Whether it's the pursuit to land the final piece to the incoming class or stockpiling elite recruits for the future, college basketball coaches are prepared to battle the nation's other top recruiters in order to lock up high school basketball's elite players come signing day.
At RecruitingNation, we enjoy watching a good ol' recruiting battle, and that's why we've created #BlueChipBattles. We've constructed a list of the 10 most intriguing recruiting battles currently going on for elite hoop prospects and will make changes to the list as new information (official/unofficial visits, exceptional performances, trimmed lists and commitments/decommitments) becomes available.
Here's a look at our panel of experts: Dave Telep (@DaveTelep), Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi), Reggie Rankin (@ReggieRankin), Adam Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinNERR), Joel Francisco (@JoelFranESPN), Michael LaPlante (@hoopsconnection).
Get your tweet on
Our scouts have their ears to the streets and will update accordingly but we also want to hear from you, the fans.
Use the hashtag #BlueChipBattles to comment on the list, make a prediction or if you disagree with anything we say. Your tweet could end up on that week's page.
You make the pick
Disagree with the order of our battles? Well, rank 'em yourself here: Rank the battles.
Leron Black | Junior
Memphis (Tenn.) White Station | SF | 6-7/215 | ESPN 60 Rank: No. 11
Who wants him?: Since his decommitment, the landscape is fairly open. The new contenders in addition to Baylor: Kentucky, Ohio State, Florida, UConn, Memphis, Kansas, Missouri, NC State, Louisville, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Front-runner: Given we're two weeks from his decommitment to Baylor, there's no telling.
Dark Horse: His mother works at his high school and education is important, so Vandy is worthy of mention.
@DaveTelep with the buzz: There were whispers of Black's wavering almost immediately following his pledge. The subsequent decommitment from Baylor wasn't a shocker. At this point, finding a leader isn't possible.
Best Fit: Given that he's a hybrid 4-man with a motor, he needs an open offense and a school that has a hole in the lineup.
Last words on recruitment: "I wanted to [commit] when I was there but my momma said to wait," Black said the day he committed. Turns out, momma was right.
RecruitingNation ranks Black's recruitment as the No. 10 battle in the country. Tweet us your opinion using the hashtag #BlueChipBattles @RecruitingESPN.