[Wahoo757Participant]

The two top uncommitted high school players, Shabazz Muhammad and Nerlens Noel, are going to make their college decisions tomorrow. Here’s my take on where they’re going.

Shabazz Muhammad-UCLA. There’s been a lot of talk with the Adidas-UCLA-Muhammad connection recently (cough cough money cough cough). Besides that rumor, UCLA is probably going to be the best team in the West without Muhammad, but if you add Shabazz in that mix with Kyle Anderson, Josh Smith, and the Wear twins, that could be a potential title team. Also, he and especially his dad, love Coach Ben Howland.

Nerlens Noel-Kentucky. Kentucky winning a national championship this year seems to have solidified Nerlens Noel going to UK. Also, seeing how Anthony Davis, whose game is very similar to Noel, have the kind of success he had, I think will push him to go to Kentucky. Lastly, having up-tempo style of play and letting Noel show off his athleticism will be a nice fit for him.

Where do you think these two players will sign tomorrow?

[Wahoo757Participant]

Edit: I though toady was the 10th, so they will be making their decision Wednesday, not tomorrow.

[OnionsParticipant]

I’m almost positive it will be UCLA or UK for Bazz and Noel to UK.

It’s all about the shoes with Bazz (I hate what recruiting has become) so if you hold a gun to my head, I think it’s UCLA. I hope Larry Drew ruins that team to the ground.

[meisi4Participant]

i think it´s gonna be UCLA for Muhammad and UK for Noel i guess…

the only other scenario i can think of would be both to UK. that would be quite a freshman class again for UK! 

[DurantsWingspan]

Heres my bold prediction…Shabazz and Noel to Kentucky along with Anthony Bennett.

[mrhancocParticipant]

DO THE SMART THING GUYS, GO TO KENTUCKY!

Shabazz, go with Kentucky, stay away from that circus they got out there in UCLA, just not a good look or atmosphere right now. I don’t really see him going to Duke, KU, USC or UNLV either…try Arizona lol

Nerlens, go with Kentucky, look at what Calipari did with Davis, sure you are not the same type of player as Davis but Syracuse is already bringing in Coleman and UCONN is banned from the tourny this year, and Georgetown IDK but I really don’t trust that situation either. If not Kentucky, then your best bet would be to talk with Roy at UNC

 

[phila9012Participant]

 Kentucky is the best place for players if they are a top 10 player in their class. Calipari is great with the freshmen and actually cares about developing them as teamates. Calipari is good for the NBA because he is good at dealing with immature freshmen and he helps them mature for the NBA.

[Ghost01Participant]

Kentucky is always the answer, right? Well, to be honest, i think UCLA may have a better team next year with Muhammad. Look at UK. You are going to have Ryan Harrow, who wasn’t exactly amazing in the ACC, The Bennett kid who I’m far from sold on, and Kyle Wiljer, who pretty much hits 3s and thats about it. How is this a title team? Or anywhere close? Even with Noel, and even if Noel is amazing, I think they are a second tear 8-15 ranked team. Don’t forget…last year was a good Calipari year, probably his best ever actually. Along with the Rose and Wall years, he’s had some stacked teams, but he’s also had some more closer to not totally obviously illegally recruited teams, like 09 Memphis or 11 Kentucky.

[uknationParticipant]

How will UCLA have the better team?

Larry drew isn’t better than Harrow. Harrow had a pretty good freshman year at 9ppg and 4ast. Now how much better do you think he will be after a year of practicing against the Champs while learning to score on Davis,jones,lamb,MKG and learning from Cal?

I’ll give you Kyle over Goodwin but not by a lot since Goodwin is the better scorer and defender

Wear twin is not as good as Alex P

I’ll take Kyle over the other Wear twin any day of the week
Smith is talented but overweight and can’t play a whole game or half a game, I take Noel

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

I think Noel will choose Georgetown. Here’s why:

– Syracuse simply makes very little sense. Not only does SU play a zone defense which will not necessarily prepare him for NBA competition as well, but the Orange return similarly long and defensively tenacious C/PF Rakeem Christmas and are welcoming DaJuan Coleman, #14 overall in ESPN’s final rankings. Both could easily start next year, and the Orange already have a deep frontcourt with James Southerland, Baye Keita and 4-star F Jerami Grant already preparing to come off the bench. The only reason that I think Noel might potentially be leaning strongly in one way towards Syracuse is basically a paradox: if they make so little sense on paper, is there some personal reason none of us could possibly pick up on that has SU among his final three?

