Villanova looking to snap up top area prospects

The upcoming Villanova recruiting class has one question yet to be answered. Is Friends' Central's Amile Jefferson bound to be a Wildcat? If the answer is yes, Nova will have one of the top classes in the nation as they scoop up the top four-premier prospects from the Philadelphia area.

The six-foot-seven forward is ranked 26th in the class of 2012 by ESPN and would join the already committed Savon Goodman of Academy of the New Church, Ryan Arcidiacono of Neshaminy and Daniel Ochefu of Westtown.

All four played at last month's NBA Top 100 camp at the University of Virginia, where Jefferson finished as the camp's top scorer with a 20.8 per game average. Arcidacono said the other three were working their best throughout the camp to persuade him to commit to Nova.

"Me, Savon, Ochefu and hopefully Amile, I'm trying to push that," said Arcidacono. "It's just been great. I got to room with them at the NBA Camp and got to develop a better relationship with them. Just been talking to them about how sweet it's going to be and how fun it's going to be to play together."

Arcidiacono was the first of the three to commit to Nova, as he made his verbal last October. The point guard averaged 20 points per game at Neshaminy last season and was named one of the top three scorers at the Deron Williams Skills Academy last month in Chicago.

Goodman, ranked 55 by ESPN, averaged nearly 15 points per game for ANC as a junior. The 6'6 guard committed to Villanova in November after garnering interest from Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA.

At 6'9, Ochefu would help form a near imposable front court if Jefferson lands on the Main Line. The center averaged over 15 points and 10 rebounds last season at Westtown and committed to Nova in March.

"It would be a very good class, but the rankings don't really mean anything," said Arcidacono. "We have to go out there and prove it so it would be good, but we have to come out and show everyone why we were ranked that high."

Besides Villanova, Jefferson is also reportedly being targeted by Georgetown, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Temple. He took an unofficial visit to North Broad Street in late March.