Lawhorn decommits from Fordham

The recruitment of Danny Lawhorn has been a roller-coaster ride that including reclassifications, Facebook commitments, one decommitment, coaching changes and now, another decommitment.

“Not going to Fordham,” Lawhorn said in a text message Wednesday evening.

The 5-10 point guard from South Kent Prep (Conn.) committed to the Rams in March, choosing them over Georgia Southern, Houston, Baylor, Montana State and Connecticut.

Prior to that, there were reports that Lawhorn had announced his commitment to Connecticut via Facebook and Twitter. Those were later proven to be false.

Even before, Lawhorn had committed to Boston College before decommitting from the Eagles and opening up the possibility that he would reclassify to 2011. Instead, he is back in 2010 – and looking for a college again.

Lawhorn’s main recruiter at Fordham was interim head coach Jared Grasso, and he said that Grasso was the primary reason for committing to the Rams. When former Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora took over the job, Lawhorn cooled on Fordham.

“I didn’t really speak to [Pecora] and Grasso wasn’t there; that’s who I gave my trust to,” Lawhorn said.

He said he is unsure of which schools he will look at next.

Leslie commits to N.C. State -- again

There is just one five-star player left to make his college decision now, as C.J. Leslie took his name off the board on Wednesday.

The 6-8 forward from Word of God Christian Academy (N.C.) committed to North Carolina State, choosing the Wolfpack over Kentucky and Connecticut, the latter of which he visited this past weekend. The story was first reported by Dave Telep of Scout.com.

“It was a good school. Is that enough? Nah, I’m kidding,” Leslie joked.

“It’s a great school, they have a great coach, and I think we can do some things next season,” Leslie told me shortly after his commitment.

Leslie had originally committed to North Carolina State in June of 2007 but reopened his recruitment last March. He had finalized his list recently, and admitted he enjoyed his visit to Connecticut.

However, that was not enough to dissuade him from heading to the ACC.

“I think I can make a major impact next season,” Leslie said. “Coach [Sidney Lowe] was excited when I told him.”

Leslie was one of the final players left to make a decision, as 6-8 forward Terrence Jones is the lone five-star prospect yet to announce his destination.

“I’m very relieved,” Leslie said. “I can now focus on basketball and getting better over the summer.” 

Sterling Gibbs to Maryland

The 2011 commitments continue to fly off the board, as junior Sterling Gibbs, a 6-1 guard from Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) made his commitment to Maryland Monday night.

“I just committed about five minutes ago,” he said by phone.

His relationship and familiarity with the coaching staff and players was the deciding factor in his decision.

“I just felt at home, that was my second family the whole time,” Gibbs said. “I knew that if I went there, I wouldn’t regret my decision at all.

“I was comfortable with Gary Williams. I know just about the whole team, I know a lot of the guys coming in.”

Gibbs chose the Terrapins over Seton Hall, Rutgers, Indiana, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Florida, Virginia and St. John’s.

He visited the College Park campus before the season started, and was impressed by the entire trip.

“I really liked coach Williams’ personality,” Gibbs said. “He’s a fiery coach, and he gets the most out of his players. He’s fun to be around.”

It was more than just basketball that attracted Gibbs to Maryland, though.

“The whole campus was really nice,” he said. “I love the school overall. The campus, the academics, it’s not too far from home. And the academic advisors seem like they’re really on top of work, so I can graduate on time.”

Gibbs said that coach Williams was very excited when he notified him about the commitment. He said that Williams is looking forward to the potential of more metro-area players coming to Maryland.

Gibbs is confident that he will be able to come in and immediately get on the floor for the Terrapins.

“If I work hard, I’ll be able to come in and get a lot of playing time as a freshman,” he said. “I think I can make a very big impact. I’m a pure point guard, and I can score when needed. I just want to win, and I’m going to try to have fun. In the ACC, you have to bring it every night, and I love that. I’m a competitive guy.”

Gibbs is the younger brother of Pittsburgh star guard Ashton Gibbs, and the two siblings will likely have many an argument about which conference is better: the ACC or Big East.

Despite Ashton’s ties to the Panthers, Sterling said that his older brother helped him out throughout the entire recruitment.

“He was on the phone with coach [Chuck] Driesell and coach Williams trying to set everything up,” Gibbs said. “He felt like it was the right decision.”

Although Driesell did accept the head coaching job at The Citadel earlier today, Gibbs is still happy with his decision to commit to the Terrapins.

“I knew that this was definitely where I wanted to be,” he said. “At the end of the day, coach Williams is the one making the subs.”

Gibbs is now looking forward to his final AAU circuit and his senior season, where he can finally focus on basketball and not worry about his recruitment.

