Brandon Knight of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest on Wednesday told the Orlando Sentinel he plans to announce “sometime soon.”

The 6-foot-4 Knight lists Florida, Kentucky, Kansas, UConn, and Miami as his final five.

“I’m pretty ready. I want to make sure I make the right decision,” Knight told the Sentinel after scoring 25 points in a 77-63 victory over Williston in a Florida Class 3A semifinal.

His father, Efrem Knight, recently told me there was no leader among the schools.

“Nobody’s leading. Brandon can flourish at any one of the schools that he’s going to,” Efrem Knight said by phone. “It still where it’s been. He’s considering all the same schools.”

Knight is part of a group of elite senior guards who has yet to  announce a school.

Fellow McDonald’s All-Americans Cory Joseph, Josh Selby and Doron Lamb remain uncommitted.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” one Division 1 assistant coach said. “It’s just odd because all these guys are point guards.”

The coach said he believed Knight’s delay in announcing was holding up the other guards, who are waiting to see what he does.

“My thing is this, if you want to go to Kentucky then say you’re going there,” the coach said. “[Kentucky coach John] Calipari really wants Brandon Knight and I think Coach Cal is holding everyone up.”

Kentucky will lose John Wall to the NBA Draft and could lose fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe as well, meaning he would need at least one elite guard to  come in. Calipari recently went to scout Joseph at Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep, but Joseph’s top five schools remain UConn, Villanova, Texas, UNLV and Minnesota.

Lamb is considering UConn, Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona and West Virginia.

Selby lists Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona and UConn.

Knight, Joseph and Lamb have all taken their five official visits, but none has committed.

“Everyone’s looking at what [Calipari] does,” the coach said.

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The cover read, “Final 4 – Jennings, Holiday, Evans & Stephenson. Who’s the best guard in the country?”

Three years later, three of those four guys are in the NBA and the fourth, Stephenson, likely soon will be.

Before Jennings torched the Knicks for 22 points and 8 assists in a 114-107  Bucks’ victory at Madison Square Garden, he spoke about the NBA prospects of Stephenson, a freshman at Cincinnati, and Kentucky frosh John Wall.

“I haven’t heard much about [Stephenson] so in that case probably when you don’t hear a lot about somebody, they probably need to stay another year or so,” Jennings said.

The 6-5 Stephenson was the Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year and is the favorite to win that same postseason award. He has been steady, but not spectacular, averaging 12 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

“He’s had a good year,” Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said recently. “I think for a freshman he’s had a great year. You can’t compare people to John Wall or Michael Beasley but Lance has had a very good year. I’d probably say if the voting were taken right now he’d probably be Freshman of the Year in the Big East. You can’t live up to ridiculous expectations that other people set forth for you.”

“He’s always been stronger than other kids and he always had that NBA body,” Jennings said. “Colleges are different. But when you get to the league it’s more open and you’re able to really showcase your skills.”

Jennings should know. After not getting a qualifying SAT score to attend Arizona, he spent last season in Italy, where the playing time was sparse and the lessons were hard. Now he and Evans are Rookie of the Year candidates.

Jennings is averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds, while out in Sacramento, Evans is averaging 20.7 points, 5 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

Jennings, like virtually everyone else, says Wall will be the No. 1 pick.

“I think the kid John Wall for sure is going to be the No. 1 pick…Now you just gotta wait and see how good they’re really gonna be on the next level because on the next level everybody can do what you can do.

“In college everybody can’t do what John Wall can do.”

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Here’s a video interview from ABC-WTVQ with Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God forward C.J. Leslie, who will be participating this weekend in the Dunkin Donuts Shootout National Classic at Lexington (Ky.) Catholic.

The 6-foot-9 Leslie is a friend and former teammate of current Kentucky freshman sensation John Wall and sure sounds like he might follow Wall to Bluegrass country.

“I think it’s a high interest on both parts,” Leslie said. “I’m definitely feeling Kentucky, and Kentucky is felling me. They’ve got some of the best fans around.”

