Words. Jason Jordan

Dezmine Wells isn’t currently in serious contention for the number one spot in the Top-50 for HighSchoolHoop or any other recruiting outlets. He’s not bombarded with autograph requests at the ends of games, and there’s a decent chance that if you saw him play last season at Word of God Academy (N.C.), depending on the game, you may not even remember the 6-4 combo guard who averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game.

It’s not a knock; it’s just that shining is hard when you’re sharing the backcourt with the brightest star in the country. That’s how it was for Wells when he played alongside John Wall for the Holy Rams.

Now going into his junior year, Wells showed that he could stand out consistently this past AAU season, starring with CP3 All Stars. As a result, his stock soared through the roof.

Wells cashed in this week, picking Xavier over Georgetown, Miami, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Oregon State, Boston College, Georgia Tech and South Carolina.

“Everything about them (Xavier) was just really down-to-earth and honest,” said Wells. “The coaching staff isn’t the type to be in your face for every little mistake. They let you make them and they correct you. And my relationship with Coach Kelsey (associate head coach Pat Kelsey) was far beyond any relationship that I have with any coach. They were getting in touch with everyone in my family to try and get me. No other school was doing that. That was really big for me.”

Though he’s already highly rated in the 2011 class, Wells will end up being a steal for the Musketeers. He’s got brute strength, a tight handle and he’s quick, which allows him to get into the lane at and finish with authority. He makes good decisions with the ball and fills lanes well. His jump shot, which improves every time we watch him, is solid.

So why Xavier and why now?

“I’m used to all of the attention from recruiting and all of that stuff,” said Wells. “I just wanted to go ahead and do it. I feel like I found something special, and I didn’t want to pass it up for someone else to get it.”

Wells joins Bloomington High South (Ind.) point guard Dee Davis to form the Musketeers’ 2011 recruiting class thus far.

Video of Dezmine Wells doing work:

Other notable commitments from this past week included:

* Kyrie Irving (2010), 6-2, PG, St. Patrick’s High (N.J.) — Duke
* Jordan Threloff (2010), 6-10, C, De Kalb High (Ill.) — Illinois State
* Nate Hicks (2010), 6-11, C, Arnold High (Fla.) — Tulane
* Dwight Powell (2010), 6-10, C, IMG Academy (Fla.) — Stanford
* Vander Blue (2010), 6-3, SG, Memorial High (Wis.) — Marquette
* Jeffrey Reese (2010), 6-4, SG, Gulf Coast Community College (Fla.) — Louisiana Lafayette
* Paul Cooper (2010), 6-8, F, Gulf Coast Community College (Fla.) — Texas Tech
* Steven Carver (2010), 6-7, F, Northwest High (Kan.) — Holy Cross
* DeShaun Wiggins (2010), 6-3, SG, Bridgton Academy (Maine) — Seton Hall
* Derrick Williams (2010), 6-7, C, St. Anthony’s (N.J.) — Richmond
* Frank Williams (2010), 6-5, SG, Raytown Senior High (Mich.) — Detroit
* Nate VanArendonk (2010), 6-10, C, Grand Haven High (Mich.) — Central Michigan
* Raphael Akpejiori (2010), 6-9, F, Sunrise Christian Academy (Kan.) — Miami
* Kyle Cain (2010), 6-7, F, New Hampton School (N.H.) — Rhode Island
* James Carlton (2010), 6-7, F, South Central High (N.C.) — College of Charleston
* Achraf Yacoubou (2011), 6-3, SG, Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) — Villanova
* Byron Wesley (2011), 6-5, F, Etiwanda High (Calif.) — Southern California
* Trey Burke (2011), 6-0, PG, Northland High (OH) — Penn State
* Kyle Molock (2012), 6-1, PG, Dublin Coffman High (OH) — Purdue

Tags: Achraf Yacoubou, Dee Davis, DeShaun Wiggins, Dezmine Wells, Dwight Powell, john wall, kyrie irving, Paul Cooper, Raphael Akpejiori, Vander Blue, Xavier
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Friday, October 23rd, 2009

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