Decision Day is Finally Here; Nerlens Noel & Shabazz Muhammad

The country’s top two NCAA basketball recruits, (1) Nerlens Noel and (2) Shabazz Muhammad, are set to announce their collegiate destination for the 2013 season. Back in the middle of March, Noel and Muhammad both said they will publicly announce where they will play basketball next season. The day is finally here and the hype has been building up since the start of the recruiting season and you can watch them make their decisions on April 11, airing on ESPNU at 7:30.

Nerlens Noel

Nerlens Noel is ranked the #1 recruit on the ESPNU’s Top 100 High School player’s list.  There is a likely chance Noel will be the most dominant defensive presence at the college level in 2013. At 6’10 he is one of the most athletically gifted big men I have seen in a while. Scouts have said that he is the best big man out of the Boston area since Patrick Ewing, the sky is the limit for Noel. His combination of: strength, awareness, speed and most importantly, raw talent is sensational.

The downside of the top prospect’s play is his offensive capability. He is not very good at playing with his back to the basket and he cannot shoot the ball very well; most notably from the free throw line. Despite his lack of shooting ability, he has what most coaches want in a big man; the ability to run the floor. Not only can Noel run the floor and dunk over the defenders with ease, he is terrific on the offensive glass.

Noel has said this past weekend that he still has no idea on where he wants to go to school but he will still make his decision on Wednesday, April 11. The programs remaining on Noel’s list are Syracuse, Georgetown and Kentucky. Anthony Davis’ decision will have a huge impact on Noel because he wants to start right away and prepare himself for basketball at the professional level; no coach prepares players better than John Calipari in today’s game. Syracuse still has a fighting chance to land Noel because their center, Fab Melo just declared for the NBA draft which would make Noel an immediate starter.

Shabazz Muhammad

Shabazz Muhammad is the #2 recruit according to ESPNU and he as well will announce his commitment on April 11. Muhammad is a 6’6 small forward who can create his own shot and get to the rim at will. Being a lefty creates somewhat of an advantage because most defenders aren’t used to guarding them at the high school level, however, Muhammad doesn’t need an advantage in order to dominate.

Muhammad is as good on the defensive side as he is the offensive; he is a lock down defender and can keep up with the top recruits in the nation. The Las Vegas native played in the Nike Hoop Summit where he scored 35 points (most all-time in Summit Game) despite a loss.

Two things that he needs to work on are:  1, using his right hand and 2, becoming a more consistent three-point shooter. These are all “teachable” skills; Muhammad has all of the intangibles (size, speed and determination). He will make one program very happy, not only because he will become a leader instantaneously, but he will do what it takes to win. The schools remaining on his list are: UCLA, USC, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and UNLV.

What to Expect

It seems rather odd that both of these highly recruited prospects are waiting to announce their collegiate plans on the same day.  Although multiple sources have been adamant that Muhammad will end up at UCLA, I whole-heartedly feel Noel and Muhammad go to school together, which would mean attending the University of Kentucky. Both of these players want to win and also want to get to the NBA quickly; John Calipari can fill both of those desires. Kentucky just won the National Title (with mostly freshman) and show a strong chance to repeat with Noel and Muhammad in the starting lineup.

The Kentucky Wildcats Won, Now What?

Calipari showed the country that young teams can win.

New Orleans was rocking on the evening of Monday, April 2. The most anticipated basketball game took place on this night and it was for the National Title, featuring the (1) Kentucky Wildcats and the (2) Kansas Jayhawks. The freshman clan of Kentucky not only won, but they overcame all the criticism of: being young, immature and also took on the hype of being the nation’s #1 team throughout the majority of the season. After assembling the best “team” in the nation, with a 67-59 win over Kansas, Coach John Calipari proved that he is amongst the country’s top coaches and that he is not just an NBA lottery pick generator.

Darius Miller, the lone senior, cuts down the net.

The Wildcats roster contained six freshmen, 3 of which were in the starting rotation (Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague); the additional two starters were sophomores (Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb). Not only was this team incredibly young, they did not get nearly enough credit for what they have accomplished this season. Yes, they are the best team, but they did it with young players who were used to being superstars in high school and on their AAU squads. John Calipari did a tremendous job getting these All-Americans to play as a team and to put their peers before themselves, something the Miami Heat, an NBA team can’t do.

One of the more notable growths on this Wildcat team was the maturity of sophomore forward, Terrence Jones. In his first year at Kentucky all people talked about was how he is potentially a #1 NBA draft pick and how elite he can be at the next level. Jones had some issues with not playing smart, holding the ball too much, and trying to takeover the game by himself. He and Calipari have had heated discussions resulting in benchings. Jones did not enter the draft and he went on to play another year under coach Cal. Calipari did not let up this year either; whenever Jones made a “bad” decision or wasn’t hustling, he would be sent to the bench. Terrence Jones started to come around this season and after he spent time on the bench, he became a man on a mission, exploding for crazy stat lines. Although being under an immense amount of scrutiny and getting benched and removed from games, Terrence Jones matured and came back strong; Calipari showed that he can get the best play out of his players and Terrence Jones proved that he could be a star.

