ESPN Men's Basketball Recruiting

A few years ago, the Big East underwent some reshuffling due to Boston College and Miami joining the ACC. As a result, some very powerful programs such as Louisville and DePaul decided to become Big East members, thus forming a super conference for basketball. The competition in the Big East has risen to levels never seen in conference play. In 2006, the conference sent an unprecedented eight teams to the NCAA Tournament.

The intensity of the recruiting battles between Big East teams mirrors the high level of intensity that Big East foes display on the court. The conference has served as the proving ground for a number of coveted, highly-regarded recruits to show their wares to a nationwide audience. The enhanced level of play has led to more television coverage, which helps to garner even more attention from elite high school prospects. Armed with great tradition, outstanding competition and in-depth national coverage, Big East coaches have the ammunition needed to get the attention of top-notch recruits and ultimately gain commitments from these choice prospects.

Here is a look at the 2008 recruiting classes for the first portion (listed alphabetically) of the Big East Conference.

Cincinnati, two commits
Cincinnati second-year coach Mick Cronin enters the 2007-08 campaign with six freshmen and five seniors on his roster, therefore he will depend heavily on his 2008 group of recruits. His class thus far consists of two ESPN 150 recruits, 6-9 PF Yancy Gates (Cincinnati, Ohio) and 5-11 PG Cashmere Wright (Savannah Ga.). Wright gives Cincinnati a quality option at the point, especially with the Bearcats slated to lose Jamual Warren to graduation in 2008.

Gates provides the Bearcats with an imposing interior presence. He has the ability to step away from the basket, though he has a tendency to take too many perimeter shots. He has a very developed body and good strength, which he uses to establish prime position in the paint for scoring and rebounding opportunities. Gates comes from the talent-rich state of Ohio, where Cronin has to recruit effectively to re-establish the dominance that Cincinnati enjoyed under former coach Bob Huggins.

Gates, along with 2007 recruits center Anthony McClain and power forward Kenny Belton, will form a daunting interior trio for Cincinnati. McClain possesses impressive shot-blocking ability and should pester the option with his length. Playing along side the physically bruising Belton and Gates will give Cronin the rugged inside presence that has come to personify the Big East.

Cronin also has a chance to end off his 2008 recruiting haul in impressive fashion by securing a commitment from other talented recruits, including top-20 prospect 6-4 SG Willie Warren (Fort Worth, Texas.). As Cronin looks a build a winner and his own legacy at Cincinnati, he will have to continue to lure talented recruits.

Connecticut, two commits
After experiencing growing pains with a young squad in 2006-07 and bringing only one freshman in for his 2007 class, coach Jim Calhoun has rebounded nicely in recruiting. He currently has two prospects in his 2008 recruiting class, with top-15 player 6-2 PG Kemba Walker (Bronx, N.Y.) leading the way, along with 6-7 SF Nate Miles (Lenoir, N.C.).

Walker has the offensive gifts that coaches covet in point guards, combining good quickness for dribble penetration and a consistent enough perimeter shot to keep defenses honest. Walker also defends very well, which Calhoun will love when Walker arrives in Storrs. Walker, along with Doug Wiggins and A.J. Price should provide excellent depth at the point guard position. All three guards have the speed and quickness to flourish in UConn's up-tempo-system. Walker will have plenty of options to choose from when looking for open teammates, including leading scorer, shooting guard Jerome Dyson, and Preseason All Big East selection, power forward Jeff Adrien.

Miles gives the Huskies a pure shooter with unlimited range. He should have plenty opportunities to stroke the ball from deep with the defense having to devote a great deal of attention to stopping Walker, Price and Wiggins from penetrating to the basket as well as having to contend with Adrien inside. Now Calhoun will turn his attention to luring one of the two highest-ranking uncommitted shooting guards in Tyreke Evans and Willie Warren. Bringing in Evans or Warren to go along with Walker will give Calhoun one of the top young backcourts in the country.

DePaul, two commits
DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright begins his third season at the helm and will look for his 2008 recruits to make valuable contributions early. The Blue Demons, as of right now, have two recruits, 6-1 PG Jeremiah Kelly (Aston, Pa.) and 6-9 PF Devin Hill (New Canaan, Conn.).

Kelly gives DePaul a smart, heady point guard that has the ability to distribute the ball effectively as well as lead a ball-club. Kelly has poise and the right mental disposition to play the point guard position. He will provide Wainwright with quality depth in the backcourt, which DePaul will need when current Blue Demon PG Will Walker graduates in 2008.

