John Wall, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2009, has been charged with breaking and entering by Raleigh police, according to WRAL in Raleigh.
Authorities said Wall, 18, was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering in connection with an April 27 break-in at an unoccupied home in Raleigh.
An officer saw Wall leaving from the rear of the house and detained him, police said. There was no forced entry and nothing was taken from the house, police said.
The home in question is vacant and for sale, meaning Wall and his friends could have just been guilty of hanging out in a spot where they were not allowed.
“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Dave Telep of Scout told WRAL. “It’s a misdemeanor. It could be nothing more than a mistake.
“I think John is a good kid. It doesn’t feel right,” Telep added.
The 6-foot-4 Wall is due to cut his list any day. He currently lists Baylor, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Miami and N.C. State.
It remains unclear how this latest charge will impact Wall’s recruitment, Will Duke or Kentucky back off? Will Coach K decide he can’t get such a player, no matter how talented, into Duke? Will John Calipari have a hard time explaining to his boosters and administration why he went so hard after a young man who has been charged with a crime? Or will the whole thing prove to be much ado about nothing?
BASKIN VISITING MANHATTAN
Tevin Baskin, 6-foot-7 senior forward from Trinity (Conn.) Catholic, says he will visit Manhattan in the next week and is also planning several other visits.
“I’m still hearing from Providence. Missouri and Georgia Southern are showing interest,” he wrote in a text. “I’m going to wait it out and see what happens and what offers come in and I’ll make a decision based on where and who I feel comfortable with.”
Last season, Baskin averaged 20.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.1 blocks for Trinity Catholic, which finished 24-4 and lost to Crosby, 82-79, in the state championship game despite 35 points and 12 rebounds from Baskin.
Last summer, Baskin averaged about 15 points and eight rebounds for the New York Gauchos. They captured two tournaments in New York and made the final of the national AAU 17-and-under championship, losing to Team Breakdown of Florida, 77-60. That squad features Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight.
InfinityDividedByZero / May 5, 2009
Wall deserves the presumption of innocence.
If Barnhart or the boosters who craved Calipari looked at his ethical track record, he won’t have a hard time explaining anything. Last year, the man took Tyreke Evans, the driver involved in a getaway murder in Chester, PA. Short of committing a violent act against one of his daughters, Calipari would take any player.
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