Going into the fall, decisions on the playing futures of a highly-touted superstar duo loomed over the Jamesville-DeWitt boys basketball program.
Now one of them is settled – Tyler Cavanaugh is on his way to Wake Forest University.
Cavanaugh, a 6-8 forward, announced that on Saturday he told Wake Forest head coach Jeff Bzedlik that he will attend the school in Winston-Salem, N.C., starting in the fall of 2012.
A starter since his sophomore year at J-D, Cavanaugh has played a vital role in maintaining the Red Rams’ hoops dynasty. He was the team’s second-leading scorer as it won state Class A championships in 2010 and ’11, to go with titles already claimed in 2008 and ’09.
Originally, Cavanaugh had planned five official campus visits, with Syracuse University also on the list that included Notre Dame, Davidson and George Washington. But Cavanaugh said his visit to Wake Forest late last week went so well that the decision to go there was easier to make.
Wake Forest is part of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which just accepted SU as a member last weekend. It has only made the NCAA Final Four once, in 1962, despite the presence in ensuing years of such future NBA stars as Tim Duncan and Chris Paul. Still, it has enjoyed many fine moments while in the considerable shadow of the nearby North Carolina and Duke programs.
Under Bzedlik, the Demon Deacons are in the midst of a vast rebuilding process, having gone 8-24 in Bzedlik’s first year after the firing of Dino Gaudio, who led Wake to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. As recently as 2009, the Deacons owned the nation’s no. 1 ranking.
Given this, Cavanaugh could play a big role right away, with a body strong enough to work inside (he’s grown to 225 pounds), yet still possessing an outside shooting touch, as witnessed by his 41 percent 3-point conversion rate as a junior at J-D. He also goes there with a fine student record that includes a 92 grade average and 1,200 SAT, so Wake’s rigorous academics should not overwhelm him.
In going to Wake, Cavanaugh spurned SU, who has seen J-D alums Andy Rautins and Brandon Triche star for them in recent years. And, of course, there’s still the question of where DaJuan Coleman will go.
Coleman, one of the nation’s top prospects, received a visit from Kentucky coach John Calipari in recent days, but still has not made his decision yet – and SU is on the list of finalists.