“I feel like there is a boulder off my chest,” he said. “I’m able to focus on getting better. I don’t have to worry about what coaches are thinking about me, because I know I’m going to Maryland.”

Full-Court Press, April 26

There is plenty of news from the past couple of days to catch up on, so let’s get started.

Pullen returns to Kansas State

Kansas State junior guard Jacob Pullen has decided to return to the Wildcats for his senior season, according to a release from the school.

Pullen averaged 19.3 points last season, garnering first team All-Big 12 honors and All-American consideration by multiple outlets.

With Pullen’s return, Kansas State could enter the season ranked in the top 10.

Temple’s Allen will test waters

Temple junior forward Lavoy Allen announced on Friday that he would be entering the NBA Draft. However, Allen will not hire an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Owls for his senior campaign.

“Lavoy informed me of his intentions to declare for this year’s NBA draft, and we will support him as we gather additional information through evaluations,” Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said in a release.

Allen averaged 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds last season, picking up first team All-Atlantic 10 honors.

Northern Arizona’s Jones enters draft

Northern Arizona junior guard Cameron Jones has entered his name into the NBA Draft pool, he announced in a release on Friday.

“My goal is to get my name out and see if any teams are interested,” Jones said. “It is mostly setting me up for life after my senior year of college basketball. Putting my name in will get my name out there and the scouts will be looking for me next year. I want to help my opportunity after college and my senior season.”

Jones averaged 19.3 points and 4.6 rebounds last season, gaining a spot on the All-Big Sky first team.

Nicholls State’s Bole tests waters

As first reported by DraftExpress via Twitter, Nicholls State junior swingman Anatoly Bose will enter the NBA Draft.

In an email to DraftExpress, Bose said he will “test the NBA draft waters and will not hire an agent.” The 6-6 Bose can return to the Colonels for his senior campaign if he maintains his amateur status.

Bose averaged 21.1 points and 6.0 rebounds last season.

Paul George signs with agent

Fresno State forward Paul George has officially ended his college career, as the 6-8 sophomore has hired an agent.

"He's a projected first round pick," Cleveland said, according to the Fresno Bee. "Based upon his family and Paul's projections I'm not surprised at all. There seems to be a lot of talk about [an NBA] lockout next year. I'm not saying that had an impact, but there's a lot of guys going out right now ... Paul and his family would not make this decision unless they were confident."

George, who averaged 16.8 point and 7.2 rebounds last season, signed with Aaron Mintz of Priority Sports and Entertainment.

Warren, Sidney return to school

As first reported by Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com via Twitter, Mississippi guard Chris Warren and Mississippi State forward Renardo Sidney will forgo the NBA Draft and return to school next season.

Warren, a 5-10 junior, averaged 17.2 points and 3.6 assists last season, while the 6-10 Sidney sat out the entire season because of an NCAA investigation.

McDermott to Creighton

Creighton wasted no time in replacing Dana Altman.

According to multiple reports, the BlueJays have offered the head coaching job to Iowa State’s Greg McDermott, and he is expected to accept the position Monday afternoon.

Altman left for the head job at Oregon, while McDermott has spent four years at Iowa State after coaching at Northern Iowa.

Howard hires DePaul assistant

DePaul hired assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry last week – and he is already moving on.

Nickelberry, the former head coach at Hampton, accepted an offer to become the head coach at Howard, according to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com.

Nickelberry was the head coach of the Libya National Team for the past season, but had been an assistant at Clemson and Charlotte and the associate head coach at Holy Cross before taking over at Hampton in 2006.

Ross to Washington

Terrence Ross, one of the top unsigned players left in the country, is set to commit to Washington during his official visit today.

“I am going to Washington because of the great relationship I have with the team and coaches,” Ross told Alex Kline of ZagsBlog.com. “I thought it would be the best choice for me and I would fit in with the team.”

Ross, a 6-5 scoring guard, chose the Huskies over Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon and Oklahoma. He had previously committed to Maryland before opening up his recruitment.

2011 stud commits to Duke

Duke has not rested since winning the national championship, as the Blue Devils secured a commitment from Tyler Adams, one of the best big men in the class of 2011, on Sunday.

"The reason I went with Duke is I feel like it's the best fit for me," Adams told Evan Daniels of Scout.com. "The last couple of months they've been recruiting me pretty hard. A program like this, not many people get a chance to go there. So I wanted to go ahead and go with Coach K."

Adams, a 6-8 center, chose Duke over Mississippi State, Alabama, Memphis and Clemson.

The Citadel finds a coach

According to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com via Twitter, Maryland assistant coach Chuck Driesell is likely headed to The Citadel.

Driesell is the son of legendary Terrapins coach Lefty Driesell, and has been an assistant with the Terps for four seasons. He was also an assistant coach at Georgetown and an associate head coach at James Madison.