The two top college basketball prospects in the state ended the recruiting suspense Wednesday night when Fenwick’s 6-foot-6-inch Corey Maggette selected Duke and Young’s 6-6 Quentin Richardson announced for DePaul.
Maggette said he knew he was headed for Durham, N.C., after visiting Duke’s campus over Halloween weekend.
“Actually, I told coach (Mike) Krzyzewski last week on the phone,” said Maggette, who is rated among the top 10 players in the nation. “He said: `If you were standing next to me, this big ol’ Polish guy would kiss you.’
“There was something about Duke–it was the right place for me. I really like the coaching staff, and it has a nice campus. Duke made the biggest impact on me of all the schools I visited. My second choice was Illinois.
“With those four freshmen Duke has this year and all the top recruits coming in next year, it’s kind of like a rebuilding process for Duke. I feel I can be a great contributor to that program.”
More Top Picks Vikings Blade The Godfather
Richardson became the final piece in what may be the finest recruiting class in the country when he chose DePaul over Kansas.
Before a sizable media contingent gathered at the Rainforest Cafe downtown, Richardson became the third outstanding Public League recruit to opt for the Blue Demons. DePaul also has oral commitments from 6-9 Lance Williams of Julian and 6-6 Bobby Simmons of Simeon.
At his news conference last week, Simmons implored Richardson to jump on board the hometown bandwagon. This is the best DePaul has recruited the city since Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings and Teddy Grubbs committed there in the late 1970s.
“I’m looking into all these TV cameras and in answer to your question, Bobby, `I’m here!’ Richardson said about staying home. “This was the hardest decision of my life.
“I liked Kansas because it’s already an established winning program that goes to the NCAA tournament every year.
“But I liked (even more) the idea of being one of the key people that will bring DePaul basketball back on top.”
Augmenting the Public League trio at DePaul are 6-7 Antonio Latimer of Miami and standout junior-college guard Kerry Hartfield, who led Southeastern Junior College of Burlington, Iowa, to the national juco title last year.
Staying close to home and a six-year friendship with DePaul assistant coach Larry Harrison were the biggest factors in Richardson’s decision.
Richardson met Harrison as a 7th grader attending a summer basketball camp at Cincinnati, where Harrison was an assistant coach. Harrison had Richardson thinking Cincy Bearcats until he joined Blue Demon coach Pat Kennedy’s staff last spring.
“We’re going to the Final Four in our first year,” said Richardson, whose Young team could start the season ranked No. 1 or 2 in the country.
Several other top Illinois basketball players also signed Wednesday, including two with defending national champion Arizona: Farragut’s Michael Wright, a 6-8 center, and 6-3 Moline guard Traves Wilson. Wright, a 225-pound wide body and dominant rebounder, averaged 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Admirals last year. As a sophomore, he backed up Kevin Garnett, who now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Big Ten scored well in Illinois, with Penn State and Iowa each getting two recruits and Indiana and Wisconsin one each.
Iowa signed the 6-5 Galesburg duo of Joey Range and Rod Thompson, both of whom are rated among the top 50 seniors nationally. Thompson, who transferred from Carver, was honorable mention All-State last year. He and Range, a second-team All-Stater, should make Galesburg a top Downstate contender for the Class AA state championship.
Penn State is expected to sign 6-7 forward Tyler Smith of Lake Forest and signed 6-5 forward Rob Walls of St. Joseph Thursday. Walls picked Penn State over Indiana and Seton Hall. Wisconsin signed 5-10 guard Travon Davis of Nazareth.
Indiana, whose ties to St. Joseph go back to the late 1970s and Isiah Thomas, signed 6-5 Chargers forward Mark Treadwell.
It wasn’t only signing day for basketball. Spring sports participants also were committing in writing to various colleges. Highlighting the list of signees among non-basketball players is Anthony Moorman of Lake Park, who signed to run track at Clemson. Moorman, a senior, won both the 100- and 200-meter dashes in last year’s Class AA state meet.