Ohio State #1 of Rivals.com 2010 national team recruiting rankings

[Sock]

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=980235

No. 1 class in 2010 gets even stronger

Jerry Meyer
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst
MORE: Class of 2010 Rivals150 | 2009 Team Rankings | Class of 2011 Rivals150

The rich only get richer.

Ohio State remained on top of the Rivals.com 2010 national team recruiting rankings and further entrenched itself into the No. 1 spot by recently adding Rivals150 prospects Aaron Craft and J.D. Weatherspoon.

Anchoring the Buckeyes' six-man class is Jared Sullinger, the country's premier big man and the No. 3 prospect overall.

Ohio State is joined by three other Big Ten schools - Illinois (No. 4), Michigan State (No. 9) and Purdue (No. 10) - in the national rankings.

The ACC, however, has the most teams in the ranking with six.

North Carolina leads the way at No. 3 with the guard tandem of Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall. North Carolina State isn't far behind at No. 5 with its impressive guard tandem of Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown, who is now in the 2010 class. Wake Forest and Maryland follow at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively. Virginia (No. 11) and Florida State (No. 15) also represent the ACC.

Typical ACC stalwart Duke is missing from the national rankings after five-star guard Andre Dawkins left the 2010 class and entered the 2009 class. Also dropping out of the national rankings is Tennessee, which suffered decommitments from elite guard Josh Selby and Craft.

The Atlantic 10 is represented by Dayton at No. 12, and Conference USA has Memphis at No. 14. The Pac-10 and the SEC, however, are without a school in the rankings.

2010 Team Rankings

1. Ohio State

2010 commits (National rank)
PF Jared Sullinger (3)
PF Deshaun Thomas (18)
SG Jordan Sibert (37)
PG Aaron Craft (104)
SG Lenzelle Smith Jr. (124)
PF J.D. Weatherspoon (137)

With far and away the best recruiting class in 2010, Ohio State is in familiar territory at the top of the recruiting rankings. Thad Matta has plucked some of the top prospects in his region, creating a formidable six-man class. Sullinger is the premier post player in 2010, while Thomas - a fellow five-star player - is one of the top scoring forwards in the country. Sibert and Craft have a strong chemistry as backcourt teammates on the All Ohio Red
travel squad. Smith is a unique player with a feel for passing the ball, and Weatherspoon is a tremendous athlete
with a lot of potential.


2. Syracuse

2010 commits (National rank)
C Fabricio de Melo (16)
SG Dion Waiters (29)
PF C.J. Fair (111)
C Baye Moussa Kieta (145)

There is a distinct international flavor to Syracuse's strong four-man class. The jewel of the class is de Melo,
a highly skilled 7-footer from Brazil. Not far behind him talent wise is Waiters, a physical combo guard. Fair is
a versatile forward. Rounding out the class is Moussa Kieta, who is a shot-blocking specialist from Sudan.

3. North Carolina

2010 commits (National rank)
SG Reggie Bullock (10)
PG Kendall Marshall (32)

Following up on his top-ranked 2009 class, coach Roy Williams is off to a great start with his 2010 class. A
North Carolina native, Bullock is a five-star shooting guard with size, a pure shooting stroke and a load of
upside. Marshall is a polished point guard who has a natural feel for the position and has been playing like a college-ready player for the past couple of years.

4. Illinois

2010 commits (National rank)
SF Jereme Richmond (36)
C Meyers Leonard (39)
SG Crandall Head (81)

Bruce Weber mined his home state for three highly regarded four-star prospects. Big things are expected from Richmond, who has been committed to the program since his freshman year. At nearly 7 feet tall, Leonard is
athletic and is progressively improving his skill game. Illinois hopes he develops into a dominant big man before
the end of his career. Head, an athletic shooting guard who is the younger brother of former Illini star Luther
Head, rounds out the class.

5. North Carolina State

2010 commits (National rank)
PG Ryan Harrow (24)
PG Lorenzo Brown (No. 37 in 2009)

The 2009 recruiting class' loss is the 2010 recruiting class' gain for North Carolina State. Brown, a highly ranked four-star combo guard, didn't make the cut academically and now joins the 2010 class. He is paired up with
Harrow, who is a five-star point guard and one of the most dynamic scorers in the class despite his small frame.

6. Wake Forest

2010 commits (National rank)
SF Travis McKie (50)
SG J.T. Terrell (78)
PF Melvin Tabb (85)
PG Tony Chenault

Wake Forest continues its high-level recruiting on a national scale with a strong four-man class that includes
a trio of four-star prospects. McKie and Tabb are versatile combo forwards. Terrell is a smooth-shooting wing
who is capable of scoring buckets in bunches. Chenault is a tough Philly guard who loves to attack the rim.

7. Maryland

2010 commits (National rank)
SG Terrence Ross (43)
SF Mychal Parker (53)
PG Terrell Stoglin (122)

Maryland is experiencing a recruiting resurgence with its 2010 class. Gary Williams locked up a couple of
regional four-star prospects in Ross and Parker. Ross is an athletic wing who can shoot with range. Parker is
a skilled and versatile combo forward. Williams looked west to land Stoglin, a Rivals150 scoring guard out of
Arizona.

