Amile Jefferson: Breaking Down Prep Star's Potential Destinations

Amile Jefferson remains among a handful of highly-touted high school prospects who've yet to decide where they'll play their college basketball in the fall. The slender, 6'8" forward from Friends' Central in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania is one of the two most coveted undeclared prep stars in the country, along with Anthony Bennett of Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada.

Especially now that Tony Parker has (finally and mercifully) decided to take his talents to UCLA.

So, if you were to walk a mile in Amile's gigantic shoes, where might you end up?

Duke

Mike Krzyzewski's stomping grounds have been at or near the top of Jefferson's wish list for some time now. Duke already has some solid size on its roster, between Ryan Kelly, Josh Hairston and a pair of Plumlees.

None of the three, though, can quite compare to the talent and upside that Amile brings to the table. The losses of Miles Plumlee (to graduation) and Michael Gbinije (to another school) also leave the Blue Devils with some extra space to fill in the front court.

Space that Jefferson would be able to fill at some point, though Coach K would likely prefer to keep him tied down for a while to allow him to develop before he'd step into a bigger role.

North Carolina State

Much of NC State's involvement in Jefferson's recruitment hinged on the status of star forward CJ Leslie. The Wolfpack, then, would appear to be out of the running, now that Leslie has opted to return to school for his senior season.

Waiting and learning behind a talent like Leslie wouldn't be such a bad thing for Jefferson, though if immediate playing time is his chief concern, then Raleigh probably isn't the place to be.

Kentucky

Those of you out there who begrudge John Calipari's success are probably cringing at the possibility of Kentucky adding Jefferson to its crop of five-star talents. His penchant for attacking the basket might actually fit in quite nicely alongside the interior intimidation of Nerlens Noel and the smooth, inside-out stylings of Alex Poythress in the Wildcats' front court.

Ultimately, UK offers Jefferson the best opportunity to play right away, develop his talents for a jump to the NBA and win, all at the same time.

Villanova/Temple

Like any good prep star from the Keystone State, Jefferson is giving at least some consideration to Philadelphia's Big 5.

In Amile's case, it's down to a Big 2 of Villanova and Temple in the City of Brotherly Love. The Wildcats have fallen off each year since cracking the Final Four in 2009, while the Owls, the reigning regular-season champs of the Atlantic 10, will be joining them in the Big East in the fall of 2013.

At this point, though, both look like long shots to land Amile's signature.

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