Deacs should be able to withstand NBA losses

Third in a series of reports on ACC football and basketball recruiting.

Dino Gaudio and Sidney Lowe were busy recruiting in the spring, well after the end of a long and demanding ACC basketball season.

Gaudio needed only a guard to complete the work he and his Wake Forest staff started last November, when they landed two players in the NCAA's early signing period.

N.C. State's Lowe added three players, including a 7-foot Australian, to build his class to six, his biggest class in three years at his alma mater.

"I really think we're going to have a team that we can move some guys around," Lowe said. "I think that's going to be a luxury for us."

Here's a team by team look at the recruiting results for Wake Forest, N.C. State, Clemson, Maryland, Florida State and Boston College.

Wake Forest

When Chris Paul surprised the Wake Forest staff by leaving for the NBA after his sophomore season of 2004-05, the team plummeted from 13-3 in the ACC to 3-13. The recruiting class that season consisted of Harvey Hale, Kevin Swinton, David Weaver and Shamaine Dukes.

This time, the Deacons think that they're in much better position to weather the departure of sophomores James Johnson and Jeff Teague to the NBA, in large part because of the incoming class of Ari Stewart, C.J. Harris and Konner Tucker. All three have a chance to make significant impacts next season, even though analyst Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports in Lenoir ranked the class No. 8 in the ACC.

Stewart is 6-7 wing forward from Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., who chose Wake Forest over offers from Georgia Tech, Virginia, Xavier, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama-Birmingham, Kansas State and Oregon.

Fast with explosive leaping ability, he might team with sophomore Al-Farouq Aminu of the Atlanta area to give the Deacons two of the most athletic forwards in the ACC.

Although considered a combination guard at 6-2, Harris might end up at the point more than he first thought because of Teague's departure. On offense, he's a slasher with the determination and ability to get to the rim, but his fortes might be court savvy and defensive prowess. He's a take-charge kind of player who wants the ball with the game on the line.

Harris, who chose Wake Forest over offers from Clemson, Virginia Tech, UNC Charlotte, Davidson, Oklahoma, Tulane and UNC Wilmington, played at Winston-Salem's Mount Tabor High for Coach Andy Muse, the brother of former Wake Forest assistant Mike Muse.

The most intriguing member of the class could be Konner Tucker, the first junior-college player recruited by Wake Forest since Sean Allen in 1995. Although he was qualified for Division I basketball coming out of high school, Tucker attended Lon Morris Junior College to increase his chances of playing major-college basketball. After averaging 16.2 points and shooting 42.6 percent from 3-point range, he committed to Kentucky.

When Kentucky changed coaches, replacing Billy Gillispie with John Calipari, Tucker opened his recruiting and finally settled on Wake Forest. At 6-4, he could be the threat from the perimeter that the Deacons have been hunting.

N.C. State

Lowe and his coaches did their homework well in building the class. Gibbons ranked it No. 3 in the ACC, behind only those at North Carolina and Georgia Tech.

Many recruits now are unfamiliar with N.C. State's rich history -- 26 years have passed since the last NCAA Tournament championship -- but Lowe does not consider that a drawback in recruiting.

"We still have to try and educate them on it and make them aware," Lowe said. "They don't remember. They don't remember when I played. They certainly don't remember the best college basketball player ever (David Thompson)."

Once recruits learn of State's tradition, Lowe has a specific quality he looks for in players.

"I want players who are willing to make a name for themselves," he said. "There's an interesting dynamic now where players want to go where there's other All-American players so they can win the national championship. And a lot of times that still doesn't happen.

"When you find those kind of guys, you know you've got someone coming in for a reason. They're coming in to get something done. I think that we're going in that direction."

Lowe's fall additions, built on recruiting in Georgia, formed a strong block on which to build.

Lorenzo Brown, a 6-5 guard, was Georgia's Class 5-A player of the year and the Metro Atlanta player of the year after averaging 20.8 points last season at Roswell's Centennial High School. Recruiting analysts considered him capable of starting next season, but Brown has academic shortcomings and most likely will attend Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., for a year.