Word of God coach Erasto Hatchett says he and Leslie are both in regular touch with Wall.

“He and C.J. are real good friends.  John and I communicate once every two weeks or so, I try to get him to talk with C.J. and some of the guys just kind of getting them prepared for what’s at the next level,” Hatchett said.

Leslie is also considering N.C. State, Oregon, UConn and Florida, but he is showing Kentucky some love during his trip.

“Looks like a great place to be,” he said.

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John Calipari

Is Brandon Knight next in line at Kentucky?

The 6-foot-3 Knight, the top prospect in the Class of 2010, has narrowed his list to four schools — Kentucky, Kansas, UConn and Florida — and will sign in the spring.

Considering Kentucky freshman John Wall will likely be the top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, does it make sense that Knight will end up following in Wall’s foosteps?

“Is he John Wall’s replacement,”  Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest coach Dave Beckerman asked rhetorically.

“I don’t think Brandon Knight is anybody’s replacement. He’s a true natural point guard. He has his own game.”

Calipari has proven to have a special touch with point guards.

Derrick Rose was the NBA Rookie of the Year last year with the Chicago Bulls.

Tyreke Evans is having a fine rookie campaign with the Sacramento Kings.

Calipari coached both at Memphis.

And Wall has led No. 3 Kentucky to a 10-0 record and has people talking about a potential Final Four appearance.

Just last week he dropped a season-high 25 points and 6 steals (together with 7 turnovers) on UConn in the SEC/Big East Invitational at Madison Square Garden.

When I asked Calipari where Wall compared to Rose and Evans, he answered: “He is a little bit ahead in what we are running on offense.”

Of course Kentucky won’t be the only program losing a point guard to the NBA.

Kansas will lose senior Sherron Collins and UConn could lose sophomore Kemba Walker.

Both teams, along with Florida, would love to land Knight, who boasts a 4.2 GPA, has already won two MVP trophies this season and was one of 10 high school players  named to the Naismith Trophy Boys’ High School Player of the Year watch list on Friday.

Beckerman said Knight will watch all the teams this season and then decide after the high school season ends.

“He wants to see how schools do,” Beckerman said. “What recruiting classes are so that he can look in and find his spot and enroll at the right school.”

Of course if he ends up at Kentucky as the next lottery pick in line, don’t be surprised.

“Kentucky has shown a lot of interest,” Beckerman said.

MILK FIELDING OFFERS

Beckerman said 6-9 forward Matt Milk, a Long Island native playing at Pine Crest, has not committed to Florida International coach Isiah Thomas but remains interested and has also heard from other schools.

“Hartford has called on him.  Fordham called on him. [Division 3] Trinity (Conn.) has been hot after him. He would be a big fish in a small pond there,” the coach said.

“A lot of people stopped calling because they thought he had committed to FIU,” Beckerman added. “The answer is he hasn’t committed. He’s waiting until the spring and evaluating his position.”

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Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall is projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and the Nets (2-19) currently have the worst record in the NBA, meaning they could land the top pick if the ping pong balls fall their way.

“I hope we make the playoffs,” Thorn said with a smile. “Right now it looks like we’ll probably be in the lottery someplace.”

The Knicks (7-15), of course, have no first-round pick because they traded it and it now belongs to the Utah Jazz. They have two second-round picks.

Kentucky coach John Calipari has sent his last two point guards from his time at Memphis to the lottery, Derrick Rose and and Tyreke Evans. Rose was the NBA Rookie of the Year last season with the Chicago Bulls and Evans is having a strong rookie campaign with the Sacramento Kings.

Wall is widely regarded as the next guard to follow in their place. He enters the UConn game averaging 18.1 points, 6.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds.

“I can’t talk about specific players, but you don’t know,” said Thorn, who also saw Wall play here in April in the Jordan Brand Classic.  “It’s tough. I don’t care who you are, a young guy coming in the NBA.”

