Wake Forest Signs Deep Top 10 Class

Press Release — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:43:22 -0800

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest head coach Dino Gaudio announced today that five prospective student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Wake Forest beginning in the fall of 2010.

Guards Tony Chennault (Philadelphia, Pa.) and J.T. Terrell (Charlotte, N.C.), forwards Travis McKie (Richmond, Va.) and Melvin Tabb (Raleigh, N.C.) and center Carson Desrosiers (Windham, N.H.) have all signed their official commitments to join the Demon Deacon basketball family next season.

“We are very pleased with our 2010 recruiting class,” said Gaudio. “All five of these young men are good students and high character individuals who will fit in very well on the Wake Forest campus and on our basketball team.”

The group has been rated as one of the top recruiting classes in the country by multiple sources. ESPN lists Wake Forest’s signees as the No. 6 recruiting class. Rivals.com has the Deacons at No. 8, while Scout.com lists the class as the ninth-best in the nation. This marks the second time in the past three years that Gaudio and his staff have brought in a top 10-rated recruiting class.

Chennault is a 6-1, 170-pound guard out of Philadelphia’s Saints Neumann and Goretti High School. Playing under coach Carl Arrigale, Chennault was named first team all-state after leading Neumann-Goretti to the state quarterfinals as a junior in 2008-09. The Saints finished the season 26-3 and won the Philadelphia Catholic League with a perfect conference record.

Entering this season, Neumann-Goretti is ranked No. 18 in the nation in the ESPN Rise Preseason Poll. In addition to Chennault, three other Saints have signed Division I basketball scholarships.

Chennault is ranked No. 28 on ESPN’s list of top point guards in the class of 2010. MaxPreps has Chennault as the No. 76 prospect overall, while Scout lists him as the No. 36 point guard in the class.

“Tony is a typical Philly point guard—he’s incredibly competitive, a very good leader and simply put a winner,” said Gaudio. “Tony has a chance to add to the long line of great point guards at Wake Forest.”

Desrosiers is a 6-11, 210-pound center out of Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Mass. A native of Windham, N.H., Desrosiers is a three-year letterwinner for Central Catholic and coach Rick Nault.

He led the Raiders to a 23-2 record and No. 4 state ranking as a junior last season, earning Eagle-Tribune MVP and Boston Herald Dream Team honors.

As a sophomore in 2007-08, Desrosiers led Central Catholic to a 25-2 record and the Division I state title. He averaged 10.5 points, 10 rebounds and 11.5 blocks per game for the Raiders.

Desrosiers is ranked as the No. 8 center and the No. 38 overall prospect according to Scout. Rivals has him as the No. 10 center and No. 87 overall prospect. He is listed as a four-star prospect by both services. ESPN lists Desrosiers as the No. 5 center, the No. 75 overall prospect and top-rated recruit out of the state of New Hampshire.

“Carson is as skilled a big man as we’ve had in the nine years our staff has been at Wake Forest,” said Gaudio. “Not many players with his size can shoot the three, put the ball on the floor or pass the ball as well as Carson can.”

McKie is a 6-7, 195-pound forward out of John Marshall High School in Richmond, Va. McKie actually attends Richmond Community High School, which does not have a basketball team. Under coach Frank Threatts, McKie has led John Marshall to consecutive state semifinal appearances.

As a junior in 2008-09, McKie was named the Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year in 2009 after averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds per game. He led the Justices to a 26-6 record and a conference championship.

McKie is ranked by both Scout and Rivals as the No. 9 small forward in the class. Scout has him as the No. 46 overall prospect, while Rivals lists McKie as the No. 50 overall recruit. He is listed as a four-star prospect by both services. ESPN ranks McKie as the No. 10 small forward and the No. 55 overall prospect.

“Travis is an athletic wing who can score both from both the perimeter, as well as in the paint,” said Gaudio. “With his versatility, Travis will be able to play a number of positions and defend a variety of different players.”

Tabb is a 6-8, 225-pound forward out of Enloe High School in Raleigh, N.C. Playing under coach Tommy Moore, Tabb was named first team all-conference after leading Enloe to a 28-3 record last season. Tabb averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds, as the Eagles advanced to the state 4A regional semifinals.

