LOI news

[user1]

Not a lot of news yet, but will start the thread anyway.

Here is the PJ Star article about the BU recruits.

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/041206/COL_B9GRUQN0.071.shtml

Another of the top recruits who had signed a LOI to go to Indiana is backing out and wants to go elsewhere, since they changed coaches.
Xavier Keeling

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1144833329276150.xml&coll=2

He is likely to follow Mike Davis to Alabama Birmingham.

Ramar Smith says he will sign a LOI to go to Tennessee
Last year he committed then backed out of his committment to UConn.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060412/SPORTS05/604120383/1133/SPORTS0203

Casey Crawford, widely recruited by Iowa, West Coast schools, and ACC schools, will sign a LOI for Wake Forest
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArti cle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137835315419&path=!sports&s=1 037645509200

New coach at Cincy, Mick Cronin expects to sign two
(Junior college transfers John Williamson and Marvin Gentry)
but will not get one who was very highly coveted.
Devan Downey will withdraw his committment and look elsewhere.

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060412/SPT0201/604120338/1035/SPT

[user1]

Still not much in confirmed reports of LOI's received.

Here's one of two recruits signing their LOI's early this morning at a D-II school.

http://smsumustangs.olinesports.com/basketball_m_news_details.php?news_id=993&sport=570

One UConn's top recruits who had verballed, is now saying he will likely go to a year of prep school and not sign his LOI right now.
Gavin Edwards, 6-foot-9 power forward from Gilbert, Ariz.
Edwards would like to know for sure that Josh Boone is gone before committing, and Boone has announced for the 2006 draft but not hired an agent.

Auburn is expecting point guard Dewayne Reed of Houston and junior college guard Archie Miaway to sign their LOI today.

Jamaal Smith of Indian Hills CC and Blake Young of Daytona Beach CC have both visited Creighton within the past week, and may verbal there, but Young is also being recruited by Kansas State.
Neither has signed their LOI yet.

[user1]

7'-3" center Jason Bennett might be the first whose LOI is reported.
he will sing with Kansas State and play for Bob Huggins.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/14326240.htm

Bennett had verbally comitted last fall to play for Bob Huggins at Cincinnati, but backed out when huggins was fired.

But wait 'til you see this---
Even though Huggins was run out of Cincy by the university president, they aren't beneath making the most of a great media opportunity.
Cincinnati wants to have Kansas State come in to play them next season, and then do home and home...
Huggins may be bringing in a couple of the top Cincy players who'll possibly be playing for K-State (OJ Mayo & teammate).

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060412/SPT0102/304120014/1065/SPT

[Da Coach]

Kansas State should sound good since they are recruiting singers!

[user1]

We are starting to see some official announcements of signed LOI's

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060412/NEWS/60412014

http://www.wmubroncos.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4600&ATCLID=267459

[user1]

Still not a lot of announcements on LOI's

Lawrence Westbrook signs LOI with Minnesota

http://www.wctrib.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8GUM3HG0

Jonnie West (Jerry West's son) signs LOI at (of course) West Virginia

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/colleges/14327225.htm

One other at Alabama

http://www.al.com/sportsflash/local/index.ssf?/base/sports-8/1144873170197660.xml&storylist=alabamasports

********************************
Some more LOI signings

Juco Mike White to Kelvin Sampson at Indiana
He had originally verballed to Oklahoma but for some reason changed his mind and went to Indiana.

http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=4762557&nav=0RYd

Ritchie McKay signs one:

http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/aplobos04-12-06.htm

A few others of little significance to midwesterners:
At Sacramento State:

http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/mbball/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=10038

At Arkansas-Little Rock:

http://www.ualrtrojans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=35722&SPID=2823&DB_OEM_ID=7400&ATCLID=267513

***********************

Here is one that surprises many.
One of the top prep school combo guards who played at Harmony Prep (and started at off guard ahead of Josh Tabb)
Signed with Virginia Tech.

http://www.hokiesports.com/mbasketball/recaps/20060412aaa.html

Hampton

http://www.hamptonu.edu/athletics/index.htm

Nevada

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4763231

ORU

http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/index.php?url_channel_id=2&url_publish_channel_id=4268&url_subchannel_id=&well_id=2

More--
Utah signs Luca Drca
Baylor signs Djibril Thiam
Auburn signs Matt Heram
St. Bonaventure signs College of Southern Idaho teammates Jermaine Calvin and Zarryon Feret

[Da Coach]

Here is one I mention because it is a little unusual.

Georgia Southern, not exactly a powerhouse in basketball, signed one of the top junior college power forwards in the country

http://jucojunction.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=533954 (this probably requires a password)

But here is the story- Marcus Hubbard, the #46 rated JuCo in the country spurned interest from bigger schools including Kansas State and Cincinnati to sign with Georgia Southern. Hubbard is from Kilgore College, in Kilgore Texas where Will Franklin went to school before Bradley.

http://jucojunction.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=41101

Top 100- http://jucojunction.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=1199

[user1]

Some relevant LOI signings:

Nice story about IVC's Ryan Thornton signing:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=415337

Illinois State signs Boo Richardson & Dom Johnson
That bring to 4 the total of signings for next fall at ISU. Will they sign a big man with the last one?

http://goredbirds.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/041206aab.html

East Tennessee State University- Blake Mishler from Metamora plus Shelbyville guard Dequan Twilley, and 6-foot-6 swingman
Mike Smith of Vandalia, Mo.

Penn State- Andrew Price

Charlotte-David Booker

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/041206abg.html

Richmond-David Gonzalvez
Old Dominion-Gerald Lee
VMI- Lucas Jones
Nevada- Tyrone Hanson
Lamar- Coy Custer


One last bit on LOI news---all Duke Lacrosse recruits have been released from their letters of intent. Duke may yet drop lacrosse for next year as the result of the controversy.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/lacrosse/ny-spdukerecruits0413,0,4943133.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines

[user1]

One of the nation's top guards, Ramar Smith, who renegged from UConn now has signed a LOI to Tennessee

http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4767226

This article says
"Smith has yet to qualify academically. He said he still needs to improve his ACT score and plans to take it again in the coming months."

http://www.dicksonherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060413/RSS020601/60413006

[tornado]

Now it is official at Iowa State, McDermott signs two.

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stories/042506aam.html