The Wildcats will enjoy this win for the night, but Coach Cal has already said he will be recruiting on Friday. Assuming Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, Terrence Jones, MKG and Doron Lamb announce whether they will be staying at Kentucky or heading to the draft. As of right now it seems as if Anthony Davis will be the #1 pick and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could be lottery picks. Point guard Marquis Teague has a chance to get drafted as a late first round pick due to scarcity of point guards in this year’s draft and Doron Lamb will also be a late first/early second round pick.

I believe Kentucky has something up their sleeve and they will contend once again for a National Title in 2013 even though they will be losing players. It is virtually a given that Anthony Davis will be declaring for the draft within the next three days. I find it very odd that the top two high school recruits are both waiting until April 11 to announce where they will be attending.  Center, Nerlens Noel (1 on ESPNU’s 100) and Small Forward, Shabazz Muhammad (2) could very well be on their way to Lexington. With the likely departures of Terrence Jones and Davis, Noel and Muhhamad would be starting right away, not to mention Calipari is one of the best recruiters throughout college sports. Noel has made it known that he just wants to get ready to play in the NBA and with Calipari’s history of producing lottery picks (Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and soon-to-be Anthony Davis) I see Noel going to play for Kentucky.

Whether all of the Wildcats stay for another year, or if Noel and Muhammad play for Kentucky, or if both happen, I feel very safe in saying the Kentucky Wildcats will repeat. They have all the components of a championship team. They recruit, they play as a team, they have a remarkable coach and they handle the hype extremely well. Although the players change, the caliber of play for Kentucky remains the same.

The Nation’s Top Recruit, Nerlens Noel… and a Handful of Question Marks

The nation’s top Center and ESPN’s #1 high school prospect, Nerlens Noel, has a lot in-store for his future. Before even graduating high school, he has had to overcome difficulties and has even got a taste of how dark the worlds of media and recruiting can become.

Noel comes from a storied background. Both of his parents, Yonel and Dorcina immigrated to the Boston area from Haiti in 1990. Noel is one of four children whom also have athletic backgrounds, but Nerlens is the sole basketball star. Jim and Rodman Noel both are football players at Boston College and North Carolina State respectively. Nerlens attended Everett High School (hometown) for his first two years then he transferred to Tilton Prep School (repeated Sophomore year due to broken plate in knee) thanks to Chris Driscoll; a former coach of Jim Noel and a figure who had persuaded other basketball players to transfer to Tilton, most recently Alex Oriakhi.

The Everett community was sad to see Noel leave but Tilton would turn him into an even better player than what he already is. Noel continued to elevate his level of play, making him the most sought out recruit in the country. This raw athlete stands at nearly 7 feet, 215 pounds and makes his presence known on defense.

Noel’s ceiling is through the roof but he needs to be careful. He is your typical 17 year-old, meaning, he will do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Noel has been offered scholarships from the likes of Syracuse, Georgetown and Kentucky as of right now,  he visited Louisville and Connecticut unofficially last summer.

Although he can play at any division one program, Noel has hurt himself since playing at Tilton. He still remains the top high school prospect but he hasn’t exactly improved on the basketball court. Noel is not solid with his back to the basket and he has been bringing the ball up the court like a point guard and ball-handling way too much. Yes, he has a tremendous skill set and is both speedy and great with the ball at his size, but he needs to work on a “big-man’s” skillset. With that being said, he is not good with his back to the basket, a poor free-throw shooter and is does not have a soft touch around the rim. Scouts have compared Noel to Shawn Kemp and Tyson Chandler but as of right now I see him as a more Hasheem Thabeet now and potentially being as good as Dikembe Mutumbo.

"I don’t really have specific playing style... I’m sure I’ll be able to adjust, as long as I fit in on the defensive end."- Nerlens Noel

Sunday, April 1, 2012, Noel stated via Twitter.com that he will make his decision on where he will play next year on April 11. Other than choosing a school, Noel needs to know who to trust in the recruiting and agency worlds says Pete Thamel of the New York Times in his article, “Everybody Wants a Piece of Nerlens Noel.”

There is a lot of upside with a player like Noel but there is also great doubt. With a player of this caliber, hype and demeanor he could potentially be a letdown. He could be another Lenny Cooke.
Noel could have it all, he has the swagger, signature high-top fade hair cut, size, athleticism and opportunities, or, he could have none of it. The road to the NBA can go whichever way, Nerlens Noel could stroll down either path. The best thing for Noel would be to go to a stable college program like a North Carolina or a Kansas.

With all negativity being put aside, if Noel stays on track, he could possibly be one of the great NBA centers of modern day. He has potential to have the biggest impact on the NCAA next year and he hasn’t even chosen a school yet. This man has the basketball world in his hands, time is on his side and time will tell all.