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By BRIAN LANDMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 11, 2000
The signed letters didn't come until Friday, but the wait was more than worth it for Florida State coach Steve Robinson as he landed two recruits, Anthony Richardson and Adam Waleskowski.
"We are very excited to have Anthony Richardson and Adam Waleskowski joining our program," Robinson said. "Their addition gives us two more high-level players, which allows us to continue our efforts in transforming Florida State into one of the top programs in the nation."
Richardson, a 6-foot-7 forward from Raleigh (N.C.) Leesville High, is rated the nation's 10th-best prospect by Brick Oettinger. He averaged 14 points and eight rebounds as a junior.
Waleskowski, a 6-9 power forward from Kettering (Ohio) High listed in All Star Sports Publication's top 100, averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds last season.
ALABAMA: Earnest Shelton, a 6-3 guard from Memphis, signed. Shelton was the MVP at the Tennessee Class AAA championships as a junior and averaged 21.4 points and six rebounds for White Station High.
CLEMSON: Forward Sharrod Ford, Accokeek, Md.; forward Olu Babalola, London; and wing Chey Christie, Biloxi, Miss., signed national letters of intent.
FLORIDA: James White signed a national letter of intent.
White, a 6-6, 195-pound guard from Kensington, Md., is a senior at Hargrave Military Academy. White averaged 23.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists at Kensington High as a junior. White led his team to the private school state championship.
"He will be one of the better athletes to ever play here," coach Billy Donovan said. "He is in control and extremely athletic. One thing that impresses me most about James is his unselfishness."
GEORGIA TECH: Michael Southall, who was headed for Kentucky before he was caught on videotape using drugs in high school, signed with the Yellow Jackets.
New Tech coach Paul Hewitt said he checked the player's academic record and talked with the judge and probation officer who handled the criminal case.
MARYLAND: Michael Grinnon, a 6-6 guard from Oyster Bay, N.Y., signed. He averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals last season at St. Dominic High.
MIAMI: Junior Paulo Coelho, a backup point guard, is expected to miss four months after surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
MINNESOTA: Attorneys for ex-coach Clem Haskins are asking a court to dismiss a lawsuit by the school that seeks to recover some of the $1.5-million he was paid in a contract buyout in June 1999.
NO. 7 KANSAS 82, ST. JOHN'S 74: Kansas has the script for early season games down pat.
For the second straight night the Jayhawks had a hot-shooting first half, then held on down the stretch, this time to win the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York.
Kansas extended its November winning streak to 31 games, dating to a 1990 loss at Arizona State.
In their 99-98 opening-round win over UCLA, the Jayhawks shot 65 percent in the first half, then held off the Bruins with offensive rebounding and perfect free-throw shooting.
It wasn't exactly that way against the Red Storm (1-1).
Kansas shot 63 percent in the first half, but had only two field goals over the final five minutes and went 5-for-10 from the line over the final 2:13.
NO. 17 UCLA 97, NO. 12 UK 92 (OT): UCLA lost a seven-point lead in the final 41/2 minutes of regulation then hung on in overtime in the Coaches vs. Cancer third-place game. Jason Kapono had 21 points on 5-for-7 three-point shooting for the Bruins (1-1). Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince made two free throws with 24 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 77.
NO. 6 UNC 66, WINTHROP 61: North Carolina didn't live up to its high preseason ranking. The host Tar Heels struggled for most of Matt Doherty's first game as coach of his alma mater before pulling away in the NABC Classic.
TULSA 69, ARIZONA ST. 67: Dante Swanson's steal and layup with 38.7 seconds left led Tulsa in the second game of the NABC Classic, giving Buzz Peterson a win in his debut as Golden Hurricane coach.
JACKSONVILLE 94, UNF 79: Four Dolphins scored in double figures as JU won the preseason game against its cross-town rival.
- Correspondent Debi Jones and Times wires contributed to this report.