September begins the process of home and campus visits for the bulk of the nation's most wanted prep players who have not yet committed, and the majority of them will soon be doing just that -- committing.

Heading into this frenzied period it is prudent to take a look at the early winners before the November signing period hits. Four classes appear to be above the rest at this time. And, as recruiting fans, can there be any question as to who has the best early haul?

Of course not, it's Duke ... NOT!

Michigan State has commitments from two recruits who should both be of the impact variety. Paul Davis is a skilled 6-foot-10 athlete who will be ready mentally (exceptionally competitive) and basketball-wise to step in right away while the strength trainers do their job off the court with him. The 6-4 swing Maurice Ager is a shark who is always looking to score.

At this stage of the game, no school in the country can boast of having two recruits like Davis and Ager coming in. Add in aggressive 6-6 power forward Delco Rowley as a strong role player and you can see a few more Final Fours in the near future.

Number two is Duke ... Not yet!

And no excuse for picking the 'Cuse please.

Syracuse has their biggest name and biggest impact freshman in years in 6-7 Carmelo Anthony, whom they stole from the ACC. Anthony is a very talented player who happens to also be a very talented athlete. With that rare combination of perimeter skill and athleticism, plus his height, Anthony will hit the ground running and jumping. Point guard Gerry McNamara (6-1) is a tough leader and a strong long-distance threat, making him one of the better points in the 2002 class.

OK, number three must be Duke! Not quite.

The Dukies' dreaded in-state rival North Carolina has a slim edge. While we are not sure about 6-1 Raymond Felton being a great point guard, we are quite sure that Felton will be a strong offensive presence on the floor, particularly if the Tar Heels decide to play more like, gasp!... Duke does.

Coming along to give Carolina the strongest bench-pressing backcourt in the ACC will be 6-4 super athlete Rashad McCants. McCants may not have a traditional position, but he will have a spot on the court. His jumper has been improving, and his ability to play tall and strong will provide some problems for guards as well as his first step will for forwards.

With this pair, the Tar Heels are taking a huge step up in athleticism, something that has to be on their minds every time they play the dreaded Dukesters.

Is it Duke time yet? Yes.

While we are not personally enamored of any one of their recruits being the Godhead of his position, meaning that this Duke class does not rank as high as previous classes for "star appeal," it is a very good class from top to bottom.

Michael Thompson's 6-10 body shows considerably more physical definition and maturity from last year to this, and as a result, his movements and reflexes are quicker. He is the heir apparent to Carlos Boozer in the low post. A 6-2 point guard, Sean Dockery will in all likelihood have the opportunity to play alongside Chris Duhon and soak up his experience and competitiveness before he takes over the position. Dockery is a slick-driving point guard who will improve his perimeter shooting and pick up his defense under Coach K. J.J. Redick (6-3) is a great spot-up shooter and for a team that likes to shoot 3s, that ain't bad. Finally, 6-7 combo forward Lee Melchionni will likely redshirt, but he will be a valuable addition over time to the Blue Devils.

Just below the aforementioned foursome is a gaggle of gamers. In alphabetical order, Florida, Louisville, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Utah, Villanova and Xavier, for different reasons, pulled in some significant "I do's."

Florida's class of four is led by arguably the nation's top point guard in 6-1 Anthony Roberson. Guards are integral to Florida's plan and Roberson is a deep-shooting one who can run a team.

As they should, Louisville took a sure thing in steady 6-3 combo guard Taquan Dean; a talented future offensive player in 6-7 Francisco Garcia; and on spec is taking 6-9 Kendall Dartez, a shot-blocking junior college transfer. Dean will play mainly at the two and bust open jumpers, while Garcia gives guards and forwards a host of problems. Both figure to be four-year players, and Garcia's last two could be special once he gains strength. Big men are hard to find, and while Dartez may or may not become an offensive threat, his ability to rebound, block shots and run the floor are what the Cards need.

Michigan still can't seem to pull in an impact power player or low-post intimidator, but they did pull in Texas talent Danny Horton, an athletic 6-2 point guard, and 6-6 swingman Lester Abrams, both of whom figure to playing a lot of minutes in the near future.

Notre Dame has three recruits, but it is just one of those, 6-10 Torin Francis, that puts the Irish in the company of these teams. He is a "program recruit." The ability of the Irish to get Francis, could help Notre Dame to once again be able to recruit the top players nationally.

The same cannot be said of 6-7 Antione Wright's commitment for Texas A&M. The Aggies are not going to be able to springboard his verbal into being able to go anywhere they want to compete for the best. But the immediate impact of a top 10 player in a program searching for recognition and respect (not to mention some W's) cannot be discounted.

Utah achieved their number one recruiting priority with the verbal commitment of 6-3 true point guard Tim Drisdom, who reminded them of current Cleveland Cavalier Andre Miller, who led the Utes to withing one win of the national championship. Bryant Markson (6-6) had said that if Drisdom committed to Utah, so would he. Within 24 hours he made good on his word. Markson sat out all spring and summer after having ACL surgery. He is a tremendous athlete. Despite his injury, Kansas was also pushing hard and Arizona was hoping that he would wait.

Good things do seem to come in 3's, and also due to Drisdom's verbal, 6-5 Richard Chaney decided to forego local favorite USC in favor of the Utes. With Drisdom being able to deliver to Markson and Chaney on the wings, these future Utes will not be your father's Utes.

New head coach Jay Wright has a lot of respect among his peers in the profession, but more importantly wants respect from prospective recruits. By taking a little chunk out of the Big Apple, he got it. Two New York City recruits, 6-6 Curtis Sumpter and 6-1 combo guard Allan Ray will give Villanova the visibility and the respect to recruit New York -- something Wright already had.

Xavier just keeps rolling along. Virginia head coach Pete Gillen established the program, and made it a successful one. His assistant Skip Prosser, now the head coach at Wake Forest, continued to build on that success, even as Xavier took a big step up into the Atlantic 10. And now new head coach Thad Motta seems poised to continue the success that has made Xavier a top 25 program.

Two Indiana recruits head up this class, 6-1 point guard Dedrick Finn -- a savvy, well-built leader who can shoot it -- and powerful 6-6 Angelo Smith. Toss in a juco transfer at the power forward for experience and another forward with potential and you have a typical Musketeer class; not well known, a little underrated, with potential and upside to develop into a strong core group.

David Benezra and Mark Mayemura cover the national college basketball recruiting scene at their Recruiting USA (www.recruitingusa.com) website. Call (818) 783-2244 or (818) 783-2212 for subscription information.