by Alex Schwartz

- The biggest commitment of late—both in ranking and size—came Monday evening, as 6'10 center Josh Smith '10 of Kentwood (WA) pledged to UCLA, according to Scout. Ranked #9 in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125, Smith is the second member of UCLA's class of 2010, joining #43 6'4 SG Tyler Lamb of Mater Dei (CA). The big man selected the Bruins over Washington, just as Northstar Basketball predicted he would, making it 3/3 on the projected commitments of top 15 prospects. Smith, the #2 ranked center, puts Ben Howland's program in the discussion for a top 15 recruiting class.

- DJ Irving '10 of Archbishop Carroll (PA) is headed to Boston University, according to a source close to the situation. The 6'1 point guard is the seventh member of the Terriers' class, and is the sixth from Philadelphia, as new BU Head Coach continues to mine his former territory, as he came over from Villanova and also coached at Episcopal Academy (PA). The other members of BU's class of 2010 are Mike Terry of North Catholic (PA), Anthony Mayo of Roman Catholic (PA), Travis Robinson of Friends Central (PA), Dominic Morris of Friends Central, HJ Gaskins of Friends Central, and Malik Thomas of Wadleigh (NY).

- According to multiple reports, 6'8 power forward Dakotah Euton '10 is headed to Akron. The Scott County (KY) standout was committed to Kentucky when Billy Gillispie was the coach, but decommitted almost as soon as John Calipari took over and the new staff stopped recruiting him.

- My preseason national high school rankings will be coming out this week, so stay tuned. Soon enough, my New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania rankings will be released as well.

- How about this article on Villanova freshman Mouphtaou Yarou from SportingNews.com? Apparently the 6'9 power forward, who was ranked #9 in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2009 Terrific 35, played in an event in Africa in 2007 and was listed as 23 years old on the FIBA website, which would make him 25 right now. It is important to note that the native of Benin, Africa has been cleared by the NCAA and there does not seem to be an investigation into this.

- The college basketball season has begun. My top five teams preseason: #1 Kansas, #2 Texas, #3 Kentucky, #4 Michigan State, #5 West Virginia.

- According to a report on ESPNU, Tony Mitchell '10 of Pinkston (TX) is down to Missouri, Georgetown, and North Texas. The 6'7 power forward, who had been committed to Kansas State at one point, is ranked #34 in the senior class by Northstar Basketball.

- The fall/early singing period begins tomorrow, and a fair number of talented players are still up for grabs. Of the players ranked in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125, there are still 22 who are uncommitted. Of those 22, there are three in the top seven, six in the top 17, and 15 in the top 35. That means that over 40% of the top 35 senior ballers in the nation are still on the table, so programs still have an opportunity to get top-notch players.

- Here are the players ranked in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125 who have yet to make a college decision:
          Rank. Name, Position (Pos. Rank), Height, High School (State)
          1. Brandon Knight, PG (#1), 6'3, Pine Crest (FL)
          3. Harrison Barnes, SF (#1), 6'7, Ames (IA)
          7. Josh Selby, PG (#3), 6'2, Lake Clifton (MD)
          11. Jelan Kendrick, SF (#2), 6'6, Wheeler (GA)
          14. Doron Lamb, SG (#3), 6'4, Oak Hill Academy (VA)
          17. Tobias Harris, PF (#5), 6'8, Half Hollow Hills West (NY)
          21. Justin Coleman, SG (#4), 6'4, James Monroe (VA)
          24. CJ Leslie, PF (#7), 6'8, Word of God Academy (NC)
          26. Tarik Black, PF (#8), 6'8, Ridgeway (TN)
          28. Ray McCallum, PG (#8), 6'1, Detroit Country Day School (MI)
          29. Terrence Jones, SF (#5), 6'8, Jefferson (OR)
          31. Cory Joseph, PG (#9), 6'1, Findlay Prep (NV)
          32. David Nyarsuk, C (#4), 7'1, Mountain State Academy (WV)
          34. Tony Mitchell, PF (#9), 6'7, Pinkston (TX)
          35. Roscoe Smith, SF (#8), 6'8, Oak Hill Academy (VA)
          49. Trey Zeigler, SG (#11), 6'4, Mount Pleasant (MI)
          69. Jordin Mayes, SG (#16), 6'1, Westchester (CA)
          78. Jayvaughn Pinkston, SF (#18), 6'5, Bishop Loughlin (NY)
          98. Jason Morris, SF (#24), 6'5, Hotchkiss School (CT)
          99. JJ Moore, SF (#25), 6'6, South Kent (CT)
          100. Jonathan Graham, PF (#24), 6'8, Calvert Hall College HS (MD)
          101. Julian Washburn, SF (#26), 6'7, St. Patrick's (NJ)

Note- photo is of Tony Mitchell and is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/