The letters of intent are not yet signed, but the Atlantic Coast Conference is "unofficially" having the best recruiting year among the early returns.

Led by Duke, which has the nation's No. 1 recruiting class, Maryland is now starting to be able to reload rather than rebuild every couple of years. North Carolina is still searching for a quality big man, but has the most athletic backcourt at UNC since Michael Jordan and anybody. Georgia Tech is starting to raise the level of its recruiting. Wake Forest has brought in a group of good, solid prospects who all look like four-year players -- a tremendous advantage if you are trying to build a program rather than a team that will always be competitive. Even the schools that have been struggling of late have each received a significant verbal commitment for their program.

Why choose an ACC school? Well, the conference has a lot going for it.

Start with rivalries and talent base. Four schools are from the state of North Carolina, and since Duke doesn't recruit in North Carolina except every few years or so (see: Shavlik Randolph) that leaves plenty of under-hyped talent available for the other in-state schools. With the proximity of the schools and the number of Carolina kids running around other schools, there is always plenty to keep these fans rabid. And don't forget that the states of Virginia and Maryland have plenty of talent. Georgia kids are starting to realize that Tech is in Atlanta and we all know that the state of Georgia produces large numbers of talented athletes.

Style of play? The ACC does it all, but it is definitely seen as a finesse league. Now everybody knows that's not true, but that is the image, and after watching a lot of Big Ten, Big East, and Big 12 games, let's just say that the officiating encourages a much better style of game in addition to how the coaches want to play. Think of the ACC game as a contest between teams of tuxedoed-and-tattooed classical pianists. They can play any sonata you want, but they love to jam and jazz it up.

Location? Yep, they get some snow. But when you think of going to a Northeast or Midwest school and those short falls followed by long winters, that's not a selling point to recruits who are thinking about the balmy Carolinas, the beautiful countryside of Maryland and Virginia and the beaches of Florida. Bucolic campuses, for the most part, without the noise and grit that one thinks of in other areas.

Exposure. Does Dick Vitale keep a room inside Cameron so he can make all of Duke's games? Please, the ACC defines prime time when it comes to college basketball.

Coaches. The new blood that has come in will raise the bar that much more. Did you really think that Pete Gillen wouldn't be able to effectively use his New York ties to take a chunk out of the apple from time to time? He has elevated the Virginia program to the point where the Cavs can see Final Four possibilities in a year. Paul Hewitt is energizing the Georgia Tech program. Skip Prosser just took over the Wake Forest program. Matt Doherty is going to make North Carolina more athletic. And all of the veterans can coach.

Duke's gang of six incoming recruits has been well chronicled here, but look at some of the other key recruits who have given early commitments already:

Maryland: Just about broke N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek's heart when point guard John Gilchrist decided that he preferred the Terrapins to the Wolfpack. Gilchrist provides the type of solid, steady leadership and play that Williams likes from that position. DeMatha grad Travis Garrison is sound and skilled and will impact on the frontline. Chris McCray is a steal, a shooter who can handle well.

North Carolina: Doherty wants to speed up the game with lead guard Raymond Felton and athlete Rashad McCants. Felton is fast, athletic and tough and can score. McCants is on anybody's all-athlete team and should be a great defender, not to mention a terror in the open court, initially.

Georgia Tech: First marquee recruit of the Hewitt Era: 6-foot-10 Chris Bosh. Bosh is thin, but athletic and has a very nice touch along with being a shotblocker. Tech needs him to stay three years to get its money's worth, and Bosh could probably use three seasons to bulk up. Strongly built point guard Jarrett Jack is also coming in.

Wake Forest: The "Skipster," coach Prosser, has three North Carolina natives in his five-man recruiting class. Skip likes to run, and more athletic specimens will be heading into Wake in the coming years to keep the tempo up.

Virginia: Has two transfers waiting in the wings and received a commitment from Derrick Byars, a skilled athletic wing player out of Memphis.

Clemson: The 6-9 Akin Akingbala is admittedly raw, but if he was sugar cane, he would command a high price due to what you could do with that high-quality cane. He is athletic and is very aggressive around the hoop. North Carolina native (see: another one) Shawan Robinson is a promising combo guard. Head coach Larry Shyatt is one of the smartest recruiters and also one of the hardest working guys in the business and they ought to give him some more time to get it done -- but that does not look likely.

Florida State: The Seminoles need someone who can get into the paint and create some cheapies for others. More deceptive than a Tallahassee Moccasin, Galloway will find a way to penetrate.

North Carolina State: Probably the only ACC team that underachieved in its recruiting goals. No Gilchrist and not even a shot at Randolph. The Pack winds up with a role player and a tall player with some upside a couple of years down the road. Not a great fall for a very good coach on the hotseat.

When you throw in Duke's recruits, you have between 15 to 20 of the top 100 recruits coming into the ACC. Only the Big Ten has done nearly as well this fall.

Fraser's tough decision
Let's talk about Jason Fraser. He is a long-armed rejecter, very active and athletic. The 6-9 senior out of Amityville High School in New York is a power forward who can run and jump and has narrowed his choices down to St. John's, Villanova, Louisville and North Carolina.

According to comments made by Fraser, he has always dreamed of playing in Madison Square Garden and could do so for St. John's. He has seen his club ball teammate Curtis Sumpter commit to Villanova. And he was at North Carolina for Midnight Madness with several other recruits, including the Heels' two current commits from his class.

In talking with his high school coach, Jack Agostino, it appears that Fraser is having a genuinely difficult time making up his mind. Agostino has coached for 14 years at the school and says that Fraser is the most talented kid to ever come out of that school -- a school, by the way, that is the two-time defending state champions of their division.

Fraser still intends to visit Villanova on Nov. 26; and wants to visit Louisville, the last program of his four remaining to get into the recruitment after he takes the SAT again on Nov. 3. Fraser is already a full qualifier, but wants to try to push his score up even higher. And isn't that refreshing? An athlete who has a competitive streak off the court as well as on.

Fraser has been to St. John's many times and is debating about whether to take an official visit or not. One of his former high school teammates is a freshman guard for the Red Storm. Fraser comes from a tight family and Amityville is only about 25 miles from New York City.

Certainly, Fraser can not go wrong in his choice of schools, and it would be hard for any one of these schools to do better as far as getting a young man with class and character, according to Agostino.

David Benezra and Mark Mayemura cover the national college basketball recruiting scene, both high school and junior college recruiting, at their Recruiting USA (www.recruitingusa.com) website. Call (818)783-2244 for subscription information or e-mail them at hoopsusa@mindspring.com.