With the early signing day here and most of the big name players already committed, what is there to be interested about besides the impending start of the college basketball season? Let's look at some of the most important commitments since our last update and then we'll take a look at some of the traditional powers who have struggled a little this fall.

Looking good
How do you spell respect in the recruiting world? D-U-K-E. Yes, despite all the rumors that flew about Missouri, and then how Virginia had made inroads, and then the possibility of a commitment to Indiana, as expected, 6-foot-8 forward Luol Deng (Blair Academy/Blairstown, N.J.) recently committed to the Blue Devils.

Along with the previous commitment of 6-9 Kris Humprhies (Hopkins, Minn.), Duke now has what most people want in today's game -- players with versatility. Both Deng and Humprhies have the ability offensively to play inside and outside. Which means that Coach K will be able to continue to have the horses to attack Duke's opponents.

Wisconsin kept the best apple in the state when 7-0 Brian Butch (West HS/Appleton, Wis.) spurned North Carolina, Arizona and Kansas. Despite his slender build, Butch is a battler and a very skilled post player. He is a rare high profile commitment for Wisconsin, but being in-state, he's a key one. Butch should help make it easier for Wisconsin to Badger their opponents around the paint.

Illinois recently received a commitment that we think it's fair to say shocked the recruiting world. Top 5 prospect 6-9 Charlie Villanueva (Blair Academy/Blairstown, N.J.) announced for Illinois over Villanova and Seton Hall. This is a great "cosmetic" signing for the Illini. We say "cosmetic" as it could help them expand their recruiting base, but how long Villanueva will be around and how much impact he will have during his stay are still in question. With a player of Villanueva's status, if the Illini can get two years out of him, then you could say that they were able to "max out" on the payback of a talent like Villanueva. East Coast sources feel that Villanueva will try to be a one and done.

The commitment of 6-6 Devon Evertsen's (Moon Valley HS/Phoenix, Ariz.) to Boston College is just another good piece of the puzzle for the Golden Eagles, with the emphasis on good. Evertsen joins 6-4 wing Sean Marshall (Eisenhower HS/Rialto, Calif.), 6-8 Dan Coleman (Hopkins HS/Minnetonka, Minn.) and 5-11 Stevie Hailey (Worcester Academy/Worcester, Mass). All four of these players should be four year college players for Al Skinner. Marshall and Evertsen are athletic and both have been underrated by many. These four will still be playing when the Carmelo Anthonys and Jason Frasers have moved on. Not that BC doesn't want to snag some of those possible early entry recruits, but if they are able to keep bringing in three quality recruits every year, BC will likely be a consistent upper-tier program in the Big East.

Falling in line with America's newfound propensity to "supersize" everything from burgers to cars, Pittsburgh has definitely decided that bigger is better with the additions of 6-8 Dante Milligan (Trinity-Pawling/Pawling, N.Y.) 6-9 Chris Taft (Xaverian HS/Brooklyn, N.Y.) and 6-11 Aaron Gray (Emmaus, Pa.) to a class that already featured a big post player. Geography is what's important here. Since there is usually no exceptional basketball talent in Pittsburgh and the Panthers can't really go into Philly to draw talent either, being able to crack New York is crucial to the long term consistency that Pitt is striving for. And Taft is the centerpiece of this class.

Arkansas snagged 6-5 Olu Famutimi (Northwestern HS/Flint, Mich.). Coach Stan Heath has strong recruiting ties in the state of Michigan and Famutimi will be given every opportunity in the world to start as a frosh next year. Getting 6-11 Julius Lamptey (New Hampton School/New Hampton, N.H.) will help fill the potholes in the paint for the Hogs.

Kudos are in order for new Coach Dave Leitao's DePaul Blue Demons, who concluded their first class with the recent commitment of 6-9, 275, Wesley Green (Eustis, Fla.). Just prior to Green, 6-6 Marcus Heard (Southeast HS/Springfield, Ill.) had decided on sweet home Chicago.

Don't accuse the 'Cuse of not recruiting well, because the Orangemen edged Maryland and Virginia for 6-8 Terrance Roberts (St. Anthony's/Jersey City, NJ). Roberts is a very under-hyped talent who will be an impact player for Syracuse.

Middle ground
UCLA salvaged their recruiting when they received a verbal commitment from 6-8 Trevor Ariza (Westchester HS/Los Angeles, Calif.). Showing they still know how to dance, UCLA avoided being shut out this year in terms of getting a future impact player when Ariza waited, weighed everything and decided to stay home.

Ariza's commitment was imperative as it keeps the Bruins going. They will have a good core of players returning over the next two years and can get away with bringing in just one quality freshman in this class, although they really wanted to bring in a quality point guard as well. As for the recent commitment of 6-9, 170, Sean Phaler (Villa Park, Calif.), well, he can knock down the open jumper, but that's it which means: role player.

Still looking
Indiana brought in a great guard tandem last year and desperately needed to bring in some quality big men this fall. The Hoosiers, however, have failed to land any of their high profile targets and had to settle for taking a prospect on "spec," as gin players would say.

In this case you can't blame Mike Davis or his hard working staff. The Indiana state class of 2003 was weak, and Indiana is still not an easy sell to a lot of out of state recruits. Davis is strong in the South, however, and will no doubt continue to be successful in that region. Indiana has enough to field a strong team in 2003-2004, but the lack of frontline talent will hurt.

Coach Mike Montgomery was able to push Stanford up to the level of a consistent Top 25 program through the Cardinal's emphasis on getting better athletes. But that well has just about run dry for Stanford this fall. Very tough admission policies means a severely shrunken pool of talent for the Cardinal and a probable drop in the near future, although it doesn't look to be a permanent one. Stanford needs an impact recruit in next year's class.

St. John's may wind up being a big beneficiary of the new academic standards but in the meantime, they are hurting. The Johnnies are having trouble finding any quality bigs who want to come to New York City. Their guard play and the post-up ability and slashing style of their undersized forwards will continue to present teams with problems, but recruiting has improved throughout the conference as a whole and St. John's is being left behind. More junior college frontline recruits as well as a foreign infusion may be the cure for the Red Storm, who could be taking a little slide for awhile.

Beware Seton Hall! A lean and hungry Rutgers casts its ambitious eye in your direction, as have several other programs who have been poaching on the state of New Jersey's loaded class. Seton Hall has nabbed two in-state recruits, but not the type they need to hold off a hard-charging Rutgers program that remains, in our humble opinion, a big-time program waiting to happen, or, as we like to put it, the last of the true big time "sleeper" jobs. The Pirates need to corral a high-profile, impact high school player from their state or from New York.

Last, but certainly not least is Kentucky. They have the tradition. They have the fans. They have the resources. They have a great coach. Why aren't the high profile recruits fighting each other to sign on the dotted line? All the defections, through banishment by the staff, or, by choice due to disillusionment haven't helped. And times have changed in college basketball. Who could have predicted the North Carolina Tar Heels losing 20 games in our lifetime? Bottom line: Kentucky is not a "top player" for the top players right now.

Who's still available?
There are several good players that will not sign this fall. But we are concerned with the thoroughbreds, and there are two that standout.