Exclusive: Ledo Picks PC
Friday, August 26, 2011
Coach Cooley is on a roll!
We reported first here earlier in the week that the PC Friars new head coach had just landed the highly-touted Kris Dunn and was about to land Ricky Ledo. The eagle, or should I say “the Friar” has landed!
Sources say that that he is just contemplating when to make the announcement with Hurricane Irene about to impact the area. Regardless of when the official announcement is made, Ledo’s commitment which comes on the heels of Kris Dunn’s commitment is the perfect storm for Providence College men’s basketball.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThis is the second time Ledo has committed to PC. He originally said that he would attend the school when Keno Davis was the head coach but later backed out of that verbal commitment. This time, he means it and will sign a letter of intent to prove it.
When reached by phone, Ledo would not confirm to GoLocalProv.com his intentions to choose PC. "I haven't made my decision yet," he said. "I plan on making my announcement next week on Thursday. I want to do a press conference with all the hats and then pick one."
When asked if that press conference would be here or at Notre Dame Prep he said, "it'll be here at a local sports bar." He later recanted that statement saying he's still undecided where it is going to be but you can read between the lines so-to-speak. We have since learned that Ledo is planning a 3pm presser at Ladder 133 Bar & Grille at 133 Douglas Avenue in Providence just down the road from PC. Do you think that he would hold a press conference there and pick one of the other 4 schools he is supposedly considering? Not a chance!
Ledo is considered by most recruiting services to be the top shooting guard available in the class of 2012. The Notre Dame Prep star confirmed to GoLocalProv.com that his final five schools are PC, UConn, Syracuse, West Virginia and Kentucky.
Ledo attended the Syracuse Elite Camp last weekend and there are rumors that he may consider being one-and-done player in college meaning he would jump to the pros after his freshman year which may not have impressed Orange coach Jim Boeheim.
Defending National Champion UConn may have also been lukewarm on Ledo because of his history of bouncing from high school to high school and the fact that the Huskies can’t afford to take on any questionable characters given the recent trouble the program was in with the NCAA.
Regardless of which schools really wanted him and which schools did not, this is a huge score for Cooley and his staff. It’s not often that Providence can land THE top player at his position. He is serving notice to his fellow Big East coaches that he will not play second fiddle to the premier programs when going after top recruits.
Ed Cooley knows what it’s like to come home. He left Fairfield to return to Providence a few months ago. Now Ricky Ledo will return home to play for the Friars starting in 2012-2013.