8. Texas

2010 commits (National rank)
PF Tristan Thompson (17)
SG Daniel Bejarano (57)

The Longhorns are at it again. After landing two five-star prospects in 2009, coach Rick Barnes and his staff
have started strongly in 2010 with another double dose of top talent. Thompson, a 6-8 forward from national powerhouse Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev., continues the line of long and talented forwards to pick the
Longhorns. Bejarano, a 6-5 guard from Arizona, is a top perimeter scorer with a dose of athleticism as well.


9. Michigan State

2010 commits (National rank)
PG Keith Appling (34)
SF Russell Byrd (108)
PF Alex Gauna (149)

One of the top scoring guards in the country, Appling headlines Michigan State's top-10 class. Whereas Appling
loves to attack off the dribble, Byrd is a standout catch-and-shoot wing with size. Rounding out the three-man
class is Gauna, a big man with upside.


10. Purdue

2010 commits (National rank)
PG Terone Johnson (46)
SG Anthony Johnson (100)
C Travis Carroll
PF Donnie Hale

A couple of four-star combo guards by the name of Johnson lead Purdue's 2010 class. Terone Johnson is
powerfully built and is a big-time scorer who can also distribute the ball. Anthony Johnson, who has battled
injury, specializes in knocking down tough shots. On the front line, Purdue adds two blue-collar big men in
Carroll and Hale.


11. Virginia

2010 commits (National rank)
SG K.T. Harrell (35)
SG Joe Harris (114)
PF Will Regan (143)

First-year coach Tony Bennett is off to a strong recruiting start at Virginia. Harrell, his first and most-prized
recruit, is the total package at shooting guard. He also has a competitive streak. Harris is a versatile swingman
who can stroke it from outside. Regan is a big man who can grind it out down low and step out and knock down
a jumper.

12. Dayton

2010 commits (National rank)
PG Juwan Staten (44)
SG Brandon Spearman (116)
SG Jesse Berry
SF Ralph Hill

Dayton represents the Atlantic 10 in the 2010 team rankings with an impressive four-man class. Staten is a
top-50 prospect who is a proven winner at point guard. Spearman, who is ranked in the Rivals150, is a lockdown defender and a versatile offensive player. Berry is known for his scoring prowess. Hill, a developing big man,
rounds out the class.


13. Baylor

2010 commits (National rank)
PF Perry Jones (6)
SG Bakari Turner

Baylor enters the top 15 in the 2010 team rankings behind the enormously talented Jones. An exceptional athlete
at 6-10, Jones has the talent to lift a program his freshman year. Turner is an athletic wing scorer.


14. Memphis

2010 commits (National rank)
SG Will Barton (11)
PG Antonio Barton

First-year coach Josh Pastner secured a significant commitment when elite shooting guard Will Barton turned
down a number of other programs to play for the Tigers. Joining Barton in Memphis will be his brother Antonio,
a solid three-star point guard prospect.


15. Florida State

2010 commits (National rank)
PF Okaro White (59)
PG Ian Miller (70)
PF Bernard James

Leonard Hamilton has two solid four-star prospects committed to his program. Miller is an excellent floor general
who hit the winning 3-pointer to down John Wall's team in the state championship game. White is an intriguing
combo forward with length and a developing skill game. James, a 6-9 forward from Tallahassee Community
College, rounds out the current class.

 

[AMC]

Can't wait for the season, it's nice to have good Basketball teams in the state of Ohio.

 

[Casualties14]

Well ya gotta wait another year. This year should be decent as well though with Turner, Buford, and Lauderdale returning.

 

[di0p]

Sounds like another Final Four run is coming in the future. But we need a name for the 6 of them.

Thad's 6 pack?

Nevermind that suggestion, somebody with creativity help me out.

 

[tedginnjr]

If Turner and Buford somehow came back for 2010, we'd have a pretty unbelievable team.

 

[Soda]

Its nice to see this. Ohio State needs to maintain supremacy in a premier sport while the Big Ten's football reputation reaffirms itself.

 

[Chardon]

4 Big Ten teams ranked in the top 15
2 Teams from Ohio ranked in top 15.
Nice.

 

[Erbium]

What we need to hope for is the new NBA CBA to up the age limit to 21 in 2010. Should help Thad hold on to some of these kids, allowing OSU to start to build a premier basketball program in the nation.

 

[elcheato]

What we need to hope for is the new NBA CBA to up the age limit to 21 in 2010. Should help Thad hold on to some of these kids, allowing OSU to start to build a premier basketball program in the nation.

Well, part of the reason he can get these kids is he will take 1 and done players. He certainly doesn't want them to leave after 1 year, but he will do it for the top players to have a competitive team.

 

[the_chief]

What we need to hope for is the new NBA CBA to up the age limit to 21 in 2010. Should help Thad hold on to some of these kids, allowing OSU to start to build a premier basketball program in the nation.

Other schools will be able to keep their players too so in reality it won't amount to more wins, just overall better quality of play.