– I don’t think Calipari’s track record for producing top 10 picks will mean much to Noel in the full scope of his future; if you are a big man as highly touted as Noel, that top 10 spot in the draft is yours alone to lose. In terms of pro perspective, Kentucky could potentially injure him more than help him. Sorry, but there is no possible way Noel looks better than Anthony Davis, who, like Noel, promised to be an incredible defender with mild polish on offense; he could be as good, but in all likelihood not better, and there is no way that recent Kentucky history will make Noel shine brighter than he could elsewhere.

– In all these ways in which Kentucky can’t really make Noel shine as bright as possible, I think Georgetown is the best fit.

Georgetown is Center U, but the legends that made it Center U all retired from the NBA years ago; In recent years, Roy Hibbert and Greg Monroe have revived that tradition just enough to suggest to Noel that Georgetown still has an aura of big man greatness while still allowing Noel room to improve on their current stature. Hibbert and Monroe both had successful careers at Georgetown but neither was ever "great," and both have gone on to very productive NBA careers, surpassing most all expectations. Hibbert came up short at the Final Four and Monroe’s teams were only solid NCAA Tournament entrants. Noel could not only look better than two blue chip centers to recently come out of Georgetown, but he could push them further than they’ve been since their glory years of the ’80s.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’m hoping Bazz goes to UCLA.  Hell, I’d try to go to as many games as possible.  If we can also get big-man Tony Parker, we can really make a run. 

[PabloFiascoParticipant]

Don’t forget about Duke being in the top 3 for Shabazz….Nerlens Noel I most asurdly hope and pray he ends up at Kentucky. Calipari will bring the best out of him

[cuseflynn10Participant]

Noel is likely choosing between Syracuse and Kentucky, and as a Syracuse fan, I think Kentucky has the lead, but you never know. I’ll address the reasons why you don’t think Noel would go to Cuse, just so you can be informed.

1. Zone Defense. Nerlens Noel played in both man and zone defenses in high school, and has stated he likes playing 2-3 zone.
2. Playing Time. Syracuse does return Christmas and Keita, and are also bringing in Coleman. Unless any of these guys improve drastically over the summer, Noel will likely be the best, and Boeheim plays whoever the best players are. Noel could definitely get 25 MPG at Syracuse, and even more if he proves he is head and shoulders above his teammates.
3. Paradox. I never heard of someone going to a school beacuse of paradox. All three programs have a lot to offer, and all have great history. Not to mention Noel already knows a bunch of Syracuse players, and it is closest to his home.

While I’m not saying I think he’s going to Syracuse, I do think there is good reason for him to. I just think it is likely between Syracuse and Kentucky, but Kentucky may be a better fit for him. We’ll have to wait and see.

[Wahoo757Participant]

Were you being serious about your reason number 3, paradox? I can’t tell if you were being facetious or if you don’t know what a paradox is.

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 Harrow will be cold next year

Shabazz needs to go to ku, to a coach that doesn’t just care about winning titles but cares about getting u to the nba. 

Ucla a title team really? Kyle Anderson is soft josh smith is fat and the wear brothers are extremely overrated

At Kentucky bazz is the number one pick. At ucla he risks becoming an oj mayo

Noel needs to play in an up tempo man to man d scheme. Watching him at hoop summit I was really impressed with his man up d and great hands. Go to Kentucky and win another title

[LawDeeZeeParticipant]

i read an interview with noel somewhere that he explained his interest in syracuse as they’ve been on him the longest and that has to count for something

 

… i was thinking shabbaz, noel, and bennet all too kentucky too, but if there’s an addidas tie at UCLA for shabbaz then he’s probably headed there.

