UPDATE: Hinds commits to WVU, Dinwiddie becomes UNLV’s top target for 2011 PG

By Ryan Greene

Published Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010 | 2:15 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010 | 10:45 a.m.

The carousel is still spinning, but it appears to be slowing as UNLV hopes to be drawing closer to filling its need for a point guard in the 2011 recruiting class.

Names have come, names have gone and only a name or two remains.

At the height of the summer, the Rebels' staff had a list of between seven and eight prospects they were chasing for that spot. Since then, Kevin Pangos and Jahii Carson committed elsewhere, then the situation cooled with Cezar Guerrero, and he ultimately ended up committing to Western Kentucky last Friday.

The list lost yet another name on Tuesday morning, as Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High guard Jabarie Hinds committed to West Virginia.

Hinds took a recruiting visit to UNLV for the first time in mid-September, and it was followed up late in the contact period by an in-home visit from UNLV assistant coach — and fellow Mount Vernon native — Lew Hill.

UNLV's hopes for the 6-foot, 160-pound do-it-all guard looked good of late, as his two other finalists — UConn and West Virginia — looked like they got a bump late in the game. First, UConn and coach Jim Calhoun self-reported major recruiting violations to the NCAA that could affect the program's near future. Then, on Monday, West Virginia landed a commitment from another 2011 point guard — Aurora (Ill.) East High's Ryan Boatright — who, as a player, is brutally similar to Hinds.

Now, the top target left on the board is Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft High's Spencer Dinwiddie.

If UNLV can land a commitment from Dinwiddie, he would be the second in the class of 2011, which already includes Notre Dame (Mass.) Prep power forward Grandy Glaze.

Dinwiddie was a little bit more of an unknown than Hinds until this summer, but carries with him a certain level of intrigue.

At 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds, Dinwiddie is a taller, pass-first point guard who made a name for himself this summer in Las Vegas by claiming MVP honors at the adidas Super 64 in early July.

On a team that featured standout 2012 small forward Xavier Johnson and Findlay Prep star guard Nigel Williams-Goss, Dinwiddie helped lead his Double Pump Elite team to the title in the 17U bracket by doing a little bit of everything.

Dinwiddie had originally planned to take his final official visit to UNLV last weekend for the annual FirstLook event, but it was pushed back to Halloween weekend so that his entire family — mom, dad and younger brother — can be involved.

"It was my decision to make it a family thing," Dinwiddie said. "(What they think) factors in on my decision, but at the end of the day, it's still mine."

UNLV is one of five schools still in the running for Dinwiddie, who said he wants to make a decision before Taft's season begins in late November.

Also in the running is Colorado, Oregon, Harvard and UCLA. Of the five finalists, all but UCLA have offered scholarships.

"I know they're supposed to be a Top 25 program," Dinwiddie said of UNLV. "They have a great coaching staff, a great head coach and they play a great style."

Colorado has an in because new coach Tad Boyle has been on Dinwiddie the longest. Harvard's angle is not only an appealing educational opportunity, but also the fact that coach Tommy Amaker just recently landed commitments from two strong fellow Southern California prospects who Dinwiddie knows well — Wesley Saunders and Kenyatta Smith. Those two alone will help make Harvard a yearly player in the race for the Ivy League's automatic NCAA tourney bid.

UNLV has a unique tie of its own to Dinwiddie in fellow Taft alum Justin Hawkins, now a sophomore reserve guard for the Rebels.

Dinwiddie said that he hears from Hawkins at least once a week. The two have known each other for almost a decade, and grew up playing ball together at local parks.

Hawkins has taken a liking to the role of recruiting Dinwiddie, and the lanky point guard would be a perfect fit for Lon Kruger's system, as an unselfish leader who is beyond coachable.

He could potentially flourish at UNLV while surrounded by scorers much like he did alongside Williams-Goss, Johnson and others over the summer months.

For now, he's still on the carousel.

"(This summer) was gigantic — It was really big for me to help my recruiting. I loved it and had a lot of fun," Dinwiddie added. "Right now, I'm wide open."