Here are a few notes from around the world of recruiting…
**Patterson (N.C.) head coach Chris Chaney says point guard Vincent Council of New York has offers/interest from Providence, Rutgers Charlotte and Arkansas and is “leaning toward Providence.” The 6-foot-2 Council is averaging 13 points and 10 assists for Patterson, ranked No. 3 in the National [...]

Clark Francis’ rankings of the Top Seniors in the Class of 2009 are out and Brooklyn Lincoln guard Lance Stephenson tops the list.
Stephenson has said he will wait until the spring to announce his future plans. St. John’s, Kansas and USC are among the schools recruiting him, and some speculate he may also opt to [...]

Providence continued to land quality players when it secured a commitment Wednesday from 5-foot-10, 160-pound point guard Johnnie Lacy of Notre Dame Prep.
Lacy, the No. 18 point guard in the Class of 2009 according to Rivals, chose the Friars over Tennessee, Texas and Pitt, Notre Dame coach Ryan Hurd said.
“We’re excited about his future at [...]

Two of the top uncommitted players in the metropolitan area will take key official visits this weekend.
Sherrod Wright, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound shooting guard from Mount Vernon High, is headed to South Carolina today for an official visit.
“He is going to South Carolina [Friday],” Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino said.
Wright is ranked No. 35 among shooting [...]

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Seton Hall may not yet have any commits from the Class of 2009, but one 2010 prospect lists the Pirates as his favorite.
Paterson Catholic junior point guard Jayon James says Seton Hall is at the top of his list.
“They’ve been recruiting me since going into my freshman year,” the 6-foot-5, 225-pound [...]

Tevin Baskin was slated to visit UMass last weekend and Providence this weekend, but now he says he’s “wide open” and “re-opening” his recruitment.
“I decided to open back up my recruitment,” said the 6-foot-7 senior forward from Trinity (Conn.) Catholic. “I may end up commiting to a school in April if something doesn’t grab my [...]

It’s a two-horse race for Torrington (Conn.) big man Jordan Williams.
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Williams is expected to decide between Maryland and St. John’s within the next week or so, according to Torrington head coach Tony Turina.
“He’s been at St. John’s and he was also at Maryland,” Turina said. “Both visits were great. He’s got a [...]

When the Pittsburgh men’s basketball team starts practice next week to defend its Big East tournament championship, Levance Fields, the heart and soul of the Panthers, will have to watch from the sideline.
Fields, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior point guard from Brooklyn, is still rehabilitating the left foot he broke against Dayton last December. Fields returned [...]

Providence and Cincinnati are the top two teams in the mix for 6-foot-5 shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick of Notre Dame Prep.
“The two visits he now has scheduled are Cincinnati and Providence,” Notre Dame Prep coach Ryan Hurd said Monday. “I don’t anticipate any other visits at this time.”
Hurd said Kilpatrick will visit Cincinnati this coming [...]

There appears to be some confusion surrounding the recruitment of Sean Kilpatrick.
Ryan Hurd, the head coach at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., said the only official visit Kilpatrick had set up through the proper channels was an Oct. 24 trip to Providence.
Yet Gerard Jones, who is advising Kilpatrick, says the 6-foot-5, 210-pound shooting [...]