[Bill Walton’s KneesParticipant]

 Bazz to UCLA and Noel to Cuse.

 

I feel like Bazz is the type of personality who doesn’t want to follow in other people’s footsteps, but rather bring back arguably the most storied college hoops school of all time.  Him and Anderson have expressed interest in playing with each other in college for quite some time, and all the pieces are in place (if Smith is on WeightWatchers) to compete for a National Title.

 

Noel to Cuse….just a gut feeling.

[Bill Walton’s KneesParticipant]

 At risk becoming an OJ Mayo?? You mean the same OJ Mayo who went number 3 overall after one year in school?? yeah….

[PrecociousNeophyteParticipant]

 Lets be serious here. Shabazz and Nerlens are both going to Kentucky and maybe an outside chance of Shabazz going to UCLA. Get out here with the Noel to Syracuse and Georgetown, thats just wishful thinking.

[SDEParticipant]

The best place for Bazz is Duke. Duke is a wing players dream and they will feature him also there he will play with players that will want to give him the ball and let him lead them to Final Four. With Bazz going there Parker might go there as well seeing that he will have some help at duke(also parker parents love duke.) UCLA is a mess they will go nowhere next year sorry to say it, Arizona will run the Pac-12 next year.

Noel is a toss up but the Cuse will win out as they should. If Waiters came back they would win the whole thing. Cuse just feel too good to pass up close to home,major program, playing time. Make no doubt he will play minutes next year and both parties understand that. Plus Carter-Williams his old friend is there is just make sense.

Kentucky is right there with both of them. The only problem is the other players there. Kyle W. will start now and will want to get his. The incoming class will also want to score points. And lets be clear Ryan Harrow will want to show what he’s got after sitting out a year and wanting to go to the NBA. Nobody understood how nobody was selfish with the ball they all share it, but this class is diffrent. Muhammad and Goodwin need the ball ,but so does Harrow. Doesn’t fit neither player. BBN will lose both players

 

[UNCbasketballbumParticipant]

Even with Bazz, Duke is nowhere near a final four team.  They are horrid definsivel and have no post players.  Bazz would have to have a Kevin Durant type of freshman year for Duke to even sniff a final four.  I agree that Bazz should probably go to Duke and not UCLA, but Adidas is a major player in his recruitment and Duke is Nike. 

[SDEParticipant]

Yea if Adidas show him the money all bets are off. But its a nike world these days and soon Bazz will see that too.

[scbe2223Participant]

 If you think Kyle Wiltjer would start over Shabazz you have never watched Kentucky basketball. Wiltjer is slower than paint drying. He’s a three point specialist. Nothing more. 

[mrhancocParticipant]

 YO! what if Calipari don’t get SHABAZZ, NERLENS OR BENNET!, would that mean he failed at recruiting this year? (I can only think that Calipari needs atleast 1or 2 of these players to be nearly as successful)

[DurantsWingspan]

Do you have any clue what the Kentucky team is going to look like next year? First off, Bennett has not chosen his college yet. Second off, you forgot to mention 2 possible top ten freshman next year in Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress. I don’t get how everyone fails to mention them 2 when talking about next years team. If you don’t know Kentucky even enough to know that, then don’t talk Kentucky.

[phila9012Participant]

 I didn’t say anything about the team because all that matters is that they will have a chance to win at Kentucky and be coached by a good coach. If they got those 2 guys plus Noel and shabazz, with wiltjer they will be great again

[DurantsWingspan]

People are too low on Poythress. This kid is a big time scorer and going to suprise some people next year.

[SpacegrassParticipant]

The only guy in the 2012 class that looks to be a legit one and done is Bazz.  Nerlens is long and athletic but , lacks any type of defensive discipline and honestly has a poor feel for the game.  Considering how good he is suppose to be and the fact that the USA team needed someone other than Bazz to assert themself , I don’t think Nerlens is anywhere near the same stratosphere as Davis was this past year.  Nerlens looks like he should of stayed in the 2013 class and let himself develop some actual feel for the game outside of trying to block every shot , 4pts and 4reb is not good enough for the so called best shot blocker of the last 10-12 years who is considered a top 3 pick next year.  I understand why he switched to 2012 so he could get that money and so Randle , Parker , and Harrison did not continue to show they are way better players than Nerlens.

