Waiters officially signs letter of intent to become SU’s first 2010 recruit
After committing to Syracuse before playing a single game of varsity basketball nearly two and a half years ago, Dion Waiters was finally able to make things official Tuesday.
Waiters, the No. 5 overall shooting guard in the class of 2010 according to Scout.com, became the first member of Syracuse’s highly anticipated recruiting class to sign his binding letter of intent during the early signing period, which started on Nov. 11 and ended Wednesday.
‘It was a relief,’ Waiters said. ‘Everybody was happy for me and proud that I was able to sign my papers.’
Waiters, a versatile shooting guard out of Life Center (N.J.) Academy, is known for his ability to create off the dribble and was dominant in eight games last year, averaging 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists before suffering a season-ending broken ankle.
Waiters will be joining a Syracuse team next year that will likely have a big hole at shooting guard. With current shooting guard Andy Rautins in his final year of NCAA eligibility, and no other pure off-guard on the roster, Waiters certainly has the opportunity to make an immediate contribution.
Currently, there are three other players – small forward C.J. Fair and centers Fab Melo and Baye Moussa Keita – that have given verbal commitments to Syracuse, but none have yet to sign their letters of intent as of press time Wednesday. They will have another opportunity during the regular spring signing period from April 14 to May 19, 2010.
Waiting on Harris
With the early signing period coming to a rapid close, the college basketball world is waiting on the highly anticipated decision of Tobias Harris, who was scheduled to sign with a team sometime Wednesday and make his formal announcement today at 5:30 p.m., televised live at ESPNU.
Harris is the No. 9 prospect in the nation, according to Scout.com.
Syracuse is among seven schools Harris, a Scout.com five-star prospect, is considering. Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Tennessee, Maryland and West Virginia are the others.
The 6-foot-8 power forward made his last official visit to Georgia Tech on Monday, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported Wednesday.
The overall mystery surrounding his tight-lipped camp makes Harris’ decision more intriguing. Harris confirmed on his Twitter page that he made a surprise second visit to Tennessee following the Georgia Tech visit, sending the media and the Internet into a whirlwind of speculation.
Bill Mitaritonna, Harris’ high school coach at Half Hollows Hills West (N.Y.) High School said he hasn’t seen his star player in a while, only communicating the essentials via text message.
‘It will be interesting to see what he has to say about this whole journey,’ Mitaritonna said. ‘He’s actually coming through school in a little while because we have our first day of practice today at 2:30. Other than texting him and asking, ‘Are you going to be back for practice,’ I haven’t heard from him.’
Published on November 20, 2009 at 12:00 pm
