Early Signing Period Begins for Basketball

By Ryan Wood, iHoops.com November 12, 2009

Dreams were realized with one scribble of the pen this week.

The early signing period for basketball started Wednesday, and it was a memorable day for hundreds of boys and girls across the country aspiring to be college basketball players.

This is one of two signing periods for basketball. The regular signing period takes place from April 14 to May 19, 2010.

Many student-athletes choose not to wait until April, so they signed their letters of intent early to get the recruiting process behind them. This included several members of the iHoops' First Team, a mentoring program which helps student-athletes navigate the recruiting process and get the most out of their abilities both on and off the court.

Among the iHoops First Team members who signed during the early signing period:

• Okaro White, 6-foot-8 power forward (Florida State)
• Ralston Turner, 6-6 shooting guard (LSU)
• Trevor Releford, 5-11 point guard (Alabama)
• Juwan Staten, 5-11 PG (Dayton)
• Evan Anderson, 6-11 center (Wisconsin)
• Charles Hankerson, 6-5 SG (Alabama)
• Jarrell Eddie, 6-7 small forward (Virginia Tech)
• Cody Larson, 6-8 PF (Iowa)
• Dundrecous Nelson, 5-11 PG (Mississippi)
• Rakeem Brookins, 5-11 PG (Tulane)
• Flavien Davis, 6-6 SF (Loyola, Ill.)
• Joe Harms, 6-9 C (Austin Peay)
• Shane Southwell, 6-6 SF (Kansas State)
• Aaron Cooper, 5-11 PG (Missouri State)
• Kendall Marshall, 6-4 PG (North Carolina)
• Mardracus Wade, 6-3 SG (Arkansas)
• Cedrick Lindsay, 6-1 SG (Richmond)
• James Bell, 6-4 SF (Villanova)
• Jordan Dykstra, 6-9 PF (South Dakota State)

Many players give verbal commitments to schools before signing, but those commitments are non-binding. The letters of intent that players are signing this week are binding agreements to attend that school.

The early signing period lasts until November 18.

Find out where other top basketball players signed by checking out ESPNU's signing period tracker.