BDN deals in facts, not rumors. Everybody wants to know the latest on John Wall and what is going on in his camp. I talked with Brian Clifton last evening and he broke down the process of the hottest recruiting battle in the nation. If you are not a member of BDN Premium, then you're simply missing the best Duke subscription service available.
Will John Wall trim his list? [private] Maybe not according to Clifton. At this point all the teams may be in there until the end.
Baylor - That's where Clifton preferred John Wall to go. The reasoning was that he could be with his brother, but Clifton admitted that it would raise some eyebrows and that Wall is not seriously considering them.
"I will go where John Wall goes," said Clifton. No matter where John Wall goes, Clifton will be there with him. This has already been discussed with Wall's Mom, who gave her blessing.
How will Wall's choice affect his D-One program? Clifton said he had a good staff and could run it from afar, but he also mentioned that it would be nice to stay in the area and that he preferred that. Still, he would go wherever he needs to go for the benefit of Wall.
"The process is flawed," said Clifton. He mentioned that coaches could only meet with John one time officially and that all they could do now was send e-mails and such. He feels a prospect needs more time to evaluate what a coach is really like, meaning he might realize more from extended contacts bettering relationships.
"He's what's important and it is important that he feels that," said Clifton. This means he wants to support Wall's decision.
Making a wise choice - Clifton wants to make sure that Wall examines all angles of the possibilities at hand.
How important is proximity to home for Wall? It's not at the top of the list. Wall knows he will have Clifton no matter where he goes.
Kentucky - Wall loves Calipari and has talked to him the most, but there is a question as to whether it's the best situation for John.
Florida - Glowing reviews for Florida where Clifton knows Donovan personally and his brother played for Larry Shyatt.
Miami - "They have some good players down there," said Clifton. He admitted there were worse places to spend a year than South Beach.
Duke - "They've got some good players," said Clifton, who then rattled off the names on the roster. Also mentioned was Ryan Kelly who is a D-One product. Wall and Kelly were a one-two punch last season.
Will Wall visit Duke again? "Maybe, we'll see," said Clifton, who then went on to say that John feels like he has enough information to make a decision. They have gathered a lot of information and continue to go over it.
Tough question - Would Wall have already committed had you not been involved as a mentor? "John is an emotional guy. He would have probably committed twice already."
Tough question two - Would Wall have already committed to Kentucky if it were not for taking a long look at the process? "Probably."
Another fact about Wall - He likes to please the people around him.
When will a decision be made - "Who knows," said Clifton.
SAT Scores - "We feel real good about the test he took this past Saturday," said a confident Clifton.
There is more which I will discuss on the message board after this weekend's tournament coverage. To read too much into these statements would be unwise, but this is the very latest information out there on Wall from a person very, very close to him. [/private]
You must be logged in to post a comment.