If  I am Bazz I go to Dook mainly because UK already has Goodwin and Poythress and I don’t see him wanting to share time with those guys.  I think he should go to Dook because he will be the go to guy there and perimeter players do excell at Dook , thank god he isn’t a PF.  Yet I honestly have no idea where he will go , your guess is as good as mine.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

 As an Arizona fan I want bazz to go to UCLA, the conference needs a boost

[simonkildayParticipant]

The only reason Howland didn’t get fired after that scathing SI report is because they’ve been the front-runner for Shabazz Muhammad for as long as he’s been recruited.  If he goes somewhere else, it’s the beginning of the end for Ben Howland there.

[Tune SquadParticipant]

It probably won’t happen as Georgetown is less high profile these days than Syracuse, UCLA, Kentucky…HOWEVER….

Nerlens seems to march to the beat of his own drum and he might look at the Hoyas history and decide it’s the best place for him to develop as a big man, and with this I’ll agree, simply because I think if he wants his best shot to be a superstar on the next level, he goes where he will learn to develop the post game he’ll need to be a top big in the league. 

I think big names like Shabazz and Nerlens don’t need to worry about the team around them right away, as their presence on any team will certainly attract and influence other recruits (help).

 

[llperez]

im hoping ucla gets him. They add him and kyle anderson together to go with a lot of good returning talent and their back in the big picture

[uknationParticipant]

Can’t get a read on Bazz. I hear there is a secret commitment to UCLA plus his sister gets big money from Addidas even though she is ranked below 300 in tennis

I think we get Noel

Best team in the West without Bazz?
Isn’t Arizona in the west(returning good players plus adding 3 top 10 players

STanford in the west(returns just about every player from the N.I.T title winning team while adding two top 80 players)

Colorado(return very good players from the tournament team that went to the second round while adding two top 100 players)

Gonzaga

Yeah there is some comp in the west with all the teams I mention being ranked at some point during the season

[llperez]

im guessing the bruing startign 5 if they land bazz would be :

pg-kyle anderson

sg-tyler lamb

sf-shabazz

pf-david wear

c-travis wear

josh smith, larry drew, norman powell would be the bulk of the bench. Dont sleep on tyler lamb, that guy will be a double digit scorer for the team next year and brings a lot of athleticism and one on one abilities.

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

I really think Noel would be making a mistake by going to Cuse or Georgetown, bigs in the Big East typically have more of a learning curve than in other conferences such as the Big 10 or SEC. Guys like Andre Drummond, Fab Melo, and Greg Monroe struggled as freshman and I think Noel would as well in such a physical conference. Going to Kentucky he would be able to fit in that Anthony Davis kind of role, block shots, rebound and take high percentage looks at the basket.

Muhammed I think will wind up going to UCLA to team up with Anderson and maybe Tony Parker as well. I could see alot of interest in Kentucky but I think the appeal of the West Coast and the prospect of bringing back the Bruins to glory would be very enticing.

I also though it would be kind of interesting to share what some of the other prospects in the nation think about this.

via Jason Jordan at ESPN.com

Matt Jones
DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas), 2013, SG
Committed to: Duke
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. I played with him last weekend at a tournament and you should’ve seen him watching Louisville play against Kentucky. It was like he could envision himself there.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“Duke. He sees that he could come in and have the same impact that Austin Rivers did.”

Jabari Parker
Simeon (Chicago), 2013, SF
Undecided
Noel’s headed to …
“Boston College. [Laughs] Just kidding, Georgetown.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“UC Santa Barbara. [Laughs] Just kidding, UCLA.”

Mitch McGary
Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.), 2012, F
Signed to: Michigan
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. Great recruiting class coming in and they just won the national title so that’s got to appeal to him.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“Kentucky. Same reasons as Nerlens.”

