
By tomorrow night at this time I will have a post telling where the top recruit for 2012 is going, gut feeling is that he ends up with the Hoyas, but just like the young man says there is no sources, so just like everyone else, I will be waiting for the announcement tomorrow night.