Five on the rise

Schools that have bright futures, thanks to their recruiting hauls during the early signing period:

Washington. The Huskies have put together two straight great classes. The top catch for 2006: center Spencer Hawes. Don't be surprised to see the Huskies in the Final Four in the near future.

Georgetown. After putting together a top 10 class for 2006, John Thompson received an oral commitment from Austin Freeman, one of the best shooting guards in the class of '07.

Gonzaga. Perhaps the best recruit with the least fanfare this signing period was Matt Bouldin, the 45th-ranked player in the country. He is the quintessential Zag, right down to the shaggy hair and deadeye perimeter shooting. Bouldin will have an Adam Morrison-like impact right away.

UAB. The Blazers aren't usual suspects in the top 25 recruiting rankings, but Mike Anderson and his staff aggressively landed players who are perfect for their pressing style.

Arkansas. Elite junior college players are becoming a rare breed in college basketball recruiting, but Arkansas has a future star in Sonny Weems of Arkansas-Fort Smith. He has the tools to make a huge splash.--Rivals.com

RECRUITING DISH

Arizona has decided to continue recruiting F Lance Thomas, even though the Wildcats had indicated they would move on if he hadn't committed to the program by November 16, the close of the early signing period. The recruitment of Thomas, one of the top unsigned seniors, will be an interesting story line to follow in the late period. Along with Arizona, he still is considering Georgia Tech, Duke, Rutgers, Florida and Wake Forest. * The top two unsigned seniors are F Davon Jefferson of Patterson, N.C., and F Darrell Arthur of Dallas. Jefferson is considering Kansas, Oklahoma State, Louisville, Southern California and UNLV; Arthur has Indiana, Kansas, Baylor and SMU on his list. * Now that most of the top players from the class of 2006 have signed, coaches are looking to lock up some of the best talent in the junior class. Last week, Gs Jerryd Bayless and Alex Legion picked their college destinations, and both will stay close to home. Bayless, from Phoenix, committed to Arizona; Legion, from Detroit, picked Michigan. * Maryland received a commitment from a member of the junior class, Baltimore's PF Braxton Dupree, a Lonny Baxter clone. The Terps also should get a commitment from another Baltimore player, PF Dino Gregory, and they are trying to land Philadelphia G Jeff Jones. * Syracuse already had four commitments from the class of 2007 before striking gold with versatile PF Donte Green. * Much has been made about the efforts of Ohio State coach Thad Matta and his 2006 class. But did you know he has secured 10 commitments in just over a year? That dates to Sylvester Mayes and Brayden Bell from the class of '05 and includes Walter Offutt of the class of '08. Now that's getting it done.--Rivals.com

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