I'm going with Syracuse. Actually feel pretty confident about it, too.
- Best & longest relationships with coaching staff,
- Dome & love shown by the fans,
- closest to home,
- best practice comp around,
- BFF with MCW (who's parents are also close with NN, and MCW's parents are basketball coaches I believe, so NN should feel comfortable with their opinion of SU),
- the fact that NN seems to be a trendsetter (flat top hair, purple sneakers, ect) which leads me to believe he def does not want to go to Kentucky to follow AD (not to mention the whole Kentucky 1 & done thing is getting a bit "played out" in that everyone expects the top recruits to go their now, IMO)...
- and, of course, NN having experienced UCONN at the Dome, and our best midnight madness ever.
And just to ramp up the good feelings for today, here is what I posted about OE and I meeting NN at midnight madness:
"Yep, I remember. Noel and Goodluck were outside the Dome just standing around, interacting with Cuse fans, when Orangeyes and I came over to meet them. Nice guys, seemed overwhelmed by the evening, but in a good way...almost as if they were still standing around outside because they didn't want the night to end. Took pictures with us...OE, you should post them!
I'm assuming they saw Carmelo make a grand exit that night...police escort out of the Dome with a small motorcade of black SUVs...with a crowd of Cuse fans screaming & cheering as if The Beatles themselves had just passed. I hope that in that moment Noel understood just how much Syracuse supporters love and support our former players & just how much of a "rockstar" Carmelo had become in his one year here. The same feeling I had when President Bill Clinton's motorcade passed by me (and other Syracuse grads) on the morning of May 11th, 2003 (Graduation Day) as I was standing outside of the Dome with cap & gown on, waiting to enter, was pretty similar to the feeling I got hearing the screams and shouts of adulation as SU's own Carmelo Anthony was whisked by us that night. Such a great night to be a Cuse Basketball fan. I will never regret driving up from Buffalo for that non-game event.
Afterwards, I was convinced that, since Noel was in attendence, (got his picture taken with Melo, hung out with the team, met up with Philly rapper Meek Mill, and met alumni such as DC, John Wallace, Flynn, etc) that no matter what would happen afterwards in his recruitment, Syracuse would always be a strong candidate for his commitment. So I have to laugh when a recruiting service fails to list Syracuse as an option for Nerlens...because if, after experiencing something like Syracuse Midnight Madness 2011, possibly a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of Syracuse Basketball past and present, Nerlens Noel still doesn't understand how special this program is, I'm not sure Syracuse ever had a chance then."