Kentucky features several players who could be drafted next year, Wall, junior forward Patrick Patterson and freshman big man DeMarcus Cousins.

“We’ve got a lot of pieces we’re looking for,” Thorn said.

The Nets could opt to draft Wall with the first pick and pair him with point guard Devin Harris, or trade one of them for another piece.

Either way, he thinks the 2010 NBA Draft can help his team.

“I think it’s going to be a pretty good one,” he said.

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Lance Stephenson

The 6-foot-5 Brooklyn native started and shot 2-for-10 for 7 points in Cincinnati’s season-opening come-from-behind 69-62 victory over Prairie View A&M.

He was 0-for-3 from beyond the arc while adding 4 rebounds, 2 assist and 1 turnover in 22 minutes.

“He was a nervous wreck,” Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said. “He’ll get better. I have to make sure he isn’t putting too much pressure on himself. When we were struggling, he was the one guy getting visibly more physical. You could see his frustration and his desire to win. I have to teach him how to channel that and there is no such thing as a ten point shot. He was trying to do everything himself, which is good and bad.”

The Bearcats trailed 38-30 at halftime before outscoring Prairie View 39-24 in the second half behind 12 of Deonta Vaughn’s 15 points.

Vaughn came off the bench in the second half after going 0-for-6 to start the game.

“He responded,” Cronin said of Vaughn. “Deonta is a great kid, but he has to give us better leadership. He has to make sure these guys are ready to play. Before the game when coaches aren’t in there, he has to make sure they are ready to play. Upsets happen in college basketball.”

Cincinnati made just 39 percent of its shots, while shooting 27 percent (8-for-30) from beyond the arc.

On Stephenson, Vaughn said his teammate was clearly “frustrated” in his college debut.

“That is for any freshman that comes in,” he said. “Your first couple of games is the hardest for you. I just have to talk to him and tell him how it will be for the rest of the season. He doesn’t have to force anything, and just let it come naturally.”

Cronin won’t make Stephenson available to the media until December, but hoops fans will have plenty of chances to see Lance on TV. In perusing my TV schedules, I see that both SNY and ESPN are showcasing a whole lotta Lance.

Wednesday – Toledo at Cincinnati, 7:30, SNY

Nov. 23 – Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt, 5, ESPN 2 (Maui Invitational)

Nov. 24 – Cincinnati vs. Maryland/Chaminade, 1:30/7, ESPN2

Nov. 25 – Cincinnati vs. TBD, ESPN2

Dec. 1 – Texas Southern at Cincinnati, 7:30, SNY

Dec. 19 – Lipscomb at Cincinnati, 2 p.m., SNY

WALL HITS BUZZER-BEATER

Kentucky freshman John Wall hit a pullup 15-foot buzzer beater to lead No. 5 Kentucky to a 72-70 victory over Miami (Ohio).

“When it hit the bottom of the net, it was a relief, a great feeling,” Wall said, according to The AP.

“John Wall catching it and going, I loved it,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.

The 6-foot-4 Wall, projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, finished with 19 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Wall sat out Kentucky’s season opener against Morehead State because of amateurism issues.

FREE THROWS

Arizona freshman Kevin Parrom of New York will miss at least a month with a stress fracture in his left foot, according to the Arizona Daily Star…No. 12 UConn led by just one at the half before beating Colgate 77-63 beind Stanley Robinson’s 18 points and Kemba Walker’s 16 points, 6 assists and 5 steals. Gavin Edwards added 14 points……Kyle Singler put up 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 11 Duke to a 74-49 win over Coastal Carolina…Syracuse comes to Madison Square Garden this week for the Coaches vs. Cancer event and will play Cal in the first game Thursday night. Defending NCAA champ North Carolina meets Ohio State in the other semi. Read my feature advance on Syracuse’s zone here…Memphis added to its recruiting haul by landing 6-7 center Tarik Black of Memphis Ridgeway, the No. 47 prospect in the nation. Josh Pastner’s club now has seven incoming recruits, five of whom are ranked among the Top 70 by Rivals. Rivals ranks Memphis as the No. 1 overall recruiting class for 2010.

