What if Nerlens Noel Reclassifies to 2012?

Over the past few years, fans have become accustomed to seeing a couple of players in each class reclassify to an elder class and make their journey towards college basketball.

The latest, of course, is none other than Andre Drummond. One week the 6-foot-10 center publicized his intent to return to prep school and attend Wilbraham and Monson; the next week, he reclassified to 2011 and signed with the UConn Huskies, pushing one player out of a scholarship.

We won't get into the loss of scholarships, but instead, let's turn the attention down the road to another Big East school, Providence.

Enough cannot be said as to what Ed Cooley has done so far on the recruiting trail, as he recently picked up commitments from Kris Dunn and Ricardo Ledo. The two studs will make a great front-court and (hopefully) vault the Friars back to the national stage in 2012-13.

However, they are lacking something that most Big East schools have: a notable big man.

Cue Nerlens Noel, who may be the best defensive prospect college basketball has seen in the past decade. Where does he relate to the Class of 2012, as he is currently in 2013?

There have been rumblings about the possibility of Noel reclassifying to 2012 and going to school a year early, just as Drummond and his predecessors have done.

Now I'm not saying that this is a done-deal, but I did have a source from the New England-area tell me he wouldn't be surprised to see Noel make the jump to 2012 and go to college early.

If he does decide to reclassify, the team to watch would indeed be Cooley's Friars. A prominent big man could easily push down the wall blocking Providence from the national stage.

They would not be the only school to actively pursue Noel, though. I could see these four teams joining Providence in the fight to claim Noel: Kentucky, Pitt, Syracuse, and UConn.

But say the dominoes fall in this sequence:

• DaJuan Coleman commits to Syracuse
• Willie Cauley commits to Kentucky
• Pitt already has Steven Adams, but you know Jamie Dixon likes a lot of big men.

Common sense would say that leaves Providence and UConn, correct? I have no idea how close Noel is to either coaching staffs at PC or UConn, but I do know Providence has always came at him hard, and I believe they offered him first. And then one never knows how much longer Calhoun will be at the helm of the Huskies.

But from the way Cooley is going, it looks like he could be in the Boston area for quite some time. The consistency and up-front knowledge could go a long way for Noel.

With that said (and if the scenarios follow closely to what I have above), if Nerlens Noel changes to the Class of 2012, the Providence Friars could be the team to beat in his recruitment.

Nothing is official, heck this may never happen, but it is something to ponder on while we wait for him to cut his list.

I do know Kentucky will be a big player, though. He has constantly told me, "Kentucky will be in there to the very end."

They may be, but if things fall into place, keep an eye on Ed Cooley and Providence College.