Over the years, Ohio has been one of the top producers of high school basketball talent throughout the country. In an average year, approximately 25-30 boys and the same number of girls sign Division I scholarships.

This year appears to be even better than most, especially at the top. Matt Sylvester of Archbishop Moeller High (Cincinnati) , he averaged 21 points per game in 1999-2000 , has committed to attend Ohio State next year, while Elgrace Wilborne, a 6-foot-7 forward from Springfield South High (Springfield), is still trying to decide. He has narrowed his choices to Tennessee, Nebraska and Miami-Ohio.

Keith Jackson of Purcell Marion High (Cincinnati) is down to Tennessee, Connecticut, Xavier, Baylor and Michigan State.

"This is one of the better years we've ever had," says Chris Johnson, a scout with Ohio Roundball Prep. "There's always around 25 players that go Division I, and this year there are at least five players that should be ranked among the top 100 in the country."

Go West, Young Man
Harvey Thomas, a 6-foot-9 forward from Emmanuel High (Durham, N.C.), recently took an unofficial visit to Georgetown, followed by a trip to West Virginia.

West Virginia,

The Mountaineers could actually put together one of the best threesomes in the nation if they can convince two other Emmanuel High stars, point guard Jonathan Hargett , he also likes Tennessee, Arizona and Georgia Tech , and 6-foot-7 Tyrone Sally, to come to Morgantown. And that could be just the tip of the iceberg for West Virginia. College sophomore-to-be Chris Garnett, a 6-foot-10 center formerly of Emmanuel Christian Academy (N.C.), recently announced his plans to leave Eastern Kentucky University and may be heading to Morgantown, as well.

Other studs reportedly interested in WVU include 6-foot-9 Brandon Bender of Ballard High (Louisville, Ky.) and 6-foot-1 Tony Bethel of Montrose Christian High (Rockville, Md.).

The reason for the WVU resurgence undoubtedly has something to do with former Mount Zion Christian Academy (Durham, N.C.) coach Joel Hopkins heading to West Virginia. Many of the aforementioned players once played for Hopkins at Mount Zion.

Switch-a-roo
The trend of players orally committing to a school, then changing their mind the next day or so, seems to be becoming standard practice. The latest player to have a change of heart is 6-foot-5 Duane John from Boylan High in Toronto, Canada. He reportedly told Syracuse he was coming there, but then made an oral commitment to Missouri.

The trend may have something to do with players wanting to get the recruiting process over quicker, thus making hasty decisions.

Wildcat Fever
In other recruiting news, Josh Carrier, a 6-foot-5 guard from Bowling Green High (Bowling Green, Ky.) has given an oral commitment to Kentucky. Carrier, who averaged 24 points per game, was also interested in Louisville, UCLA, Tulane, Stanford and Colorado, but decided that Lexington was the place for him.

Carrier joins Rashaad Carruth of Oak Hill Academy (Va.) as the Wildcats' second player to commit early.

Tidbits
Jermaine Harper of the Blue Ridge School (Va.) says he'll attend Rutgers, Oklahoma, UNLV or California.

Contrary to some published reports, Louisiana prep star Corey Dean of Ruston High has not committed to Louisiana Tech.