Hill, though a small forward, has a very good face-up game, with the needed athleticism and quickness that will help him step out o the perimeter. Hill also handles the ball well for a player of his height. He lacks the strength to grind on the interior, therefore he may have to remain on the perimeter to exploit smaller defenders. If Wainwright can gain some talented out-of-state recruits and keep making progress in the packed-with-talent Chicago area, he will re-establish DePaul on the national scene.

Georgetown, four commits
The Hoyas had a top-10 recruiting class in 2007 complete with three ESPN Top 150 recruits -- 6-3 combo guard Jason Clark (Arlington, Va.), 6-10 C Henry Sims (Baltimore, Md.) and 6-8 PF Chris Braswell (Chatham, Va.). However, this class transformed from good to great, potentially vaulting into the No. 1 spot, when coach John Thompson III received a verbal pledge from top-10 prospect 6-10 PF Greg Monroe (Gretna, La.).

Monroe became the fourth ESPN 150 recruit to join the Hoyas and has the ability to easily perform any task on the basketball court. He has great ball-handling skills for a player of his size and can connect on the jump shot consistently out to about 15 feet, though he can knock down the 3-point shot. The lefty can also score in the post, though he likes to operate in the mid-post to utilize his superior athleticism on bigger, slower defenders. Monroe also blocks shots very well and runs the court adeptly.

Sims and Braswell also block shots and rebound at a high rate. Monroe, along with Sims and Braswell, provide the Hoyas with a talented triumvirate of big men who can make an immediate impact, which JT3 will need with the 2008 departure of Preseason Big East Player of the Year C Roy Hibbert. Monroe has the ability to develop into the top prospect from the 2008 class as well as the best NBA player from this recruiting class.

Preseason All Big East pick PG Jonathan Wallace will also graduate in 2008, therefore the explosive Clark should make early contributions to Georgetown in 2008. Clark has the offensive skills to create his own offense, deftly scoring off the bounce. He also rebounds the ball well for a guard and plays intense pressure defense. With this talented crew coming to Georgetown, Thompson has the talent to lure even more highly coveted prospects to Washington, D.C., including Top 150 player Chris Singleton (Duluth, Ga.).

Louisville, five commits
Louisville coach Rick Pitino chose to respond aggressively when faced with the prospect of losing three seniors, including Juan Palacios and Preseason All Big East selection David Padgett in 2008, as well as possibly losing sophomore Derrick Caracter to NBA early entry. Pitino currently has five prospects for his 2008 recruiting haul, including top-five prospect 6-8 C Samardo Samuels (Newark, N.J.). ESPN 150 6-4 SG Melquan Bolding (Fitchburg, Ma.), 6-8 SF Jared Swopshire (Bradenton, Fla.), nomadic 6-10 PF Terrence Jennings, and 6-4 SG Kyle Kuric (Evansville, Ind.) round out the class.

All of the departing players for the Cardinals play on the frontline, meaning that the physical Samuels, Swopshire and Jennings will have to contribute immediately. Samuels will give Louisville an imposing inside figure who can score on offense and clog the middle on defense. Samuels wisely sticks to his strengths, relying on his strong frame and good post moves to score effectively with his back to the basket. He also rebounds very well and blocks shots at a high rate. He has a physically mature game with a mature body ready for big time college basketball.

Swopshire could combine with another Preseason All Big East pick, Terrence Williams, and 2007 recruit George Goode to form a skilled, high-scoring trio from the wing forward slot. The well-traveled Jennings could also step in to fill an interior void with his shot-blocking and rebounding skills. Bolding and Kuric will give the Cardinals great backcourt depth to pair with talented current Louisville guard Edgar Sosa.

This very strong class of 2008 prospects for Pitino could become the best class in the 2008 group if he finds a way to bring the No. 2 prospect and top undeclared prospect in the nation Tyreke Evans to Louisville. With Pitino having such a strong Northeastern presence on his roster and Evans' friendship with Samuels, Pitino, along with this impressive group of recruits, could have just enough juice to convince Evans to play for the Cardinals.

With his abundance of talent at his disposal, Pitino will have the enviable task of finding playing time for all of these young players. However, as he demonstrated at Kentucky with his deep rosters, Pitino loves to have depth on his team and his up-tempo, high-intensity style of play requires him to have a number of quality prospects ready to contribute, providing ample playing for a number of players.

Antonio Williams is a recruiting coordinator for Scouts Inc.