Selby de-commits from UT

Former Tennessee basketball commitment Josh Selby changed his phone number, his choice of schools and could very well change his brand of shoes this week.

Selby, the No. 2-rated point guard in the nation according to Rivals, informed the Vols’ coaching staff late Saturday night that he’s no longer committed to UT.

Selby, who has transferred from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., to Baltimore’s Lake Clifton High School, is expected to play AAU basketball in Las Vegas this week.

The three tournaments taking place in Las Vegas are The Reebok Shootout, the adidas 64 and the Nike Main Event. Selby’s choice of tournaments could offer a strong suggestion where he might end up playing college basketball.

Jordan McRae, who remains the Vols’ only Class of 2010 commitment, said Selby called him before posting news of his de-commitment on his Facebook page.

“He called me and told me and I was surprised,’’ said McRae, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard who committed to UT the same September weekend as Selby. “I asked him why and tried to talk him into staying, but his mind was already made up.’’

UT coach Bruce Pearl, reached via e-mail Sunday in Israel where he is coaching the U.S. team in the World Maccabiah Games, said the Vols will continue to recruit Selby. Pearl is not allowed to comment on the specifics of any unsigned prospect.

There has been a great deal of speculation among recruiting enthusiasts over the past 24 hours that Selby started to consider other options after attending LeBron James Nike skills camp in Cleveland, Ohio, the second week of July.

UT associate head coach Tony Jones and Vols’ assistant Steve Forbes attended the heavily scouted “Kings City Classic,’’ the tournament portion of the Nike camp.

“I’m not going to comment on any specific player, because I am not allowed to do that,’’ Jones said. “I’ll just say something smells right now.’’

Kentucky, a school with a Nike contract and John Calipari as head coach, has already landed the No. 1 and No. 2 rated players in the Class of 2009. Calipari, who enjoyed a strong relationship with Nike at Memphis, is believed to be involved in Selby’s recruitment. Tennessee’s contract is with adidas.

The Vols’ coaching staff, sans Pearl, will be in Las Vegas this week watching the top prospects.

Pearl is expected back in the U.S. on July 23, at which point he will go on the road recruiting through July 31.

Selby is the second player to de-commit from UT in the class of 2010, joining Aaron Craft, a point guard out of Findlay, Ohio.

Craft, rated No. 105 overall, has since made a verbal commitment to Ohio State.

The Vols are expected to have a full complement of five scholarships to offer in the Class of 2010.

Other point guards UT is believed to be interested in:

- Vander Blue, a 6-3 prospect out of Madison (Wisc.) Memorial who is rated No. 31 overall and recently de-committed from Wisconsin,

- Ray McCallum, a 6-1 player who’s the No. 46 overall rated player out of Detroit Country Day,

- Trae Golden, a 6-1 guard from McEachern High in Powder Springs, Ga., who is No. 74 overall,

- Andre Stringer, a 5-9 guard out of Forest Hills High School in Jackson, Miss., who is No. 94, and,

- Trevor Releford, No. 150 on Rivals Top 150 list, out of Shawnee Mission, Kan.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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