by Alex Schwartz

One of the biggest names in the class of 2010 took his name off the board recently. Cory Joseph, a 6'1 point guard out of Findlay Prep (NV), committed to Texas, selecting the Longhorns over Minnesota, UConn, UNLV, and Villanova. Currently ranked number 25 in Northstar Basketball's Class of 2010 Terrific 125, Joseph will almost certainly be in the top 10 when the final list is revealed.

Joseph is the second member of Rick Barnes' class of 2010 recruiting haul, joining his high school teammate Tristan Thompson, a 6'9 power forward who is currently ranked number 17 in the Terrific 125. Joseph and Thompson also play AAU ball together with Grassroots Canada, one of the premier programs in North America. Another Canadian who runs with Grassroots Canada, Myck Kabongo of St. Benedict's (NJ), is committed to Texas as a part of the Longhorns' 2011 recruiting class.

After landing Avery Bradley in the class of 2009, Rick Barnes has now picked up three Findlay Prep Pilots in two recruiting cycles. The inroads that UT is making with both Findlay Prep and Grassroots Canada are invaluable, as they both churn out elite national recruits on a yearly basis. Bradley, Joseph, and Thompson were all McDonald's All-Americans, while Kabongo will likely be a Burger Boy in 2011. In fact, Joseph and Thompson were the only pair of high school teammates to be in the game this year.

Joseph will likely come in and play major minutes, and possibly even start, from day one in Austin. The same goes for Thompson, who committed to Texas as a sophomore when he was attending St. Benedict's. The pair will look to accomplish some of the things that the disappointing 09-10 Longhorns were unable to do.

At one point Texas had a commitment from Daniel Bejarano of Phoenix North (AZ) for its class of 2010, but the 6'4 shooting guard who is currently ranked #72 in the Terrific 125, opted to re-open his recruitment and stay in-state at Arizona for personal reasons. Joseph, who the UT staff seemed to push harder for once Bejarano decommitted, will certainly have a bigger impact as a freshman of the two.

Joseph is a talented point guard who can also score the ball and plays very good defense. A silky smooth offensive player, he does a good job of running an offense and had a fantastic senior season for Findlay Prep, which finished the year 32-2 and ranked fourth in my Final National High School Top 25 after winning the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational. Joseph was a McDonald's All-American, a Jordan Brand Classic All-American, and played for the World Select team at the Nike Hoop Summit. He won the three-point contest at the McDonald's All-American Powerade Jam Fest.

Note- photo is from http://www.findlayprep.com/