Hereâs the latest recruiting article from Thad âthe Mummyâ Mumau. Thadâs column runs over at www.smartnewsnc.com , and he graciously allows us to reprint it here. Thanks Thad!
One of the givens of college basketball recruiting is that established powers such as Duke and North Carolina are going to get their share of talent.
It was only last week that I received an e-mail from a Blue Devil fan who was concerned that his team did not have a single name in the commitment ledger. My response was that, when all was said and done, Duke would have a fine class.
A couple of days later, the Blue Devils received their first commitment from the 2008 class when Poland native Olek Czyz announced his decision. He chose Duke over Louisville.
Czyz, a 6-foot-7 1/2, 235-pound power forward, had been leaning toward the Cardinals after an unofficial visit to Louisville during the summer. But an in-home visit with Mike Krzyzewski changed his mind.
He made his official trip to Duke on Sept. 15-16 and officially visited Louisville the next weekend. Florida, his third finalist, was eliminated in August.
Czyz is a tremendous leaper who could eventually play on the wing. His skills are a bit rough now, but his work ethic and willingness to play defense project a nice future with the Blue Devils.
Ranked No. 66 among the countryâs high school seniors by prepstars.com, he averaged 18.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a junior at Reno (Nev.) High.
Duke is one of five favorites designated by the nationâs No. 1 prospect. Greg Monroe, a 6-10 power forward from Harvey (La.) Cox, is also considering LSU, Texas, Georgetown and Connecticut. He scratched Kansas, Southern Cal and Baylor from a list he had formulated in early September.
Monroe will visit LSU this coming weekend and will be at Georgetown the following weekend. Those are his only scheduled trips at this point. After saying he would not sign until the spring, he now could put his autograph on a letter of intent during the early (Nov. 14-21) signing period.
A two-time all-state selection, Monroe averaged 19.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists last season for 31-4 Cox.
Virginia gets one
Virginia also has landed its first product of the class of 2008.
Sylven Landesberg, a 6-6 wing guard from Flushing (N.Y.) Holy Cross, picked the Cavaliers over Georgia Tech and St. Johnâs. He had scholarship offers from Texas, Florida and Rutgers as well.
Landesberg, who possesses an outstanding shooting touch, threw in 27 points per contest as a junior to go with 12 boards and four assists.
St. Johnâs reportedly used a pitch from its former coach, Hall of Famer Lou Carnesseca. But Landesberg, who is ranked No. 32, had already been wowed during his early September visit to Charlottesville.
Virginia is battling Duke, Tennessee and Memphis for No. 16 Elliot Williams, a 6-4 wing guard from Collierville (Tenn.) St. Georgeâs. Assane Sene, a 7-footer from South Kent (Conn.) High, was in Charlottesville over the weekend. His final three also include Syracuse and UConn.
John Brandenberg, a 6-10 center from St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet Jesuit, has narrowed his field to Virginia and Stanford. Lance Goulbourne, a 6-6 power forward from Princeton (N.J.) Hun, was at Vanderbilt this past weekend after being at UVa. and Marquette the previous two weeks. He also has offers from Notre Dame, West Virginia and Rutgers.
Tyshawn Taylor, a 6-3 point guard from Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthonyâs, visited Virginia Tech over the weekend. He has October trips planned to Marquette, Georgia Tech and Virginia, in that order. Kansas, Cincinnati, West Virginia, St. Johnâs and Missouri have also offered.
ACC has 13 top 100s
Victor Davila is Virginia Techâs first 2008 commitment. The 6-8 power forward from Boonville Starmount chose the Hokies over Clemson, Wake Forest, UNC Charlotte and Iowa State.
Ranked No. 89, he averaged 20.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 as Starmount won the North Carolina 2-A championship last season.
Virginia Tech previously had a pledge from Shamarr Bowden, but the 5-3 wing guard from Charlottesville (Va.) Miller backed out of that decision in July and then committed to UNC Charlotte.
Atlantic Coast Conference schools have 19 commitments, 13 coming from top-100 prospects.
Thad Mumau may be reached at thadmumau@smartnewsnc.com.