ESPN Recruiting Nation Basketball

When No. 13 junior Theo Pinson announced his decision date, he also trimmed his list to five programs: Indiana, North Carolina, Duke, Georgetown and national champion Louisville.

Well, he elected to stay in North Carolina and join the Tar Heels, leaving the four other programs scrambling to secure a different elite wing. Let’s take a look at the possible course of action for the four bridesmaids in the Pinson pursuit.

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The ESPN 60's No. 13 overall player Theo Pinson (Greensboro, N.C./Wesleyan Christian Academy) committed on Wednesday to North Carolina over Indiana, Duke, Louisville and Georgetown. He gives the Tar Heels a five-star small forward who is the state's best player in the Class of 2014 and second nationally at his position.

At 6-foot-6 and 190 pounds, Pinson's length and explosiveness are what make him a special wing player. He is a terrific playmaker with the ball in his hands. Expect that to continue and go to an even higher level when he puts on that Tar Heels uniform.

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Marcus Bartley (Decatur, Ill./MacArthur) is a poised for a big summer with the Peoria Irish AAU team.

He’s already having a big spring both on and off the court with a number of high level performances – namely at the NY2LA Spring Extravaganza -- and nearly a dozen schools keeping tabs on him.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.-- The fifth annual Sunshine Showcase went down in Florida this past weekend, pitting travel teams from around the state in a three-game tourney under the direction of USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association). The event gave under-the-radar prospects an opportunity to display their talents and guys like Dante Buford and Pape Diatta sure took advantage of the extra exposure.

Here’s a look at a few of the many impressive performances at this event.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The All-Ohio Super 16 is one of the top spring events in the Midwest, attracting nearly 100 teams from across Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, West Virginia, Illinois and, of course, Ohio. The event featured a number of high-profile recruits, headlined by Ohio State-bound shooting guard Jae’Sean Tate.

Here’s a look at which Midwest ballers stood out at the event.

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Another week brought plenty more recruiting activity in the Northeast region. Here’s a rundown of some of the action:

• Phelps (Pa.) 2014 swingman and New York native Terry Larrier added Florida State and South Carolina to his collection of high-major offers. They join St. John’s, Minnesota, Providence, Penn State, Rutgers, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Memphis, USC, VCU and Florida, who have all offered in recent weeks.

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When it comes to point guard play, it’s easy to get excited about Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) and Emmanuel Mudiay (Arlington, Texas/Prime Prep), who are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 among Class of 2014 point guards, respectively.

Each impacts the outcome of a game by controlling the flow of his team’s offensive attack, putting points on the board and handing out assists. Each also possesses uncommon talent, leadership and competitive spirit, along with excellent knowledge of the position and the game at a young age.

Since they are so close in the rankings -- they are also No. 2 and No. 3 overall in the ESPN 60 -- let’s take an in-depth look at five important point guard qualities and compare how Jones and Mudiay are similar, different and who has the edge. Here’s the tale of the tape on Tyus Jones versus Emmanuel Mudiay.

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No. 1 recruit Andrew Wiggins’ decision to sign with Kansas dominated the headlines Tuesday. Amid the endless barrage of tweets and storylines, one of the recurring themes was the connection and quasi-comparisons to LeBron James in high school.

The reality is that those comparisons are not only unjustified, but they aren’t even fair. First, they burden an undeniably talented young man with potentially unrealistic expectations. Second, they have similar potential to minimize James’ greatness. And finally, they minimize the impact of several other tremendous prospects who have come up the ranks since James and prior to Wiggins.

The more legitimate question is how Wiggins compares to some of his more recent predecessors who held the No. 1 ranking and how those former top-ranked recruits panned out.

James came out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio) 10 years ago as part of the Class of 2003. It would be four more years -- a span that included guys named Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant -- before ESPN began officially ranking high school basketball prospects with the initial ESPN 100.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the nation’s No. 1 prospect in each class since the inception of the ESPN 100 in 2007, plus another player from each class who has outplayed his recruiting ranking since high school.

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Class of 2014 Makinde London (Thompson Station, Tenn./Summitt) was an under-the-radar prospect before a pair of very strong performances at this spring’s Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and the Wallace Prather Memorial opened some eyes.

Those efforts have helped him play his way onto a number of recruiting lists, and you can bet London will be a hot name with some high-level D-I squads and mid-major coaches during the upcoming July evaluation period.

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Class of 2014 point guard Chris Chiozza (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) has committed to the Florida Gators, and the style of play is not only a good fit but Chiozza will rapidly improve under the tutelage of another point guard -- Florida coach Billy Donovan.

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Prior to the spring, junior Chris Chiozza (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) was mentioned as a fringe Top 100 player. Following a series of standout performances, Chiozza’s stock soared. On Tuesday, he accepted an offer from the Florida Gators to follow the point guard lineage in Gainesville.

Ohio State and Memphis provided the most competition for the 2014 defensive guard with a passing bend. Chiozza averaged 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds as a junior.

Florida, which scouted Chiozza extensively in April, offered, and the guard didn’t mull it over too long before calling his recruitment off.

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CERRITOS, Calif. -- Ryan Silver, one of the bright up-and-comers in the club basketball scene, put on an impressive Pangos Spring Showcase event this past weekend that featured a bevy of Division 1 prospects.

Although it wasn't filled with high major targets, the event was still loaded with explosive talents like 6-foot-5 sophomore Jeremiah Headley (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) and multi-skilled players like Jeremy Hemsley (La Verne, Calif./Damien).

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ESPN 100 No. 1 senior Andrew Wiggins (Thornhill, Ontario/Huntington Prep) brought his recruitment to an end Tuesday afternoon, selecting Kansas over Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina to give coach Bill Self the biggest prize in this year’s recruiting class.

The impact Wiggins' commitment has on Kansas’ incoming class and the program itself is huge. The talented Jayhawks hold the No. 2 spot in the ESPN class rankings and are easily in the discussion as a Final Four contender, despite the fact they will be extremely young. Wiggins joins two other five-star performers in this class, with center Joel Embiid and small forward Wayne Selden; a pair of four-star guards in Conner Frankamp and shooting guard Brannen Greene; and three-star floor general Frank Mason.

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