Moving to the West, Arkansas coach Stan Heath loses key guards in Eric Ferguson and Jonathan Modica  from a squad that engaged in two classic battles against National Champion Florida. The Razorbacks won in Fayetteville in overtime before losing 74-71 in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament in March.  Heath inked 6-2 combo guard Patrick Beverley of Chicago, who averaged 34 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals in leading Marshall High School to a third place finish in Chicago City League play.  Beverley scored 40 or more points nine times this past season. 

Heath added a top-150 player in 6-10, 230-pound forward Michael Washington who, in 2004-2005, was rated the number one junior in Texas as he attended Cleveland Heritage Christian.  Washington prepped at Genesis One Christian School in Mississippi this past season as he has proved to be a powerful force inside to add to the Razorbacks’ front court.  Guards Stefan Welsh and Sonny Weems round out Arkansas’ recruiting class and they should add depth to a team that should be a top-20 squad next season.

Mississippi State signed three high profile recruits in College of Southern Idaho transfer Travis Gabbidon, guard Ben Hansbrough, and Brownsville, Tennessee’s Jarvis Varnardo.  Gabbidon garnered 16.9 ppg., 6.7 rpg. in his sophomore season.  He has an opportunity to come in and see minutes as the coaches liked his shooting ability and leadership and maturity levels.  Gabbidon can take other teams' post players to the perimeter and create mismatches with his quickness as the 6-9 swingman will be able to take most teams' posts off the dribble.

Hansbrough, the younger brother of North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough, led Polar Bluff (Mo.) High School to back-to-back 5-A state championships.  His competitiveness and toughness were two attributes that impressed Bulldogs coach Ricky Stansbury.  The 6-9 Varnardo, the son of a coach, is a threat around the basket on offense and could prove to be a defensive stopper as he averaged seven blocks per game in his junior season at Haywood (Tn.) High School.  Varnardo is a Chuck Davis-style player with a little more athletic ability.

Stansbury rounded out his recruiting class with 6-3 G Barry Stewart of Shelbyville Central (Tenn.) and Grenada, Ms. shooting guard Phil Turner.  Stewart was the Class AAA Mr. Basketball in the TSSAA in the 2005-06 season as he and Turner should help add depth to a State team that returns four starters.

JUCO forward Mykal Riley of Panola (Tx.) JC signed with Alabama after he was released from scholarship at UAB when coach Mike Andersen left the Blazers for Missouri.  The 6-6 Riley is a three-point dynamo who made 93 shots from behind the arc in 22 games this past season.  In addition to his range, he led all JUCOs in steals as Gottfried feels fortunate to have signed a played of this caliber in April.

Riley adds to the mix of six newcomers that Gottfried will welcome in the fall.   The headliner could be 6-7, 225-pound Demetrius Jemison, who will bring a tough power game to the Crimson Tide’s frontcourt.  Jemison led Huffman High School in Birmingham to the Alabama 6-A championship game in March.  He is versatile as he can play a number of positions and he was the Birmingham city MVP as a junior.  Jemison will be joined in the post by 6-8 Avery Jukes of South Gwinnett (Ga.) High School.  Jukes averaged a double-double for the squad this past season (10.1 ppg., 10.2 rpg.).

Gottfried did not neglect his backcourt as guards Verice Cloyd, Mikhail Torrance, and Justin Tubbs will wear crimson come October.  Cloyd is another product of the Genesis One program where he averaged 17.5 ppg.  during his junior season and came back with a 21 ppg., 7 apg., effort in the ’05-06 campaign.  Torrance scores the ball well from all over as he and Tubbs, who shoots in the mid-40s from three-point range, join Ronald Steele and Brandon Hollinger in what should be one of the better backcourt attacks in the country.

Tide rival Auburn should be fun to watch in ’06-07 as the Tigers return 10 underclassmen from a competitive squad this past season.  Coach Jeff Lebo has added 6-9 Douglasville, Ga. F Matt Heramb, 6-4 Norcross, Ga. G Archie Miaway, and 6-1 Houston (Tx.) native Dewayne Reed to team that started to find itself near the end of last season. 

Heramb and Miaway are both known for their three-point marksmanship as Miaway helped to lead Tallahassee (Fla.) CC to a 31-4 record and an appearance in the NJCAA championship game.  Miaway shot 45% from three-point range. 

Reed scored 22 ppg. in leading Wheatley High School to a 31-4 record from the point guard position.  Lebo is impressed with the versatility in Reed’s scoring arsenal.  This trio joins 6-4 G Kelvin Lewis of North Crowley (Tx.) High School and 6-6 Lucas Hargrove of Richland Northeast High School in Columbia, SC.  Hargrove is also known for his versatility while Lewis was rated among the top 20 shooting guards in America by several scouting services.

The new kid on the block is Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy, who took over for deposed Rod Barnes in April.  Kennedy’s first signee was 6-8, 240-pound Kenny Williams from St. Petersburg (Fla.) CC.  He had 13 double-doubles and shot 55% from the field in leading his JUCO team to a 25-7 mark .  Kennedy expects him to make an immediate impact for the Rebels next season. 

Joining Williams is 6-8, 215-pound Andy Ogide of Dallas (Ga.) and 6-4 G Rodney Jones of Peabody Magnet School in Alexandria, La.  Ogide is very athletic and can play lots of positions as he averaged 25.3 ppg. and 10.3 boards in the ’05-06 campaign.  Jones won more than 100 games at Peabody as he helped his team to a 34-5 record and a state semifinals appearance last season.  He was the Louisiana 4-A Player of the Year as he averaged 27 ppg. and 10 rpg.

Finally, LSU followed its Final Four run by becoming involved late with blue chippers Darrell Arthur and Scottie Reynolds.  Arthur’s interest in LSU was spurred by its tournament run; but in the end, he signed with Kansas, who was considered the front runner all along.  Reynolds, from Herndon, Va., signed with Villanova at the end of the recruiting period.

The Tigers will welcome Texas tech transfer Terry Martin, Jr. to the upcoming squad as he will be eligible to play at the start of the fall semester.  If LSU does not sign anyone in the next few weeks, the Tigers will hardly sweat as coach John Brady lost Tyrus Thomas to the NBA, but has 12 rising underclassmen who make them a force in the league and in the nation.

Check back tomorrow for Ken's breakdown of SEC West Recruiting..