(Photo courtesy Michael Keating, Cincinnati Enquirer)

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Of course, the team that could really use Wall — just named to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List – and his transcendant abilities is the New York Knicks.

And the Knicks — off to a dreadful 1-8 start — could well earn the right to select the 6-foot-4 Wall with the top pick. Several mock drafts project Wall as the No. 1 pick next year, ahead of Derrick Favors, Ed Davis and Greg Monroe.

There’s just one problem.

The Knicks traded the pick.

Utah now holds New York’s 2010 1st-round pick after the Knicks dealt for Stephon Marbury.

To borrow a phrase from Spinal Tap, Marbury is currently residing in the “Where are they now?” category and spends more time texting New York Post beat writer Marc Berman than he does actually playing basketball. 

So where does all this leave the Knicks?

Well, without a quality point guard, now or later.

Starting point guard Chris Duhon posted this gem of a line in last night’s 114-101 loss to Al Horford and Atlanta: 0 points on 0-for-6 shooting, 3 turnovers, 3 rebounds, 2 assists.

“He’s going to have to play better and he’s going to have to do it,” a visibly shaken Mike D’Antoni said.

Asked if Duhon might lose his starting job, the coach said, “We’ll see. I don’t know yet.”

At the rate the Knicks are going — which is to say, full-speed straight off a cliff like those chicks in Thelma & Louise — they are “on pace” for a final record that says 10-72 or 9-73.

Is it likely to get that bad?

Probably not, but let’s say they win 25 games.

Is that going to be enough to attract LeBron James or Dwyane Wade to the Garden next summer?

“Honestly, I wouldn’t say they [the Knicks] have to make the playoffs. They just have to compete. Both those guys are on really good teams right now so who knows what the future holds?”  former Knick and current Hawk Jamal Crawford said before the game. “It would be tough for them to leave that.”

Assuming those free agents did want to come to New York, what point guard will they be playing with? Someone who leads his team to the playoffs and makes his teammates better?

Or someone whose team has one more NBA win right now than I do.

One thing’s for sure, the Knicks point guard next year won’t be John Wall — barring some blockbuster trade.

Wall could be headed to Utah…if the winless Nets don’t grab him first.

HORNETS FIRE SCOTT

The New Orleans Hornets announced Thursday that they have relieved Byron Scott of his head coaching duties. Scott will be replaced by General Manager Jeff Bower.

New Orleans lost 124-104 at Phoenix on Wednesday, falling to 3-6 to start the season.

Former Hornets and Bulls head coach Tim Floyd was named an assistant. Floyd stepped down as coach at USC before the season in the wake of the O.J. Mayo scandal in which Floyd allegedly doled out cash payments to a runner in exchange for landing Mayo.

“I want to thank Byron for the hard work he has put in during his time with the Hornets,” said Hornets Owner George Shinn. “I’ve hired Jeff Bower to take over the coaching reign. He knows this team better than anyone, has the respect of the players and in basketball circles, is regarded as one of the best basketball minds in the business. This is our best opportunity to reach our goals this season.”

Bower has spent his 14-plus seasons with the club.

After serving as the assistant general manager for the 2000-01 season, Bower was promoted to general manager in June of 2001 and has since held that position. He returned to the bench as an assistant under Floyd in 2003-04.

“Accountability was our theme this past summer,” said Hornets Vice President of Basketball Chad Shinn. “We talked about the fact that everyone on our staff is held to a certain standard of performance and we didn’t feel this was happening at the head coach level. We feel like we still have an opportunity with our nucleus to get to where we want and Jeff is the right guy, right now to move us in that direction from the bench.”