Tabb averaged 14 points and eight rebounds to lead Enloe to a 19-7 record in 2007-08. Tabb and Enloe enter the 2009-10 season ranked No. 8 in the East Coast Region in the PrepNation preseason poll.

Tabb is ranked by ESPN as the No. 17 power forward and the No. 63 overall prospect in the class. ESPN also lists him as the fifth-best recruit out of the state of North Carolina. Rivals has Tabb as the No. 17 power forward and No. 85 overall prospect, while Scout lists him as the No. 20 power forward and No. 8 overall recruit. Tabb is listed as a four-star recruit by both services.

“Melvin is a strong, physical forward who can contribute in a variety of ways to our program,” said Gaudio. “Melvin can score inside, as well as off the dribble, and he is a terrific defender.”

Terrell is a 6-4, 175-pound guard out of West Charlotte High School in Charlotte, N.C. Terrell is entering his first season at West Charlotte after playing at Burlington’s Cummings High School each of his three previous prep seasons.

Terrell was named the Burlington Times-News All-Region Player of the Year in 2008 and in 2009. He was the Mid-State 2A Conference Player of the Year in both seasons and was named first team all-state by the Associated Press in 2009.

Terrell helped Cummings win the 2A state title as a freshman in 2006-07. He averaged 25 points as a sophomore in 2007-08 and then averaged 31 points and six rebounds as a junior last season.

Terrell is ranked by ESPN as the No 14 shooting guard and No. 47 overall prospect in the class. ESPN also lists him as the third-best recruit out of the state of North Carolina. A four-star prospect according to both Rivals and Scout, Terrell is listed as the No. 18 shooting guard by Scout and No. 19 shooting guard by Rivals. Scout has him as the No. 78 overall prospect, while Rivals lists Terrell as the No. 78 overall recruit.

“J.T. is an incredibly explosive scorer with deep range and the ability to score in a variety of ways,” said Gaudio. “With his size and athleticism, J.T. has the opportunity to be a terrific defender and really score the ball for us.”

Tony Chennault

6-1, 170

Guard

Philadelphia, Pa.

Neumann-Goretti HS

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 28 point guard in the class of 2010 … Rated by Scout as the No. 36 point guard … Listed by MaxPreps as the No. 76 overall prospect in the class … Plays at Saints Neumann and Goretti High School under coach Carl Arrigale … Named first team all-state as a junior in 2008-09 … Averaged 16 points per game to lead the Saints to a 26-3 overall record and a perfect Philadelphia Catholic League mark … Lost to eventual state champion Archbishop Carroll in the state AAA quarterfinals … Neumann-Goretti finished the season ranked No. 11 in the ESPN Rise East Region poll … Neumann-Goretti enters the 2009-10 season ranked No. 18 in the country in the ESPN Rise Preseason Poll … Enters senior season as a three-year letterwinner … Helped the Saints to a 26-6 record and a Catholic League championship as a freshman in 2006-07 … Neumann-Goretti classmates Ty reek Duren (La Salle), Mustafaa Jones (Hartford) and Danny Stewart (Rider) have signed Division I basketball scholarship offers … Played AAU ball for Team Final … Committed verbally to Wake Forest in August of 2008 … Chose the Deacons over offers from Pittsburgh, Providence, St. Joseph’s, Villanova and Virginia.

Carson Desrosiers

6-11, 210

Center

Windham, N.H.

Central Catholic (Mass.) HS

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 5 center and the No. 75 overall prospect … Listed by ESPN as the top recruit out of the state of New Hampshire … Rated by Scout as the No. 8 center and the No. 38 overall prospect … Ranked by Rivals as the No. 10 center and the No. 87 overall recruit … Listed as a four-star recruit by both Rivals and Scout … Rated by MaxPreps as the No. 74 overall prospect … Plays at Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Mass., under coach Rick Nault … Led the Raiders to the Division I state title as a sophomore in 2007-08 … Averaged 10.5 points, 10 rebounds and 11.5 blocks per game to lead Central Catholic to a 25-2 record and the No. 1 state ranking that season … As a junior in 2008-09, led the Raiders to a 23-2 record and the No. 4 state ranking … Central Catholic lost in the 2009 North Division I sectional finals … Named the 2009 Eagle-Tribune Basketball MVP … Named to the Boston Herald Dream Team … Has led the Raiders to three straight Merrimack Valley Conference championships … Enters his senior season as a three-year letterwinner for the Raiders … Played AAU ball for Mass Rivals … Committed verbally to Wake Forest in September of 2009 … Chose the Deacons over offers from Arizona State and Marquette … Last name is pronounced “deh-ROW-zure”.