Isaiah Lewis
Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.), 2013, SG
Undecided
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. He’s a one-and-done type and that’s where you go for that.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“UCLA. I think he and Kyle Anderson are gonna do work.”

Rasheed Sulaimon
Strake Jesuit (Houston), 2012, SG
Signed to: Duke
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. He’s the second coming of Anthony Davis. He’s tall with very long arms that he uses to impact the game on the defensive end and rebound.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“Duke. I really believe that Shabazz is gonna join me next year because he’s a competitor and wants to win. Coach K is the ultimate competitor and does great with guards like Shabazz. I believe we can do a lot of damage right away.”

Rodney Purvis
Upper Room Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.), 2012, SG
Signed to: N.C. State
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. That’s just my gut.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“Kentucky. That’s just my gut feeling on him too.”

L.J. Rose
Westbury Christian (Houston), 2012, PG
Signed to: Baylor
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. He’s gonna be compared to Anthony Davis and have that type of impact.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“Kentucky. They’re just coming off a national title run and Rupp Arena will definitely be rocking next year with him there.”

Chris Walker
Holmes County (Bonifay, Fla.), 2013, F
Undecided
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. He saw what Coach Cal did for Anthony Davis and he’ll feel like he can do the same for him. He’ll be one-and-done just like him.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“UCLA. It’s the perfect fit with it being close to home and then he’ll have a great guard like Kyle Anderson there with him.”

Kris Jenkins
Gonzaga College (Washington, D.C.), 2013, F
Undecided
Noel’s headed to …
“Georgetown. That’s where all the big men go to develop.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“Kentucky. He thinks Coach Cal can help him reach his goal of the NBA faster.”

Brannen Greene
Mary Persons (Monroe, Ga.), 2013, SG
Committed to: Kansas
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. He sees the impact that Anthony Davis had this year and probably wants to do the same.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“Kentucky. I think he wants to be one-and-done and he sees Kentucky as the perfect school for that.”

Wayne Selden
Tilton (N.H.), 2014, SG
Undecided
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. He’d fit right in and replace Anthony Davis.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“UCLA. I think he and Kyle Anderson would be a force in the Pac-12.”

Jahlil Okafor
Whitney Young (Chicago), 2014, F
Undecided
Noel’s headed to …
“Kentucky. He’ll replace Anthony Davis.”
Muhammad’s headed to …
“UCLA. He’ll team up with Kyle Anderson.”

[afree15Participant]

@ItsDwightHowards

“I really think Noel would be making a mistake by going to Cuse or Georgetown, bigs in the Big East typically have more of a learning curve than in other conferences such as the Big 10 or SEC. Guys like Andre Drummond, Fab Melo, and Greg Monroe struggled as freshman and I think Noel would as well in such a physical conference. Going to Kentucky he would be able to fit in that Anthony Davis kind of role, block shots, rebound and take high percentage looks at the basket”

So basically what you are saying is if he goes to the big east and struggles, he is gonna be a top 5 pick like Drummond or be a 7th or 8th overall pick like Monroe. Dont see that being all that bad. Playing in better competition in the physical big east is only going to make him better as a player. Georgetown seems like a logical choice because if you watched any of gtowns game you see that the Center basically runs the offense. Just look at Henry Sims this year, basically a nobody last year, then he starts playing great and he touched the ball 2-3 times on every possession.

[ItsVictorOladipoParticipant]

So basically what you are saying is if he goes to the big east and struggles, he is gonna be a top 5 pick like Drummond or be a 7th or 8th overall pick like Monroe. Dont see that being all that bad. Playing in better competition in the physical big east is only going to make him better as a player. Georgetown seems like a logical choice because if you watched any of gtowns game you see that the Center basically runs the offense. Just look at Henry Sims this year, basically a nobody last year, then he starts playing great and he touched the ball 2-3 times on every possession.

————————————————————————————————————-

 

I’m saying his stock will take a hit if he wants to be one and done. If he sticks around 2 or 3 years then yes I think he will benifit long term from playing in the Big East. However the fact that he reclassified makes me kinda think he wants to hit the NBA as soon as possible alhtough that might be inaccurate.

[Author]

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