So it looks like former Texas commit DeAndre Daniels has his final four schools decided.
Florida makes sense because Donovan is a good recruiter and Daniels goes to school in Florida now at the IMG Academy. UCLA also makes sense because Daniels is from California. KU has been on a big downswing in recruiting momentum over the past couple of years (2010 and 2011 classes), so DeAndre represents a huge must-get for Kansas if they want to maintain their desired talent level.
It's good to see Texas still in it, and it can't be understated how big of an impact Jordan Hamilton's rapid ascent to stardom has had on DeAndre. The two are of similar height, play the same position (small forward), and have a similar skillset and skill level.
Unlike Jordan, though, DeAndre would be an ideal fit at the four spot for a Rick Barnes team. His length and good athleticism for his height (about 6'8") would work fine in college for defense and rebounding, and obviously with his infinite 3-point range, handle, slashing ability, and quickness, he'd be a huge mismatch on the offensive end. That said, he would likely start at the three next year, but with our continued problem with post depth, having the ability to spin DeAndre down to the four spot would be a vital tactical trump card for Rick.
This would be a big-time pick up (re-pick up?) for Barnes and Texas, as Daniels would almost assuredly start from day one at Texas at either the three or the four. The flexibility of every player in the 2011 recruiting class except Myck Kabongo to play multiple positions is extremely important in college basketball, where positions are less defined and getting the best players on the court together in some capacity is the ultimate objective in the game. Julien Lewis could play 1-3, Sheldon McClellan could play 2-3, Jon Holmes could play 3-5, and DeAndre Daniels could conceivably play every position on the court except point guard as long as we're playing reasonably-sized (i.e. not the Lopez twins) opponents or we choose to go zone.
The potential starting lineups afforded to Texas if Daniels were to commit would look like this:
PG: Myck Kabongo
SG: Cory Joseph
SF: Sheldon McClellan
PF: DeAndre Daniels
C: Tristan Thompson
Or:
PG: Myck Kabongo
SG: Cory Joseph
SF: DeAndre Daniels
PF: Tristan Thompson
C: Clint Chapman