Travis McKie

6-7, 195

Forward

Richmond, Va.

John Marshall HS

Ranked by both Scout and Rivals as the No. 9 small forward … Rated by Scout as the No. 46 overall prospect and by Rivals as the No. 50 overall recruit … Listed as a four-star recruit by both services … Ranked by ESPN as the No. 10 small forward, the No. 55 overall prospect and the fourth-best recruit out of the state of Virginia … Plays at John Marshall High School under coach Frank Threatts … Attends Richmond Community High School, which does not have a basketball team … Named the Richmond Times-Dispatch Player of the Year in 2009 after averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds per game … Led the Justices to a 26-6 record, the AAA Colonial conference championship and a No. 12 state ranking in 2008-09 … Lost in the state semifinals in both 2008 and 2009 … Led John Marshall to a 28-2 record and the No. 8 state ranking as a sophomore in 2007-08 … Played AAU ball for Boo Williams … Committed verbally to Wake Forest in April of 2009 … Chose the Deacons over offers from a number of schools, including Alabama, Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech … Last name rhymes with “sky”.

Melvin Tabb

6-8, 225

Forward

Raleigh, N.C.

Enloe HS

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 17 power forward and the No. 63 overall prospect … Ranked by ESPN as the fifth-best recruit out of the state of North Carolina … Rated by Rivals as the No. 17 power forward and No. 85 overall prospect … Listed by Scout as the No. 20 power forward and No. 88 overall recruit … Listed as a four-star recruit by both Rivals and Scout … Plays at Enloe High School under coach Tommy Moore … Named first team all-Cap 7 conference after averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds as a junior in 2008-09 … Led the Eagles to a 28-3 record and a regular season conference championship … Enloe lost in the 2009 4A regional semifinals … Averaged 14 points and eight rebounds as a sophomore in 2007-08, leading Enloe to a 19-7 record … Enloe enters the 2009-10 season ranked No. 8 in the East Coast Region according to PrepNation … Played AAU ball for the CP3 All-Stars … Committed verbally to Wake Forest in February of 2009 … Chose the Deacons over offers from Clemson, East Carolina and South Carolina.

J.T. Terrell

6-4, 175

Guard

Charlotte, N.C.

West Charlotte HS

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 14 shooting guard and No. 47 overall prospect … Ranked by ESPN as the third-best recruit in the state of North Carolina … Rated by Scout as the No. 18 shooting guard and No. 75 overall prospect … Listed by Rivals as the No. 19 shooting guard and No. 78 overall prospect … Listed as a four-star recruit by both Rivals and Scout … Ranked as the No. 41 overall prospect by MaxPreps … Played under coach George Robinson at Cummings High School in Burlington, N.C., his first three prep seasons … Transferred to West Charlotte High prior to his senior year … Will play under coach Baronton Terry at West Charlotte … Named first team all-state by the AP after averaging 31 points and six rebounds per game for Cummings in 2008-09 … Named the Burlington Times-News All-Region Player of the Year, as well as the Mid-State 2A Conference Player of the Year … Led Cummings to a 21-7 record and a conference championship … Cummings fell in the 2A regional semifinals … Named the Times-News All-Region Co-Player of the Year and the Mid-State 2A Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2007-08 … Averaged 25 points, five rebounds and three assists, leading Cummings to a 17-8 record … Helped Cummings to the 2A state title as a freshman in 2006-07 … Defeated Starmount High for the state championship in the Smith Center in Chapel Hill … Played AAU ball for D-One Sports … Committed verbally to Wake Forest in July of 2008 … Chose the Deacons over offers from Charlotte, Miami and Virginia … Father, James, lettered two seasons at UNC Charlotte from 1991-92 … Last name is pronounced “TARE-uhl”.

travis mckie

Wake Forest Signs Deep Top 10 Class