Rundown of what happened on signing day

Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 7:39 PM

College hoops’ early signing period began today, but there few surprises. As far as I saw, only one player changed their mind at the last second and backed out of a verbal commitment.

So what did happen? Plenty.

For a detailed ranking on the early committments, click here. For the big highlights, read on.

• Thad Matta cemented another stellar class with the signing of five-star prospects in Columbus big man Jared Sullinger and 6-7 forward DeShaun Thomas. Throw in shooting guard Jordan Sibert is a top 60 player on Rivals.com and three more Top 150 recruits, and Matta has the next coming of his Thad Five. And that class worked out pretty well.
• Isiah Thomas’ debut didn’t go so well Monday, but Wednesday was better. He inked three recruits, including Top 50 prospect Dominique Ferguson.
• Sons of two star players settled on schools. Shawn Kemp Jr. is headed to Auburn, while Tim Hardaway Jr. is a Wolverine.
• No. 1 recruit Harrison Barnes will announce his choice on Friday.
• Baylor officially snagged its most highly rated recruit ever in Perry Jones, a 6-10 power forward.
• Josh Smith didn't officially sign with UCLA, but it's doubtful he's changing his mind now. This link also has a nice round-up of what went down in the Pac-10.
• Andy Katz has a long story on who signed where, but more interesting is his lede. He talked to several coaches about the early signing period, which can be a blessing and a curse. Sometimes coaches like Bill Self can lose a recruit (Xavier Henry) and get him back months later. Rule changes to the letter of intent will make that kind of move more complicated now.
• Adam Zagoria (who else?) has a roundup of all the New York City area players and other star recruits. But many of the top players – Josh Selby, Tobias Harris, Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, and JayVaughn Pinkston – won’t sign until spring.
• After backing away from Wisconsin last spring, shooting guard Vander Blue picked Marquette.
• And that de-commit? That was Indiana prospect David Williams, a two-star forward who never even stepped foot on campus. Guess that’s not a surprise. The Hoosiers did cement things with Victor Oladipo, a 6-5 wing.

Follow me on Twitter (@BeyndArcMMiller) and get more college basketball news at NBCSports.com.

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