Richard Howell, a 6-7 forward from Marietta, Ga., helped his team win the Class 5-A state title with 20 points and eight rebounds in the championship game. He averaged 16.5 points for the season.

Scott Wood, a 6-6 swingman from Marion, Ind., averaged 24.8 points last season and is considered an accomplished outside shooter. He could help immediately next season.

Lowe's spring additions were Jordan Vandenberg, the center from Melbourne, Australia; DeShawn Painter, a 6-9, 220-pound forward from Norfolk, Va., and prep school; and Josh Davis, a 6-6 forward from Raleigh.

Lowe is hoping that the spring additions will strengthen the frontline and help offset the losses of big men Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner.

Vandenberg, a left-hander, spent his final high-school season at the Australian Institution of Sports, which selects the best 14 players in the country for its program. The program's graduates include Andrew Bogut, Luke Schenscher and Luc Longley, who were sound to outstanding college big men.

Painter signed with Florida in high school but was released from his letter-of-intent last April while attending Hargrave. He averaged 25.4 points and 8.3 rebounds as a senior at Athens Drive High.

Clemson

Coach Oliver Purnell worked meticulously to sign another promising all-around class that includes one of his top additions since becoming coach in 2004 -- Milton Jennings, a 6-9 forward from Summerville, S.C.

Jennings averaged 20.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in leading Pinewood Prep to a fourth consecutive S.C. Independent Schools Association state title. Gatorade named him the state player of the year for the second consecutive year and he was all-state for the fourth consecutive year.

"He's a tremendous player," Gibbons said. "I think he'll make an immediate impact."

Also in the class are: Devin Booker, a 6-8 forward from Whitmire, S.C., and the younger brother of Trevor Booker, a rising Clemson senior; Donte Hill, a 6-5 guard from Virginia Beach, Va.; and Noel Johnson, a 6-6 wing player from Fayetteville, Ga.

Johnson signed with Southern California but was released from his letter-of-intent at his request after Coach Tim Floyd resigned in June. Johnson averaged 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists as a senior.

Gibbons ranked the class No. 5 in the ACC.

Maryland

Maryland devoted its efforts to building the front line, where it needed size and muscle.

Coach Gary Williams signed two players who could help next season: Jordan Williams, a 6-10, 245-pound center and forward from Torrington, Conn., and James Padgett, a 6-7 forward from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Jordan Williams has the ability to become a productive big man. He averaged 35.7 points as a high-school senior and in one game, a 73-70 loss, finished with 50 points, 25 rebounds and 4 blocked four shots.

Padgett has shown that he can produce in a tough setting. He scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help Lincoln High win its fourth consecutive New York Public Schools Athletic League title.

"He's a tough kid who's strong on the boards," Gibbons said. "He's a typical Gary Williams player."

Williams recruited Lance Stephenson, a 6-8 forward from Brooklyn and one of Padgett's high-school teammates, but gave up after Stephenson went into June without making a decision. Gibbons ranked the class No. 9 in the ACC.

Florida State

Florida State filled its most pressing need in November when it signed Michael Snaer, a 6-5 guard from Moreno Valley, Calif. He will be asked to offset the loss of Toney Douglas, who led FSU to its first ACC Tournament championship game last season, and appears to have the talent to handle the job.

Snaer averaged 28.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.6 steals last season at Rancho Verde High. He was the Gatorade state player of the year and a McDonald's All-American.

Coach Leonard Hamilton also signed Terrance Shannon, a 6-8 forward from Forsyth, Ga. Shannon missed all of his senior season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in a knee in AAU play last summer. He averaged 21.4 points and 15.4 rebounds as a junior.

Shannon lifted weights while recovering, added 35 pounds and now weighs 225 pounds. He ran track in the spring and said that his knee was not a problem.

Boston College

Boston College lost one of the top players and most prolific scorers in school history, Tyrese Rice, but does not have a recruiting class.

Coach Al Skinner could not find the players he wanted and chose to keep the scholarships for his 2010 class. Boston College has 10 players returning -- Rice was the only senior -- and appears strong enough to withstand the lack of newcomers.

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com

■ Dan Collins can be reached at dcollins@wsjournal.com

■ Monday: North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia Tech and Virginia basketball.