“As we look at our long-term coaching plans, it’s not about who the head coach is, it’s about the role of the head coach to get the team to perform to their capabilities and reaching our potential this season,” said Bower.

Bower served three years as an assistant coach at Penn State University from 1983-86 before moving to Marist College, where he led the Red Foxes to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1987 after winning the Northeast Conference.

(Information from the Hornets Website was used; Photos courtesy University of Kentucky, AP)

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The 6-foot-4 Wall must repay nearly $800 in expenses and sit the first exhibition game against Campbellsville (Nov. 2) and the first regular-season game against Morehead State (Nov. 13).

“I’m grateful to have this decision behind me. All I ever wanted was to go to school and play ball with my team,” Wall said. “This has been really hard for my mom and I want to thank her for her support during this process.”

The punishments stem from Wall’s association with his former AAU coach, Brian Clifton of D-One Sports, who was a certified agent from 2007 to 2008. During his junior year at Word of God Christian Academy, Wall took two unofficial visits to Kentucky with Clifton.

“We’re appreciative of the process and the NCAA’s willingness to listen,” said Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart. “The NCAA staff worked to keep the welfare of the student-athlete in mind throughout this process. I’m happy for Coach [John] Calipari and John Wall that he will get a chance to represent the Wildcats this season. He’s a great young man and deserves to be able to concentrate fully on his academics and basketball.”

Wall was one of five freshmen on the Naismith Preseason watch list. A pre-season All-American according to several national publications, Wall was the top recruit in the country last season according to Rivals.com.

“John Wall is a great kid who always tries to do the right thing and his mother is a great lady,” Calipari said. “I’m just happy this is behind us.”

KILICLI SUSPENDED 20 GAMES

West Virginia freshman forward Deniz Kilicli must sit for the first 20 games of the season after the NCAA determined he violated an amateurism rule.

West Virginia said Friday that the NCAA determined Kilicli played on a Turkish team during the 2007-08 season that included a professional player, which isn’t allowed under NCAA rules.

A native of Istanbul, Kilicli played for the Pertevniyal Istanbul Club team in Turkey because high schools there don’t offer prep basketball.

Kilicli attended Mountain State Academy in Beckley, West Va., in 2008-09.

Kilicli must sit until Feb. 3, when West Virginia hosts Pittsburgh.

Coach Bob Huggins declined to comment on the NCAA ruling.

“Deniz has played really well,” Huggins said last week at Big East media day.

Huggins already suspended guards Darryl “Truck” Bryant of Brooklyn and Joe Mazzulla during the summer for off-the-court issues.

“They’re fine. It’s over with, we’re moving on,” Huggins said last week.

West Virginia (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 8 AP) opens exhibition play on Nov. 8 against Mountain State.

SETON HALL WINS EXHIBITION

Seton Hall downed Carleton University 89-62 in an exhibition Friday at Walsh Gym. Sophomore guard Jordan Theodore scored 17 points and had eight steals, all in the first half. Junior forward Herb Pope scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added three blocks. Junior Keon Lawrence went 5-of-5 from the field and tallied 13 points. Seton Hall shot 59.6 percent from the field and made 6-of-14 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Jeremy Hazell did not play in the game and the Pirates started Lawrence, Pope, Eugene Harvey, John Garcia and Robert Mitchell and Pope. The Pirates open the season Nov. 13 against St. Peter’s.

BIRUTA GETTING LOOKS

Coaches from Arizona, Md, Seton Hall, Rutgers and St. John’s came to St. Benedict’s this week to scout Gil Biruta, a 6-8 forward from Lithuania.

(The Associated Press contributed; Photos courtesy Kentucky & West Virginia Athletics)

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Leslie, the No. 4 power forward in the Class of 2010, was supposed to attend Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness last week but didn’t attend. Seton Hall is hoping to get a visit from Leslie as well, but his camp has been very quiet about his plans.

Word of God coach Erasto Hatchett told me earlier this month the 6-foot-8, 205-pound Leslie is c