Who said a ACC Championship wouldn’t pay off for the Miami Hurricanes? Head coach James Larrañaga has gotten a verbal commitment from D.J. Russell, a 6-6 small forward out of Jacksonville, Florida. He’s due to arrive on campus in the Fall of 2017.
Yes, 2017.
From Cane Sport:
“Their style fits me and I like how they let their wings and guards do what they do,” Russell told Rivals.com. “I’m not worried about it being early. It’s all about hard work on my end now.”
Keep in mind, this kid hasn’t even started high school yet.
Russell has good size, can score from inside and out, plays good defense, rebounds and can even handle some ball handling duties. However, keep in mind, these are not the words from one of the many recruit sites, these are Russell’s own words. Remember, I can’t even tell you what star this kid gets, let alone a position ranking.
There is one highlight videos of him that I could find online, but to say the competition isn’t up to par would be an understatement. He looks like a man playing against the cast from Time Bandits.
Listen, these early commits are cute…they really are. Yet, the committed is about as real as the commitment I made with Sally Wheeler in the ninth grade that said if either of us was still single 10 years later, we’d marry each other (Update: she had no interest).
Let’s be realistic for a moment. A lots going to happen in the next four years. Right now, last year’s Miami squad looks like an exception, not a new reality. Larrañaga did a good job filling the holes for this coming season, but all he’s really done is avoid fighting with Virginia Tech for last place.
He still has a long way to go to prove that he can produce continuous success in what others have called, “the greatest basketball conference that God’s ever seen,” or something like that.
My point, the odds that this early commitments will sign on the dotted line when they’re actually ready to come to college is slim.
